Flight Command Reviews

Action-packed war movie that was made before we went to war, so there is no actual fighting, just a lot of superb flying footage, flag-waving, and a softening-up of American audiences for the eventual moment when we would take up arms against the Axis. Navy Squadron Eight is based at San Diego. They've been nicknamed the Hellcats because of their excellent skills and discipline in the air. Commander Pidgeon is admired by his men, as is his beauteous wife, Ruth Hussey. One of the squadron dies during training and is replaced by Taylor, a self-assured Pensacola cadet who is under the mistaken impression that this group always requests its replacements. He soon becomes anathema to the others and wonders why, since he was asked for. Then he learns that wasn't the case at all. Hussey accepts Taylor, and they become pals. The men, who adore her, begin to relent when they see she enjoys his company. Strudwick is Hussey's brother, who is killed when he tries out a "flying-blind" device in a dense fog. Hussey is devastated. Taylor begins to work on the device in an attempt to make it feasible for use in the Naval Air Force. The Hussey-Taylor friendship develops into something more, and she is convinced that she loves him, but Taylor is a gentleman and holds back. The squadron senses Taylor's and Hussey's burgeoning affair and demands that he resign. That's rescinded when Taylor risks his life to save Pidgeon. Eventually, Hussey returns to her husband, and all is forgiven. Taylor becomes part of the squadron and the film concludes. The Navy gave its cooperation to the film's crew, and the film smacks of authenticity from the opening titles to the fadeout. The film earned an Oscar nomination for Best Special Effects. FLIGHT COMMAND was the first of many films about the war, and one of the best--especially when you realize that there was no actual enemy to fight and no beaches to take. This was Red Skelton's second film. He played one of the fliers in the squadron and gave absolutely no indication that he would later become MGM's number-one comedian. A fine script by Wells Root and Commander Harvey Haislip. The latter, no doubt, supplied much of the reality in the training sequences, while leaving the love story to veteran Root.