In the wake of Pearl Harbor, a young lieutenant leaves his expectant wife to volunteer for a secret bombing mission which will take the war to the Japanese homeland.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead takes a cue from her latest film Gemini Man to prepare her younger self for a life in Hollywood.
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Title: Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Van Johnson | ... | Ted Lawson | |
| Robert Walker | ... | David Thatcher | |
 |
Tim Murdock | ... | Dean Davenport |
| Don DeFore | ... | Charles McClure | |
|
|
Herbert Gunn | ... | Bob Clever (as Gordon McDonald) |
| Phyllis Thaxter | ... | Ellen Lawson | |
| Stephen McNally | ... | 'Doc' White (as Horace McNally) | |
| Spencer Tracy | ... | Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle | |
|
|
John R. Reilly | ... | 'Shorty' Manch |
| Robert Mitchum | ... | Bob Gray | |
| Scott McKay | ... | Davey Jones | |
| Donald Curtis | ... | Lieut. Randall | |
| Louis Jean Heydt | ... | Lieut. Miller | |
| William 'Bill' Phillips | ... | Don Smith (as Wm. 'Bill' Phillips) | |
| Douglas Cowan | ... | 'Brick' Holstrom | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (38) »
Storyline
The amazingly detailed true story of "The Doolittle Raid" based on the personal account by Doolittle Raider Ted Lawson. Stunned by Pearl Harbor and a string of defeats, America needed a victory - badly. To that end, Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, a former air racer and stunt pilot, devises a plan for a daring raid on the heart of Japan itself. To do this, he must train army bomber pilots to do something no one ever dreamed possible - launch 16 fully loaded bombers from an aircraft carrier! Remarkable in its accuracy, this movie even uses film footage from the actual raid. Written by KC Hunt <khunt@eng.morgan.edu>
Plot Keywords:
aircraft carrier | japan | doolittle raid | air attack | army air corps |Taglines:
M-G-M's Great Thrill Romance See more »Parents Guide:
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
November 1944 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Treinta segundos sobre Tokio See more »Filming Locations:
Stage 15, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios -10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$2,900,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Young Dr. Chung: I have one sorrow, Lieutenant. that we did not have the medicine to ease your pain.
Ted Lawson: You saved my life, Doc.
Young Dr. Chung: I hope that someday you'll come back to us.
Ted Lawson: We'll be back. Maybe not us ourselves but a lotta guys like us, and I'd like to be with them. You're our kind of people.
Young Dr. Chung: Thank you, sir.
See more »
(1906) (uncredited)
Music by Charles A. Zimmerman
Lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles and R. Lovell
Played as background music
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The weight of one fifty caliber machine gun is roughly equal to that of seven gallons of gasoline. In order to reduce weight and increase range, the machine guns were removed and replaced with broomsticks that had been painted black. The faux guns were intended to discourage enemy fighters from getting too close, which would hopefully reduce the losses of B25s. As this movie was released while the war was still on, the broomstick trick was omitted from the movie in order to protect the information about the load capacity and range of the B25. See more »Goofs
Ted Lawson's amputated left leg is briefly visible when he puts the sandal on his right foot. See more »Quotes
Ted Lawson: Goodbye.Young Dr. Chung: I have one sorrow, Lieutenant. that we did not have the medicine to ease your pain.
Ted Lawson: You saved my life, Doc.
Young Dr. Chung: I hope that someday you'll come back to us.
Ted Lawson: We'll be back. Maybe not us ourselves but a lotta guys like us, and I'd like to be with them. You're our kind of people.
Young Dr. Chung: Thank you, sir.
See more »
Alternate Versions
There is an alternate colorized version. See more »Soundtracks
Anchors Aweigh(1906) (uncredited)
Music by Charles A. Zimmerman
Lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles and R. Lovell
Played as background music
See more »
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I am a retired professional pilot with thirty-eight years experience and I can tell you what the Doolittle Raiders did took more raw courage than you can possibly imagine if you are not a pilot yourself. Simply taking off from an aircraft carrier is dangerous enough for a naval aircraft. Now do it with a heavily loaded bomber not designed for the task flown by pilots who had never even been on a carrier before. Okay, that's scary enough, now I'll try to explain the technical difficulties. Simply stated, to take off a multi engine aircraft at very low airspeed (Necessary for the short length of the deck) is to invite disaster. This is because if you lose an engine as you lift off, the torque from the good engine would roll the aircraft over on its back and into the sea. Now if you survive those rigors you still have to fly to Japan, brave the anti-aircraft fire and fighters, unload your bombs, try to make to China (Low on fuel) find some primitive landing strip at night, which may have fallen into enemy hands by the time you arrive. This movie is but a small tribute to these brave heroes, so please forgive any perceptions of WWII propaganda. Supreme courage? You bet!