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, Maureen O'Hara, Dan Dailey

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:

flying | u.s. navy | world war two | jet fighter | based on true story | 

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Taglines:

THE LIFE STORY OF COMMANDER "SPIG" WEAD. FUN AND THRILLS! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the movies that Frank Wead wrote for John Ford was the excellent They Were Expendable (1945) which also starred John Wayne and Ward Bond.

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Goofs

When "Spig" bursts through the door into his house he angrily tosses a large pillow aside, that lands in a corner. In subsequent shots, however, the pillow is no longer there.

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Quotes

John Dodge: I don't want a story just about ships and planes. I want it about the men who run them - how they live and think and talk. I want it from a pen dipped in salt water, not dry martinis.

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Connections

Referenced in John Wayne: On Board with the Duke (1997)

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Soundtracks

The Wearing of the Green
(uncredited)
Traditional
Heard when the police arrive to break up the fights

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 February 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Wings of Eagles

Filming Locations:

Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,644,000 (estimated)

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