Flying Leathernecks (1951) on Netflix
Approved19511h 42mActionDramaWar
Major Dan Kirby takes command of VMF-247, the Wildcats, a fighter squadron whose pilots expected Captain Carl 'Griff' Griffin to lead them. Kirby is strict, and tensions between the two men grow.
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Trailer
Plot summary
Major Dan Kirby arrives at VMF-247, the Wildcats, as its new commanding officer, a post its pilots had expected Captain Carl 'Griff' Griffin to fill. The squadron flies from Guadalcanal with few planes and an airfield the Japanese bomb every day. Kirby's men are young and immature, occasionally ignoring orders and risking their aircraft and themselves, and he asks for their maximum effort. Griffin keeps close to the younger fliers, among them Vern 'Cowboy' Blythe, his brother-in-law. Kirby dislikes knowing that he sends pilots to their deaths, yet he puts the missions first. The strain of the campaign wears on the squadron, and he presses his tired pilots harder while his disagreements with Griffin deepen.
Cast
- James Dobsonas Lt. Pudge McCabe
Show all 20 cast
- Hal Bokaras Lt. Deal (uncredited)
- Barry Brooksas Squadron Commander (uncredited)
- Charles Brunneras Charlie's Father (uncredited)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Flying Leathernecks (1951)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- While filming a low-altitude attack for Flying Leathernecks, stunt pilot Paul Mantz and his photo crew were caught in a premature dynamite detonation. The B-25 camera platform was badly damaged, but Mantz successfully made an emergency landing.
- Director Nicholas Ray chose Robert Ryan to play opposite John Wayne because Ryan had been a boxer in college, the only actor Ray could imagine could "kick Wayne's ass". Tim Holt had originally been announced as part of the cast.
- Major Kirby was inspired by real World War II flying ace Major John L. Smith, for his 1942 missions over Guadalcanal. Smith was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1943 and later promoted to lieutenant colonel, just as Kirby is in the film.
- The Wildcats flown in the first half of the film were actually Grumman F6F Hellcats drawn from training units at El Toro, because the real F4F Wildcats had not stayed in service after the war; white-painted T-6 Texan trainers played the Zero fighters.
