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IMDbPro

Command Decision

  • 19481948
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 52m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
2K
YOUR RATING
Clark Gable, Brian Donlevy, Van Johnson, John Hodiak, and Walter Pidgeon in Command Decision (1948)
Official Trailer
Play trailer3:22
1 Video
16 Photos
  • Action
  • Drama
  • War
Army generals struggle with the decision to prioritize bombing the German factories producing new jet fighters over the extremely high casualties the mission will cost.Army generals struggle with the decision to prioritize bombing the German factories producing new jet fighters over the extremely high casualties the mission will cost.Army generals struggle with the decision to prioritize bombing the German factories producing new jet fighters over the extremely high casualties the mission will cost.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
2K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Sam Wood
  • Writers
    • William R. Laidlaw(screenplay)
    • George Froeschel(screenplay)
    • William Wister Haines(play)
  • Stars
    • Clark Gable
    • Walter Pidgeon
    • Van Johnson
Top credits
  • Director
    • Sam Wood
  • Writers
    • William R. Laidlaw(screenplay)
    • George Froeschel(screenplay)
    • William Wister Haines(play)
  • Stars
    • Clark Gable
    • Walter Pidgeon
    • Van Johnson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 38User reviews
    • 16Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Videos1

    Command Decision
    Trailer 3:22
    Command Decision

    Photos16

    John Hodiak at an event for Command Decision (1948)
    Clark Gable, Charles Bickford, Brian Donlevy, and Walter Pidgeon in Command Decision (1948)
    Clark Gable, Brian Donlevy, and Walter Pidgeon in Command Decision (1948)
    Charles Bickford in Command Decision (1948)
    Clark Gable, Charles Bickford, Brian Donlevy, Walter Pidgeon, and Clinton Sundberg in Command Decision (1948)
    Clark Gable, Brian Donlevy, and Walter Pidgeon in Command Decision (1948)
    Clark Gable in Command Decision (1948)
    Clark Gable, Brian Donlevy, Van Johnson, John Hodiak, and Walter Pidgeon in Command Decision (1948)
    Clark Gable, Charles Bickford, Brian Donlevy, Van Johnson, and Walter Pidgeon in Command Decision (1948)
    Clark Gable, Brian Donlevy, Van Johnson, John Hodiak, and Walter Pidgeon in Command Decision (1948)
    Clark Gable, Brian Donlevy, Van Johnson, John Hodiak, and Walter Pidgeon in Command Decision (1948)
    Clark Gable, Brian Donlevy, Van Johnson, John Hodiak, and Walter Pidgeon in Command Decision (1948)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Clark Gable
    Clark Gable
    • Brig. Gen. K.C. 'Casey' Dennisas Brig. Gen. K.C. 'Casey' Dennis
    Walter Pidgeon
    Walter Pidgeon
    • Maj. Gen. Roland Goodlow Kaneas Maj. Gen. Roland Goodlow Kane
    Van Johnson
    Van Johnson
    • Tas T…
    Brian Donlevy
    Brian Donlevy
    • Brig. Gen. Clifton I. Garnetas Brig. Gen. Clifton I. Garnet
    Charles Bickford
    Charles Bickford
    • Elmer Brockhurstas Elmer Brockhurst
    John Hodiak
    John Hodiak
    • Col. Edward Rayton Martinas Col. Edward Rayton Martin
    Edward Arnold
    Edward Arnold
    • Congressman Arthur Malcolmas Congressman Arthur Malcolm
    Marshall Thompson
    Marshall Thompson
    • Capt. George Washington Bellpepper Leeas Capt. George Washington Bellpepper Lee
    Richard Quine
    Richard Quine
    • Maj. George Rocktonas Maj. George Rockton
    Cameron Mitchell
    Cameron Mitchell
    • Lt. Ansel Goldbergas Lt. Ansel Goldberg
    Clinton Sundberg
    Clinton Sundberg
    • Maj. Homer V. Prescottas Maj. Homer V. Prescott
    Ray Collins
    Ray Collins
    • Maj. Desmond Lansingas Maj. Desmond Lansing
    Warner Anderson
    Warner Anderson
    • Col. Earnest Haleyas Col. Earnest Haley
    John McIntire
    John McIntire
    • Maj. Belding Davisas Maj. Belding Davis
    Moroni Olsen
    Moroni Olsen
    • Congressman Stoneas Congressman Stone
    John Ridgely
    John Ridgely
    • James Carwoodas James Carwood
    Michael Steele
    Michael Steele
    • Capt. Lucius Malcolm Jenksas Capt. Lucius Malcolm Jenks
    Edward Earle
    Edward Earle
    • Congressman Watsonas Congressman Watson
    • Director
      • Sam Wood
    • Writers
      • William R. Laidlaw(screenplay)
      • George Froeschel(screenplay)
      • William Wister Haines(play)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Twelve O'Clock High (1949) was delayed in its release because this film beat it to the punch. The similarity in content between the two films forced 20th Century-Fox to hold back on "Twelve O'Clock High" for a few months.
    • Goofs
      When Van Johnson is in Gable's office alone in the very beginning of the film, someone comes in and gives him a model plane and he places it on a shelf behind him. However, when Gable comes in soon afterwards the shelf is empty.
    • Quotes

      James Carwood: What's the answer, Brockie, all guts and no brain?

