Desperate Journey (1942)

When the crew of a downed British bomber escape from their Nazi captors with Top Secret intelligence, they make a desperate journey to get out of Germany alive.

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writer:

Arthur T. Horman (original screenplay)

Stars:

Errol Flynn, Ronald Reagan, Nancy Coleman

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Errol Flynn	...	Flight Lt. Terrence Forbes
Ronald Reagan	...	Flying Officer Johnny Hammond
Nancy Coleman	...	Kaethe Brahms
Raymond Massey	...	Major Otto Baumeister
Alan Hale	...	Flight Sergeant Kirk Edwards
Arthur Kennedy	...	Flying Officer Jed Forrest
Ronald Sinclair	...	Flight Sergeant Lloyd Hollis
Albert Bassermann	...	Dr. Mather (as Albert Basserman)
Sig Ruman	...	Preuss
Patrick O'Moore	...	Squadron Leader Lane-Ferris
Felix Basch	...	Hermann Brahms
Ilka Grüning	...	Frau Brahms (as Ilka Gruning)
Elsa Bassermann	...	Frau Raeder (as Else Basserman)
Charles Irwin	...	Captain Coswick
Richard Fraser	...	Squadron Leader Clark

Storyline

When Flight Lt Forbes and his crew are shot down after bombing their target, they discover valuable information, about a hidden German aircraft factory, that must get back to England. In their way across Germany, they try and cause as much damage as possible. Then with the chasing Germans about to pounce, they come up with an ingenious plan to escape.

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Plot Keywords:

nazi | reference to franklin d. roosevelt | british military | escape | factory | 

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Taglines:

A screaming, screen-shaking once in a lifetime adventure!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

26 September 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Forced Landing

Filming Locations:

Lockheed Air Terminal. Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,209,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$2,029,000, 31 December 1942

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,980,000, 31 December 1942

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the few times that Australian Errol Flynn actually played an Australian.

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Goofs

Near the end of the film where the three escapees board the captured British plane, they are attacked by the Germans. Flynn enters the gun turret, rotates it to sight the enemy then opens fire. When Reagan pulls his injured mate into the plane and closes the door, he relieves Flynn who goes forward to start the engines and fly out. Before this happens, Reagan again rotates the turret and fires on the Germans. Rotating the turret and firing the guns was worked by hydraulics which were only operable with the planes engines running.

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Quotes

Flying Officer Johnny Hammond: Come on, you big pickle-puss. Just give me one chance to kick you right in the middle of your goose-step!

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Connections

Referenced in Five Came Back: Combat Zones (2017)

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Soundtracks

Waltzing Matilda
(1895) (uncredited)
Original music by Christina Macpherson (1895)
(Based on the Scottish tune "Craigielee", music by James Barr, with words by Robert Tannahill)
Revised music by Marie Cowan (1903)
Lyrics by A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson (1895)
Partially sung a cappella by Errol Flynn

User Reviews

Not exactly realistic but very enjoyable.

"Desperate Journey" comes down to Errol Flynn vs. the Nazis and I'll give you two guesses who wins this one! This film isn't about realism, just to entertain and boy, it certainly does! The pace never lets up as Errol and a small group of Allied soldiers find their way behind enemy lines in Germany. Their plane has crashed and they need to pool their resources in order to fly back to Headquarters in England. There is action aplenty and a very good supporting cast. An Errol Flynn movie wouldn't be complete without regular co- star Alan Hale. Raymond Massey is very good as a Nazi officer who is hot on the Allies trail. Unlike a lot of Flynn's films, "Desperate Journey" doesn't allow much room in the plot for a female leading lady. Nancy Coleman is cast in that role here but her screen time is restricted. The climax is an excellent one and there's also a bit of suspense. 1942 was the last year in which Errol Flynn was at his most popular at the box office. Not long after, his star gradually faded and his career didn't re-gain its former glory.