''Pilot #5'' (a.k.a. ''Destination Tokyo,'' ''Skyway to Glory'', and ''The Story of Number Five'') is a 1943

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

film from

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

, produced by B.P. Fineman, directed by

George Sidney George Sidney (October 4, 1916May 5, 2002) was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics '' Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) and '' Viva Las Vegas'' (1964). With an extensive back ...

, that stars Franchot Tone, Marsha Hunt,

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

, and Van Johnson. ''Pilot #5'' marked Gene Kelly's dramatic film debut.

Plot

In May 1942, an Allied base on

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

is bombed by Japanese aircraft, with another attack expected the next day. With only one working fighter and five American pilots who all volunteer to fly it, Dutch commander Major Eichel (Steven Geray) chooses George Collins (Franchot Tone) because he has come up with a daring plan: attach a bomb rack to the fighter to bomb the Japanese aircraft carrier from which the attack came. After George takes off, Eichel asks the other pilots to tell him about George. Flashbacks stories of his civilian life before the war are interleaved with radio broadcasts from George. Four years earlier, George is working his way through law school and is at the top of his class. He takes Freddie Andrews (Marsha Hunt) to an empty lot in the country, where he proposes and tells her that he has bought the land to build their home. She accepts. At first, they are happy, but then his friend and fellow lawyer Vito S. Alessandro (Gene Kelly) invites him to join his law firm after graduation. Vito's firm works for corrupt state governor Hank Durban. Despite Freddie's concerns, George takes the job. He ends up evicting poor farmers to make way for an irrigation project which will mostly benefit Durban and his cronies. Meanwhile, Vito's brother Nikola arrives from Italy. A member of the resistance to

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

's regime, he had been imprisoned, but finally managed to escape. When he sees a portrait of the Italian dictator hanging in Vito's office, he becomes enraged and tears it down. The prison ordeal has taken its toll on Nikola's health, and he commits suicide. Freddie finally divorces George because, while she still loves him, she does not like him anymore. Eventually, George becomes sickened when a mentally disabled girl dies accidentally during the eviction of her family. He provides information that brings about the downfall of Governor Durban, but the residents of his town ostracize him, unaware of his pivotal role in the downfall. Freddie, however, knows that he has redeemed himself, and they get back together. Back in the present, George locates the Japanese carrier and dives on it, but the 500-pound bomb fails to release properly. After shooting down a couple of enemy fighters, George makes a fateful decision and deliberately crashes his fighter into the carrier. The explosion rocks the ship and fires spread rapidly. The carrier's battle ensign, now afire, is the last thing seen as it slips beneath the waves.

Cast

* Franchot Tone as George Braynor Collins * Marsha Hunt as Freddie Andrews *

as Vito S. Alessandro * Van Johnson as Everett Arnold * Alan Baxter as Winston Davis * Dick Simmons as Henry Willoughby Claven * Steven Geray as Major Eichel (as Steve Geray) * Howard Freeman as Governor Hank Durban * Frank Puglia as Nikola Alessandro *

Sara Haden Sara Haden (born Catherine Haden, November 17, 1898 – September 15, 1981) was an American actress of the 1930s through the 1950s and in television into the mid-1960s. She may be best remembered for appearing as Aunt Milly Forrest in 14 of the ...

as Landlady * William Tannen as American Soldier * Peter Lawford as a British soldier (Uncredited)

Production

The California facilities at Cal-Aero Aviation Training School (formerly Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute) were used for the wartime sequence. A Republic P-43 Lancer was prominently featured as the sole remaining fighter aircraft in Java. Although a relatively minor production, a great number of MGM players who later achieved fame were used in the film, but their scenes may have been lost in final editing Studio records and casting call lists indicate Hobart Cavanaugh, Jim Davis, Marilyn Maxwell, Marie Windsor and Frances Rafferty as cast members.

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' att ...

has been listed in a modern source as uncredited.

Reception

Not given any major promotion and considered a "B" feature on the MGM lot, ''Pilot #5'' was mainly considered a forgettable flagwaver, typical of the WWII period. It was not received favorably by audiences or critics. More recent reviews have noted it provides a historical context, but it mainly remains a curio. Leonard Maltin described the film more favorably, "Good cast uplifts so-so curio; it's intriguing to see Kelly in a supporting part, as a morally bankrupt hothead. Watch for Peter Lawford at the opening, and see if you can spot Ava Gardner.

Box office

According to MGM records, ''Pilot #5'' earned $669,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $300,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $174,000.

References

External links

* * * {{George Sidney 1943 films American aviation films American black-and-white films American romantic drama films American World War II propaganda films Films about the United States Army Air Forces Films directed by George Sidney Films scored by Lennie Hayton Films set in 1942 Films set in Java Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Pacific War films World War II aviation films 1942 romantic drama films 1942 films 1943 drama films