Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

tavm This title caught my eye at my local library when I found out Gene Kelly was one of the stars and this was one of his few straight roles-the kind not having him singing and dancing. He's not the lead, though, instead that goes to one Franchot Tone with the leading lady being Marsha Hunt. Anyway, Tone plays a fighter pilot among 5 of them, of which Kelly is also one, who gets chosen to destroy a Japanese carrier during World War II. Before that happens, we find out through reminiscences of Kelly and the others-among whom also includes Van Johnson, early in his career-what made Tone the way he is. I'll stop there and just say this was quite a compact (only 71 minutes) but entertaining drama that I just watched. The director was George Sidney on one of his early features after initially helming many of the M-G-M-produced-only "Our Gang" shorts. He'd eventually make a lot of successful movies for the studio like Thousands Cheer, Anchors Aweigh, and The Three Musketeers ('48 version), all of which would subsequently also star Gene Kelly.

howdymax I'm usually not that fond of movies that use flashbacks to tell a story, but I would have to make an exception for this one. It reminds me, in some ways, of another movie, High Barbaree, which used the same gimmick. Van Johnson even appeared in both. There are some major differences though. While High Barbaree was a rather sappy movie with a pretty weak story line, this production had a punch.It involves a raggedy group of five American pilots left on an isolated island in the Pacific during the early days of WW II. They are commanded by a Dutch Major and there is only one patched up plane left to attack the Japanese carrier that threatens to destroy them. All five pilots volunteer for what amounts to a suicide mission. Guess which pilot the Major picks.From here on, we move from flashback to flashback, and little by little learn everything there is to know about Pilot #5. It stretches the imagination a little to realize that all the other pilots knew him in some capacity in civvy street. When the Dutch Major asks who this brave volunteer is, they all put the jigsaw puzzle together piece by piece.His life before this heroic mission is the real story. It begins with a naive young man, in love, and with dreams of a successful law career. We find him tempted by greed and power into a life of corruption. He loses the girl, his self respect, and his career. Of course he has to redeem himself or how else could be become the hero of this movie? Unlike High Barbaree, this story is compelling and ends with an action packed bang.About the cast. Franchot Tone plays the hero. No matter how many movies I've seen him in, I always see him as Franchot Tone - not the character he plays. Still, he isn't bad in this one. Marsha Hunt plays the love interest. I always thought she got the shaft during the blacklist. She was talented, beautiful, and could really sing, but her politics got in the way of her career. The only other principal player was Gene Kelly. Nothing like the song and dance man you might remember him as. He plays a straight dramatic role, and does it well. I mentioned Van Johnson. This was early in his career and he has an incidental support role as one of the pilots. The rest of the cast are somewhat familiar contract players.There is a lot of propaganda in this movie. As a matter of fact, there is a rather ridiculous speech at the end of the movie, where the Dutch Major compares corrupt politicians and greedy landowners to Mussolini and declares them all fascists. Maybe Marsha Hunt should have passed on this one.

jkholman Knowing this to be a propaganda film, I knew to be forgiving. With that, I was able to enjoy this 2-star B production. The real treat (for me) in this film was the chance to see a rare fighter plane. It was thrilling to see a P-35 Seversky pursuit ship as one of the stars in this little film. By the time of Pearl Harbor, this airplane was considered obsolete by the pilots who flew it and the opponents that fought against it. It was the type of aircraft available to our aviators in the Pacific Command. To better appreciate those pilots and what this film tried to say, read Martin Caiden's "the Ragged, Rugged Warriors". This film is not a bad attempt at capturing on film the kind of guys Caiden writes so well about.

Bob-327 There was just one american aircraft left on the small South Pacific island. Five remaining pilots stood in formation as the commander asked for a volunteer to fly out to the threatening Japanese fleet. All five volunteered. The commander had to determine which volunteer to choose. He asked each one in turn why he wanted to fly the mission. Answers like "The dirty Japs killed my brother at...", etc. Then, pilot no. 5 was asked why he was volunteering. His answer was "For my country."These words of dedication to country made a lasting impression on an 11 year-old boy.