A Guy Named Joe (1943)

A dead World War II bomber pilot named Pete Sandidge, becomes the guardian angel of another pilot, Ted Randall. He guides Ted through battle and helping him to romance his old girlfriend, despite her excessive devotion to Sandidge's memory.

Director:

Victor Fleming

Writers:

Chandler Sprague (story), David Boehm (story)

Stars:

Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne, Van Johnson

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Spencer Tracy	...	Pete Sandidge
Irene Dunne	...	Dorinda Durston
Van Johnson	...	Ted Randall
Ward Bond	...	Al Yackey
James Gleason	...	'Nails' Kilpatrick
Lionel Barrymore	...	The General
Barry Nelson	...	Dick Rumney
Esther Williams	...	Ellen Bright
Henry O'Neill	...	Col. Sykes
Don DeFore	...	James J. Rourke (as Don De Fore)
Charles Smith	...	Sanderson
Addison Richards	...	Maj. Corbett

Storyline

Maj. Pete Sandidge is a very able pilot who seems to have a streak of luck as far as flying goes. World War II is raging and Pete has come out of it pretty so far. He even has a beautiful girlfriend Dorinda Durston, herself a qualified pilot who ferries aircraft to different bases. When Pete is killed however, he finds himself in heaven and learns that every pilot has a guardian angel. He returns to Earth where, unseen by anyone, he coaches a pilot-in-training Ted Randall. Ted is a pretty good kid and is coming along nicely but when he's shipped to New Guinea he runs into Dorinda who has remained faithful to her lost love. As Ted pursues her, Pete will have to decide what he wants to do about it.

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Plot Keywords:

pilot | heaven | world war two | training | teacher | 

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Taglines:

A GUY - A GAL - A PAL - It's Swell!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

March 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dos en el cielo

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$2,627,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$5,363,000, 31 December 1944

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 122 min (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was first telecast in Los Angeles Friday 1 February 1957 on KTTV (Channel 11); it first aired in Seattle 7 March 1957 on KING (Channel 5), in Kansas City MO 26 April 1957 on KCMO (Channel 5), in Portland OR 9 May 1957 on KGW (Channel 8), in Salt Lake City 22 May 1957 on KTVT (Channel 4), in Minneapolis 5 June 1957 on KMGM (Channel 9), in Phoenix 8 June 1957 on KPHO (Channel 5), in Philadelphia 2 August 1957 on WFIL (Channel 6), in Chicago 3 August 1957 on WBBM (Channel 2), and in Altoona PA 29 August 1957 on WFBG (Channel 10), but not in New York City until 4 February 1958 on WCBS (Channel 2), and in San Francisco 8 November 1958 on KGO (Channel 7).

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Goofs

When Pete convinces Randall to showoff, Ted radios Rourke to take over command of their squadron. But as Ted flies just over the treetops, Rourke (Don DeFore) is shown on the ground watching as he makes his pass.

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Quotes

Pete Sandidge: Either I'm dead or I'm crazy.
Dick Rumney: You're not crazy.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Hist-o-Rama: Spencer Tracy (1961)

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Soundtracks

How About You?
(1941) (uncredited)
Music by Burton Lane
Hummed by Don DeFore

User Reviews

Interesting comparison with "Always" by Spielberg.

As many viewers I saw "Always", actually several times, before I even learned about "A Guy Named Joe." It is factual that the later film was a remake of the earlier one, but being in more modern times a significant story difference was depicted. I have no reason to compare the two against each other, for each one is a fine film on its own.

Set in WW II England, "A Guy Named Joe" gets its title from a comment made by one of the British children waiting to talk to Pete after one of his bombing runs over Germany. He told one of the other children, "that's what all American soldiers are called, guys named Joe." There was no actual character named Joe in the film.

I had never seen Spencer Tracy in his prime, and he was quite a handsome actor. Now I understand why he was so popular. He plays Pete, the pilot who takes unapproved chances to get difficult jobs done. In "Always", Dryfuss as Pete does the same for putting out forest fires. In both films Pete dies during a heroic mission and in heaven is sent to help a novice pilot, who ends up romancing his old girlfriend, Drinda.

I understand that at least one viewer who was in WW II thinks this is not a very good or realistic film. Maybe not, but it is still entertaining, and for me interesting to see a film made the year before I was born. Worth seeking out, for anyone who also enjoyed "Always" to see where it came from. Two different films from two different times, both excellent.