("Jay Honeck" wrote)
Say what you want about the movie, but the Tomcat in "Top Gun" did more
for naval aviation than any other single thing.


I choose my film... "Flight Command" (1940)
" ...the film likely also contributed to turning the tide of public opinion
toward a willingness to fight the rise of fascism in Europe."

http://www.turnerclassicmovies.com/Multimedia/Popup/0,,62160|62163,00.html
View movie trailer for this 1940 film - worked for me but I had to wait for
it.

From the trailer:
The real "Hell Cats"- The saga of the Eyes of the Navy


GOOD GOOD STUFF BELOW. No really, some interesting reading in the links...
In-The-Links.

For instance, Greg (Pappy) Boyington and Paul Mantz both worked on this film
(bottom link). Robert Taylor took up flying because of this film and, later,
became a Navy flying instructor during WWII (top link).

BTW, my review of "Flight Command" (1940)... ok silly love story at best,
GREAT plane story.

http://www.turnerclassicmovies.com/ThisMonth/Article/0,,93522%7C93523%7C62543,00.html
Flight Command (1940)

"Although couched in a sensitive love story, the film likely also
contributed to turning the tide of public opinion toward a willingness to
fight the rise of fascism in Europe. Ironically, Flight Command, done in the
more "realistic" patriotic action style that would dominate American screens
for the next several years, marked the decline in his career. Such
finely-wrought, tender romances as Seventh Heaven (1927), which earned him
the first Best Director Award ever given by the Academy, A Farewell to Arms
(1932), and Desire (1936), a wry romantic comedy about jewel thieves Gary
Cooper and Marlene Dietrich, had fallen out of favor by 1940, and Borzage's
work has become largely neglected.

Red Skelton appears in a small role in Flight Command, his third movie. He
would shortly become one of MGM's top comic stars of the decade."



Red Skelton plays less of a clown and more of a gay sailor - it's a hoot.
Also, movie contained much insensitive 'fat' humor that I found particularly
offensive. g

Great site with photos and history.
http://home.att.net/~historyzone/Grumman3.html
Navy bi-planes in the movie ...F3F-2?


Best site of all
http://www.coastcomp.com/av/fltline2/avmovie.htm
MILITARY AVIATION MOVIE LIST.

Flight Command
1940 *
USN- Robert Taylor (ex USAAF Flight Instructor) Pilots develops blind-flying
equipment in their spare time. VF-6, VMF-2 Grumman F3F-2's at NAS North
Island, also shot on ENTERPRISE. (Also VS-6 on Curtiss SBC Helldivers, VB-6
Northrop BT-1, VT-6 Douglas TBD-1's supposedly in there somewhere. Cut from
the current print?).

Sikorsky PBS-1 Flying Boat, VF-6 SBC-4 target tug, N.A. SNJ's in background
(?) Seversky SEV-S2 and Ryan ST footage from "Test Pilot" One of the USMC
pilots in the air scenes was one Lt. Greg (Pappy) Boyington.

Paul Mantz flew Orion, Boeing 100, and Lockheed Orion camera planes.


Flight Commander (This was originally "Dawn Patrol". It was retitled after
the second version came out in 1938)
1930 v
WWI- Douglas Fairbanks; WWI epic. Nieuport 28's., Travel Airs ("Nieuports"),
Fokker D.VII's, 2 Pfalz D.XII's, Standard J-1. Directed by Howard Hawks (WWI
pilot).


I'm done. Thanks for reading.


Montblack