      Elmer Brockhurst: No. That's putting it too simply. Dennis is one of those boys whose brain is fascinated by guts. He loves this lousy war.

    • Alternate versions
      Also available in a computer colorized version.
    • Connections
      Featured in Clark Gable: Tall, Dark and Handsome (1996)

    User reviews38

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Hard decisions in the present save countless lives in the future
    (There May Be Spoilers) Launching "Operation Stich" a week ahead of time, due to the favorable weather conditions over Germany, Brig. Gen. K.C Dennis', Clark Gable, B-17 Bombers suffer the loss of 48 aircraft on the first day's mission.

    Going some 600 miles into Germany, without fighter escort, in a triangular bombardment of the key German industrial cities of Posenleben Schweinhafen and Fendelhorst. Gen. Dennis is determined to take them out Before the weather worsens and doesn't care how many planes and crews it costs him to do it.

    The next days bombing of Schweinhafen cost another 24 B-17's. Due to German ingenuity in camouflaging the factories there the USAAF bombed the wrong city making it necessary to go on a bomb run the next day on the real Schweinhafen. By now the USAAF crews are at the point of refusing to go on their missions over Germany feeling that Gen.Dennis is out of his mind by sending then to certain death.

    Gen. Dennis' superior and friend Maj. Gen. Kane, Walter Pigeon, is very upset with his actions and is about to relive him of his duties as combat-wing commander. Since Gen. Dennis launched his assault on Germany he lost some 70 bombers in two days compared to the loss of under 20 bombers lost by the RAF during the same period.

    In a private meeting with Gen. Kane and other USAAF top personnel Gen. Dennis makes his case for the actions that he's taken even if it coast him his command of the B-17 combat-wing. The Germans are developing this revolutionary jet-fighter, the Lantze-Wolf. The Nazi Super-Plane is so superior to anything that the allies have that if it's manufactured in mass and put in the air the German Luftwaffe would drive the USAAF and RAF from the skies of Europe. It would make it impossible for a cross channel invasion of Europe the next year, 1944, and cost the allies the war.

    Unable to open a second front in Western Europe and with the Luftwaffe having total air supremacy will force the allies, the USA UK and USSR, to agree to an armistice and peace treaty with the Germans on Hitler's terms. The bombing of those cities deep in Germany by Gen. Dennis' bombers will destroy the Germans ability to mass-produce the Lantez-Wolf. Thus save in the future countless American and Allied soldiers lives at the cost of the heavy, but necessary, losses in B-17 and their crews now.

    This causes Gen. Kane to look the other way, knowing how right Gen. Dennis is, by allowing him to send his bombers out the next day and finally knock out the German industrial city of Schweinhafen. The bombing raid cost the life of Gen. Dennis best friend Col. Martin,John Hodiak. It's also in Schweinhafen where the jet-fighter is being assembled and in the end because of the heavy losses in that bombing raid Gen. Kane is forced, reluctantly, to relive Gen. Dennis of his command. US politicians like Congressman Arthur Malcolm, Edward Arnold, afraid of how the people back home feel about the staggering losses in the skies over Germany and Gen. Dennis' actions being responsible for them it's only a matter of time for him to be dismissed as a USAAF combat-wing commander.

    The general took his dismissal with the same courage as his men took the murderous anti-aircraft fire and attacks of German fighters on the missions that he sent them on. Being replaced by his friend and fellow classmate at West Point Let. Gen. Clifton Garnet,Brian Donlevy.

    Gen. Garnet also goes against the top brass, the next day, in ordering the bombing of Fendelhorst in central Germany to take out the last place where the deadly Lantze-Wolf are being made. With that, facing the same fate that Gen. Dennis just went through, ended up winning the war for the allies at the possible cost of his military career.

    The truth is that like in the movie "Command Dicision" the Germans did develop a jet-fighter late in the war that if it was mass-produced and sent up against the allied air forces a year earlier would have won the Second World War for Germany. The German Masserschmitt Me-262 jet fighter could reach speeds of 540 to 580 MPH that was some 100 to 150 MPH faster then the swiftest USAAF and RAF fighters. In combat it scored as much as 700 combat kills over allied planes during 1944-1945. In their last major air to air engagement over Berlin in March 1945 some dozen Me-262's downed 25 B-17 and 5 fighter escorts to the loss of only two of their own.

    Under 300 of the Me-262 jets put into combat and with, for the most part, them being flown by unexperienced pilots and with a shortage of jet fuel to keep the planes airborne for any long period of time. It turned out that the decision of USAAF generals like K.C Dennis to bomb the factories where the Me-262 were being made, despite the heavy allied air losses, that in the end won the war for the Allies in Europe.
    helpful•21
    1
    • sol-kay
    • May 29, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 1949 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • De flög i gryningen
    • Filming locations
      • March Air Reserve Base, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $2,467,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 52 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Clark Gable, Brian Donlevy, Van Johnson, John Hodiak, and Walter Pidgeon in Command Decision (1948)
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