''Flying Leathernecks'' is a 1951 American

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

action

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

film directed by Nicholas Ray, produced by Edmund Grainger (who had produced ''

Sands of Iwo Jima ''Sands of Iwo Jima'' is a 1949 war film starring John Wayne that follows a group of United States Marine Corps, United States Marines from training to the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. The film, which also features John Agar, Adele M ...

''), and starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

and Robert Ryan. The movie details the exploits and personal battles of

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

aviators An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they are ...

during World War II. Marines have long had the nickname " leathernecks", hence the title.

Plot

Major Dan Kirby arrives at VMF-247 (the "Wildcats") as the new commander when everybody in the unit was expecting Captain Carl "Grif" Griffin to take over. Kirby is strict and makes this understood from day one. Assigned to the Cactus Air Force during the

Guadalcanal campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allies of World War II, Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during th ...

, Kirby has few planes available and much to accomplish with a Guadalcanal airfield attacked daily by the Japanese. His pilots are young and immature, sometimes disobeying orders and foolishly risking equipment and lives. Kirby is pushing for maximum effort, while Griffin stays closer to his young pilots, one of whom is his own brother-in-law, Vern "Cowboy" Blithe. Kirby hates the decisions he has to make, knowing he is sending pilots to their deaths, but the success of the missions is the most important thing. The hard conditions of war force Kirby to get even stricter with his exhausted pilots, and tensions with Griffin increase. Kirby is a fan of low-level ground attacks to support the Marine units, but HQ does not approve of his tactics until Marines are in imminent danger from the Japanese. Kirby adjusts tactics and losses increase, but successes happen, and he leads the squadron in an attack on a huge Japanese convoy – a scene likely based on the Battle of Guadalcanal. The Wildcats' line chief, MSgt Clancy, is an old Marine veteran and comrade-in-arms of Kirby's, and he uses unorthodox methods to obtain provisions for the unit. His improvising helps the poorly equipped Wildcats, although by the end of the film, Clancy is a PFC, having lost six stripes. Kirby is promoted to lieutenant colonel and Griffin to major. Mustered back to Hawaii and destined for Washington, DC, Kirby is given the chance to return to the Pacific front and organize low-level ground-attack tactics. He returns to the same unit and aircrew, now equipped with

F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts ...

fighters. Kirby leads his men against Japanese troops and ''

kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

'' attacks during the

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War, Impe ...

. During a crucial moment in the battle, to avoid splitting his formation, Griffin denies assistance to his brother-in-law, Blithe, who is killed as a result. During the battle, Kirby’s guns jam and he crashes his plane into a bomber. He is able to bail out, but is injured and picked up by a Navy launch. Leaving the squadron, Kirby appoints Griffin as commanding officer of VMF-247, as he understands that Griffin now can place the lives of his pilots second. They split with a friendly promise to meet again. Kirby admits that every moment in which heand now Griffinis required to make a decision is a nightmare, but that comes with the territory of being a leader under these circumstances.

Cast

Background

The film's screenplay was credited to

James Edward Grant James Edward Grant (July 2, 1905 – February 19, 1966) was an American short-story writer, screenwriter, and film director, who contributed to more than 50 films between 1935 and 1971. He collaborated with John Wayne on 12 projects, starting w ...

, based on a story by Kenneth Gamet, but some sources claim that Beirne Lay, Jr. was an uncredited contributor, as well. Director Nicholas Ray chose Robert Ryan to play opposite John Wayne because Ryan had been a boxer in college and was the only actor Ray could think of who could "kick Wayne's ass". The role of the more "human" Captain Griffin is a fictional one and contrasts with the more austere Major Kirby. Tim Holt was originally announced as part of the cast.

Production

As indicated in the opening scene of the film,

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

, himself a pilot with interests in aviation, bankrolled the production. Hughes made the decision to film in

, making use of color wartime combat footage. Principal photography began in November 1950 at Camp Pendelton and El Toro Marine Corps bases and then moved to RKO-Pathé Studios in February 1951 for sound-stage sequences.Carlson 2012, p. 183. The fighter aircraft appearing in the first part of the film are not the historically accurate

Grumman F4F Wildcat The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based A carrier-based aircraft (also known as carrier-capable aircraft, carrier-borne aircraft, carrier aircraft or aeronaval aircraft) is a naval aircraft designed for operations from aircra ...

s, but

Grumman F6F Hellcat The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier Grumman F4F Wildcat, F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United St ...

s, provided from the training units based at the nearby Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. The Wildcats did not continue in U.S. service after the war, while an appreciable number of Hellcats were available in 1951, the year the film was produced. In close-up shots, making out the overpainted markings that adorned post-wars Hellcats is easy. T-6 Texan trainers painted white were used as

Zero 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. Adding (or subtracting) 0 to any number leaves that number unchanged; in mathematical terminology, 0 is the additive identity of the integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and compl ...

fighters. The Vought F4U Corsair was also featured prominently in the last half of the film.Orriss 1984, p. 159. During filming, a near disaster occurred when "Air Boss"

Paul Mantz Albert Paul Mantz (August 2, 1903 – July 8, 1965) was an American air racing and movie stunt pilot and consultant from the late 1930s until his death in the mid-1960s. He gained fame on two stages: Hollywood and in air races. Early years Ma ...

and his photo crew, while filming a low-altitude attack, were caught in a premature dynamite detonation. The B-25 camera platform was badly damaged, but Mantz managed to successfully carry out an emergency landing.

Historic references

The role of Major Kirby portrayed in this film was inspired by real World War II

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

Maj. John L. Smith for his missions over

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...

in 1942. His actions in the war were renowned by the time the film was made. Smith was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

in 1943 and later promoted to lt. colonel, as was Kirby in the film. A distinct similarity in appearance between Smith and actor John Wayne was noted.

Reception

''Flying Leathernecks'' was critically received as another example of wartime aerial heroics. Howard Thompson in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' commented, "As long as it stays in the air, ''Flying Leathernecks'' is an exciting thing to watch."Orriss 1984, p. 160. '' Variety'' had a similar review, noting: "Actual color footage of battle action in the Pacific has been smartly blended with studio shots to strike a note of realism.""Review: 'Flying Leathernecks'."
'' Variety'', December 31, 1950.

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{Nicholas Ray 1951 films 1951 war films American war films American aviation films Pacific War films Films scored by Roy Webb RKO Pictures films Films directed by Nicholas Ray Films about the United States Marine Corps World War II aviation films World War II films based on actual events 1950s English-language films 1950s American films English-language war films