A rookie flyer, Ens. Alan Drake, joins the famous Hellcats Squadron right out of flight school in Pensacola. He doesn't make a great first impression when he is forced to ditch his airplane and parachute to safety when he arrives at the base but is unable to land due to heavy fog. On his first day on the job, his poor shooting skills results in the Hellcats losing an air combat competition. His fellow pilots accept him anyways but they think he's crossed the line when they erroneously conclude that while their CO Billy Gray is away, Drake has an affair with his wife Lorna. Drake is now an outcast and is prepared to resign from the Navy but his extreme heroism in saving Billy Gray's life turns things around.
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hyped garbage
Fresh and Exciting
It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
A pre-World War II melodrama starring Robert Taylor as an ensign dubbed "Pensacola", the Navy's flight school location, by the seasoned "Hell Cat" pilots who land on aircraft carriers. Walter Pidgeon plays the squadron's commander who's too busy for his wife (Ruth Hussey) such that one of his lieutenants (Shepperd Strudwick) keeps her company. But this lieutenant dies after his invention to enable pilots to land in the fog fails and his plane crashes.When Pensacola fills the vacancy left next to the commander's wife, suddenly the other pilots (Paul Kelly, Red Skelton, Dick Purcell, etc.) have a problem with the arrangement. But Pensacola's ability to fix the fog device (with help from Nat Pendleton's character) and his later associated heroics redeem him in the end.The film, which features primitive yet Academy Award nominated Special Effects, was directed and co-produced by Frank Borzage (with J. Walter Ruben), and written by Harvey S. Haislip and Wells Root.The lovely Marsha Hunt appears as a Southern Belle who entertains some of the pilots; Lee Tung Foo and John Hamilton are among those who appear uncredited.
Flight Command is a wonderful look into a Navy Fighting Squadron a year before the U.S. entered World War 2. Starring Robert Taylor as Ensign Alan Drake, a fresh graduate of the Navy's Flight School in Pensacola, he's an eager young pilot assigned to a veteran Squadron, Fighting 8, better known as the "Hellcats". Walter Pidgeon is his CO, Lt. Commander Bill Gary and Ruth Hussey plays Pidgeon's wife, Lorna Gary. All three put in a fine performance. The supporting cast does a fine job as well, making it believable that they were a very tight knit group of fliers.The movie had full support of the U.S. Navy and it shows. The attention to detail is excellent, giving the viewer a great inside look into what the pilots did in and out of the cockpit. The aircraft featured is the Grumman F3F-2, the last biplane fighter ever flown by the Navy on their aircraft carriers. It's great to see these pudgy fighters going through their paces. At the time this movie was filmed, Fighting Squadron 8 actually didn't exist. It wouldn't be formed for another year in the fall of 1941.The story line is quite touching at times, especially between the three main characters. Ruth Hussey plays the outwardly tough but inwardly unsettled wife of the squadron commander very well. There isn't a bad portrayal by any of the actors in the film. Hats off to the production team for keeping this film on the level. There's a realism to Flight Command that is very well done. I can imagine that this movie had an effect on recruitment of Navy pilots just like Top Gun did back in the mid 80's.I really couldn't recommend this movie enough, I feel it's that entertaining in so many ways. The story line, the acting and the look back at Naval Aviation at the end of its Golden Era make Flight Command a great choice.
For service in World War II, brash Robert Taylor (as Alan "Pensacola" Drake) is assigned a "Flight Command" role, with the squadron of Navy fliers known as the "Hell Cats". At first, Mr. Taylor's confident cockiness rubs everyone the wrong way; but, he earns his comrades' respect, through charm and ability. Taylor also catches the eye of otherwise happily married Ruth Hussey (as Lorna Gary), wife of "Hell Cat" commander Walter Pidgeon (as William "Billy" Gray). Will their "love triangle" be consummated? Ordinary flag-waving film, ostensibly about Taylor fitting in with his squadron; however, the war sacrifices Ms. Hussey makes become the film's main focus. The supporting players outperform the leads; in particular, Shepperd Strudwick (as Jerry Banning) and Paul Kelly (as Dusty Rhodes). Mr. Strudwick's "fog device" provides an interesting sub-plot. The inter-cut "fog device" visual is an example of one of the film's irritants. Frank Borzage (direction) and Harold Rosson (photography) make some scenes look nice. **** Flight Command (12/17/40) Frank Borzage ~ Robert Taylor, Ruth Hussey, Walter Pidgeon, Paul Kelly
Ens. Alan Drake (Robert Taylor) is a naval air cadet assigned to one of the U.S. Navy's most elite flying squadrons. In the face of personal problems and social conflicts, can he make the grade?
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