Flying Leathernecks (1951)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Nicholas Ray

Writers:

James Edward Grant (screenplay)
Kenneth Gamet (story)

Release Date:

28 August 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War | Action

Tagline:

AIR-DEVILS OF THE SKY!

Plot:

Major Kirby leads The Wildcats squadron into the historic WWII battle of Guadalcanal.

Plot Keywords:

Marine | Guadalcanal | WWII | Drunk Scene | Okinawa Japan

Cast

John Wayne	...	Maj. Daniel Xavier Kirby
Robert Ryan	...	Capt. Carl 'Griff' Griffin
Don Taylor	...	Lt. Vern 'Cowboy' Blithe
Janis Carter	...	Joan Kirby
Jay C. Flippen	...	MSgt. Clancy, Line Chief
William Harrigan	...	Dr. Lt.Cdr. Joe Curran
James Bell	...	Colonel
Barry Kelley	...	Brigadier General
Maurice Jara	...	Shorty Vegay
Adam Williams	...	Lt. Bert Malotke
James Dobson	...	Lt. Pudge McCabe
Carleton Young	...	Col. Riley
Michael St. Angel	...	Capt. Harold Jorgensen, Ops. Officer (as Steve Flagg)
Brett King	...	1st Lt. Ernie Stark
Gordon Gebert	...	Tommy Kirby

Also Known As:

Devil Dogs of the Air (USA) (working title)
Flying Devil Dogs (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:12 | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-8 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) | USA:Approved (PCA #14994)

Filming Locations:

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, Oceanside, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

This was Nicholas Ray's first film in color.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Major Kirby is just home from the war, he takes a letter from a mailbox which in a full-screen shot is shown to have a six-cent stamp. Six-cent stamps weren't issued until 1949, four years after the war ended.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "M*A*S*H: L.I.P. (Local Indigenous Personnel) (#2.7)" (1973)

Worthy effort

On one level this is a standard flag-waving WW2 film--which was what audiences wanted. On another level, though, this movie says some pretty harsh things about war. Mixed in with the combat footage are several scenes of wounded soldiers covered in blood, the sort of images that were censored from pictures made during the war. Some have objected to this... but I think it adds an extra layer of realism. Yes, they are shocking images--maybe that was Ray's point. We should be shocked that men get killed like this. The interplay between Robert Ryan and John Wayne is fascinating. Ryan turns in a splendid performance and Wayne surprised me with the depth of emotion he displayed, particularly when he visits his family. The movie shows us the emotional toll of ordering men to their deaths. The movie has pacing problems, particularly in the final battle, and Jay C. Flippen's scrounging sergeant wears a little thin. Still, this is a well-done war film.