Flying Leathernecks (1951)

Director:

Nicholas Ray

Writers:

James Edward Grant (screenplay)
Kenneth Gamet (story)
(more)

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Brunner	...	Navajo father on reservation (uncredited)
Ralph Cook	...	(uncredited)
James Craven	...	Fleet CIC commander (uncredited)
Gail Davis	...	Virginia Blithe (uncredited)
Michael Devery	...	(uncredited)
Sam Edwards	...	Junior (uncredited)
Fred Graham	...	MP sergeant (uncredited)
Douglas Henderson	...	(uncredited)
Milton Kibbee	...	Indian Affairs clerk (uncredited)
Keith Larsen	...	(uncredited)
Harry Lauter	...	Freddie (uncredited)
John Mitchum	...	Lt. Black (uncredited)
Brit Norton	...	Capt. Walter Tanner (uncredited)
Melville Robert	...	(uncredited)
Elaine Roberts	...	(uncredited)
Lynn Stalmaster	...	Lt. Billy Castle (uncredited)
Milburn Stone	...	Fleet CIC radio operator (uncredited)
Harlan Warde	...	Admiral's aide (uncredited)
Dick Wessel	...	Mess sergeant (uncredited)
Mack Williams	...	(uncredited)
Adam York	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Nicholas Ray

Writing credits
James Edward Grant		(screenplay)
Kenneth Gamet		(story)
Beirne Lay Jr.		screenplay (uncredited)

Produced by
Edmund Grainger	....	producer

Original Music by
Roy Webb

Cinematography by
William E. Snyder		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Sherman Todd

Art Direction by
Albert S. D'Agostino
James W. Sullivan

Set Decoration by
Darrell Silvera
John Sturtevant

Makeup Department
Mel Berns	....	makeup artist
Larry Germain	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Cliff P. Broughton	....	production supervisor

Sound Department
Frank McWhorter	....	sound
Clem Portman	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul Mantz	....	pilot: camera airplane (uncredited)
Cliff Shirpser	....	aerial camera operator: Technicolor (uncredited)

Music Department
C. Bakaleinikoff	....	musical director

Other crew
Colonel Richard Hughes	....	technical advisor (as Colonel Richard Hughes U.S.M.C.)
Howard Hughes	....	presenter
Morgan Padelford	....	technicolor color consultant
Sid Davis	....	stand-in: John Wayne (uncredited)

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1951) (USA) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1952) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1954) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Image Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (2000) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Continental Home Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• United States Marine Corps  dedicated to

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 (archive footage) | 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:

There was some controversy over the casting, since both John Wayne and Robert Ryan were clearly much older than real pilots were during World War II.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the 1st patrol off Guadalcanal after the nightly ship bombardment, "Jigsaw 4" is returning to base due to an engine problem (assumed cowardice by Pilot). Later in the same patrol, another Pilot is leaving formation and is shot down (later killed by Jap Infantry) under codename Jigsaw 4 also.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "That Girl: Anatomy of a Blunder (#1.5)" (1966)

Oustanding Character Study

Watching the interaction between Wayne and Ryan took me back to my days in submarines. A captain who remained distant yet caring and an exec who seemed more crew friendly and down to earth. I thought this was played out very well. Ryan only had to look at his own actions to realize why he had been passed over for command. I believe every command had a scrounger and this was a good addition for realism. I overlooked some location errors and airplane types and focused on what was the real story. Young men were trained quickly and sent into combat and as all young people do even now, feel invincible. This movie portrays war as a reality, men die. As long as the earth is inhabited there will be wars. One reviewer termed this movie as a snuff movie. This was war. Men fought and men died. Guadelcanal was not a pristine resort. We were attacked by an enemy who showed no mercy and as sad as it is, men die in war to protect our freedom. This movie shows how new pilots are forced to face the reality that they may be killed and that they must kill. They were led by a squadron commander (Wayne) who was a veteran and knew what it would take to give his men the highest odds of living. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to anyone who has a moral problem with war. The bottom line for the anti-war crowd is, "reality sucks."