Task Force (1949)

Director:

Delmer Daves

Writer:

Delmer Daves (written by)

Release Date:

31 March 1950 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Plot:

After learning the finer points of carrier aviation in the 1920s, career officer Jonathan Scott and...

Plot Keywords:

Aircraft Carrier | Navy | 1920s | Aviation | Color Sequence

Cast

Gary Cooper	...	Jonathan L. Scott
Jane Wyatt	...	Mary Morgan
Wayne Morris	...	McKinney
Walter Brennan	...	Pete Richard
Julie London	...	Barbara McKinney
Bruce Bennett	...	McCluskey
Jack Holt	...	Captain Reeves
Stanley Ridges	...	Sen. Bentley
John Ridgely	...	Dixie Rankin
Richard Rober	...	Lt. Jack Southern
Art Baker	...	Sen. Vincent
Moroni Olsen	...	Adm. Ames
Ray Montgomery	...	Pilot
Harlan Warde	...	Timmy Kissell

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor) (some sequences) | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #13553) | Finland:K-12

Filming Locations:

San Diego, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

From the hull number on the bow during Scott's retirement and another shot later on, it would appear that much of the shipboard filming was done aboard USS Antietam (CV-36).

Goofs:

Factual errors: During the attack sequence on the Japanese carriers at Midway, the film shows the dive bombers striking first. Actually, it was the torpedo bombers that attacked first. This was caused by missed communications between the torpedo planes and the fighter cover. It was supposed to be a coordinated high-low attack. Almost every torpedo plane was shot down. No torpedoes made hits. While a tragic accident, the torpedo planes drew the Japanese fighter cover down to wave top height. When the U.S. fighters and dive bombers arrived there were very few Japanese fighters to intercept them.

Movie Connections:

References A Farewell to Arms (1932)

Soundtrack:

Tea for Two

Excellent

I first saw this movie late one night when I couldn't sleep. For those of us that study the history of military aviation, this movie is a God-send! The "between wars" US military had a dismal understanding of aviation. And this film shows what Naval aviators had to contend with. The film depicts, correctly, the backward "John Paul Jones" thinking of the Naval brass at the time. The film covers some 20 years but does it very well. Gary Cooper plays the role of a Naval aviator better than he plays most of his roles. And seeing Walter Brennen as a Navy admiral was different. I grew up watching him as "Grandpa McCoy." Aside from the "movie" stuff, the film is a very good history lesson. Most people can't believe that we had one of the worst air fleets in the world during the inter-war period. And it was because of the 19th century thinking of the senior brass. But for airplane nuts like myself, seeing the old Boeing F4B's, Curtiss Goshawks and Grumman F2F's and F3F's actually in the air was the most wonderful part of the movie. If you get a chance to see it, do so.