The Wings of Eagles (1957)

A biography of Navy flier-turned-screenwriter Frank W. "Spig" Wead.

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Frank Fenton (screenplay), William Wister Haines (screenplay),

Stars:

John Wayne, Dan Dailey, Maureen O'Hara

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Wayne	...	Frank W. 'Spig' Wead
Dan Dailey	...	'Jughead' Carson
Maureen O'Hara	...	Min Wead
Ward Bond	...	John Dodge
Ken Curtis	...	John Dale Price
Edmund Lowe	...	Adm. Moffett
Kenneth Tobey	...	Capt. Herbert Allen Hazard
James Todd	...	Jack Travis
Barry Kelley	...	Capt. Jock Clark
Sig Ruman	...	Manager
Henry O'Neill	...	Capt. Spear
Willis Bouchey	...	Barton
Dorothy Jordan	...	Rose Brentmann

Storyline

U.S. Navy pilot Frank 'Spig' Wead is a fun-loving and rowdy adventurer, but also a fierce proponent of Naval aviation. His dedication to the promotion of the Navy's flying program is so intense that his marriage and family life suffer. When an accident paralyzes him, Spig finds a new means of expressing his love of flying: screenwriting. Successful and acclaimed, he finds the U.S. entry into World War II to be an irresistible call. Pleading that he be reinstated in the Navy despite his paralysis, Spig finds he has an enormous contribution yet to make.

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Plot Keywords:

navy | flying | paralysis | u.s. navy | jet fighter | 

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Taglines:

A NEW TRIUMPH FOR WHAT-A-GUY WAYNE! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 February 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'aigle vole au soleil

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) Perspecta Stereo

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is a scene in the movie where we see the director, played by Ward Bond, looking at a clip of a film written by the main character. The clip is from the film Hell Divers, which was actually written by Frank Wead. In the same scene, Bond asks one of the producers "How'd you like that kid with Beery" (Wallace Beery), the producer says "Great. Sign him up." The actor they are talking about is Clark Gable

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Goofs

Wead won the Schneider Cup in 1923 and the Army flew around the world in 1924. The movie has these events reversed.

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Quotes

Min Wead: [Phones rings while their cuddling] Let it ring
Frank W. 'Spig' Wead: Why not, It probably just Washington, oh I forgot, you know you're in the arms of the new sergeant commander in the United States Navy.
Min Wead: Star Spangled Spad
Frank W. 'Spig' Wead: And a squad leader
Min Wead: All I know is I'm in the arms with a fellow name spig that I'm nuts about. Hey! How about getting back to your necking with a little more enthusiasm.
Frank W. 'Spig' Wead: Right!

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Connections

Featured in AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to John Ford (1973)

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Soundtracks

"Toot Toot Tootsie (Goodbye)"
(uncredited)
Written by Al Jolson
Heard at the Navy' victory party

User Reviews

John Ford+John Wayne+Maureen O' Hara= Film Film Biopic

The iconic director and his usual cast of players take on Naval Aviation in this look at a man who helped to advance navy aviation as John Wayne again looms on the screen bigger than life in the role of Frank "Spig" Wead, a pioneer of the navy air corps. Based on the autobiography of Wead the usual themes of adventure, patriotism and romance abound with stellar supporting roles with veteran actors like Ken Curtis, Dan Daily, and Ward Bond as a thinly veiled portrait of director Ford himself. Set against the background of World War II the film is about courage and commitment in a big way, and there really is not another actor who could have brought it to the screen with the believability that the "Duke" manages so easily. One of his finer roles.