Beware, spoilers ahead! I just finished watching this little gem made in 1954. The last time I saw it must have been over 40 years ago, and I was surprised about how good it was. The movie was a great study on Korean War carrier operations and of Occupied Japan as well. In case anyone isn't familiar with it, William Holden was a not so enthusiastic former WW2 naval fighter pilot recalled to the colors to fly in the Korean War. Mickey Rooney and Earl Holliman were rescue helicopter crewmen. I was surprised to see that Mickey Rooney's character was a CPO helicopter pilot. Was that the regular practice of that era? Also I noticed that air/sea rescue was in it's infancy. Early in the movie, Holden's character made a water landing. Holliman's character jumped from the helicopter into the drink to rescue Holden's character who was too frozen to secure the rescue line to himself. He was then reeled up to the chopper and hung there as it flew back to the carrier (about 18 miles out) since the only crewman (Holliman) had to be picked up by another helicopter and brought in. Also on the carrier were both the F8F Bearcats and the F9F Panther (jet). I had thought that the navy had totally replaced all piston fighters with jet fighters, but subsequent reading up on the flying characteristics of the Bearcat was that it out performed many early jet fighters of the era. One of the co-stars was the USS Oriskany (CV 34). That was the flattop that Holden flew off of. During the scene when it was tied up in Japan, the USS Essex (CV 9) was moored next to it. All in all it was a nice little movie. I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to brush up on carrier operations of the Korean War era, or who just wants to watch a good shoot'em up. I like the sfx of the movie during the bombing attacks on the bridges better than the CGI crap that we are inundated with these days.
A fine film and I too remember being impressed by the flying sequences when I first saw it way back when. It also struck my as the first 'anti-war' film I saw with all the principals being killed off at the end.
Yeah, one of my favourites too. Like the way they mingled actual combat/crash footage with the scripted stuff.
Great movie. Have seen it numerous times and enjoy it every time. It does end sadly, but heroically with them the main characters dying, alone in the mud.
That's one of the movies I dread seeing when flipping through the channels before bed time; although I have seen a hundred times, I will watch it every time. Great movie
That's the same way I feel when I come across "Wake Island" when channel surfing. Got watch it through though.
