source: Flying Tigers

Moviecut—Flying Tigers

Flying Tigers

A very good movie to help military enrollment soon after the U.S. entered WWII. And what could possibly be wrong with a John Wayne flick? Capt. Jim Gordon(Wayne)leads an American Volunteer Group which flew for the Chinese against the Japanese...right up to that fateful day December 7, 1941. Some very graphic scenes of aerial combat blends with a little romance and comic touches. Gordon comes to odds with an old friend Woody Jason(John Carroll), who seems to need to prove his prowess in the air. Plus Woody forces himself into a relationship with the Captain's girl(Anna Lee). This ambitious war drama also stars: Paul Kelly, Mae Clarke, Gordon Jones and Jimmie Dodd. Not among the greatest of the genre, but memorable.

John Wayne's first contribution of his screen persona to the war effort is a classic. The movie is highly accurate as actual Flying Tigers took the story to Republic and were "technical advisers". Also, David Miller expertly included several dogfights where actual footage is used. The storyline is realistic as John Wayne (Capt. Jim Gordon) has to keep the morale of expert fighter pilots high. Enter John Carroll who brilliantly plays the tardy flamboyant flyboy trying to steal the Captain's girl. Anna Lee is worth fighting for as the ravishing altruistic nurse. Duke delivers some great lines as only he can such as,"I hope you two had a good time, because Hap paid the check." The cast is magnificent in this wonderful tribute to the Flying Tigers.

I enjoyed the characters, story and action so much that I wondered why it did not have a higher rating. Wayne is at his best as Captain Gordon who must make decision of his underlings. Anna Lee (General Hospital fans will remember her as the Matriarch of the Quartermaine family)is young and lovely as Wayne's pretty nurse gal pal. The radio's address of the President's speech after the bombing of Pearl Harbor will give you chills as if it were just spoken to you at that moment! I am so glad I didn't pass this film over. The dialog is great when Wayne and "Woody" are flying at the end of the picture. You've gotta see this one! It may make you a "WFF" (Wayne Fan Forever).

Yes, this is a second-rate John Wayne war film (which probably makes it a third or fourth-rate movie for some). Its story resembles a Pat O'Brien/James Cagney military actioner of the thirties, or maybe even the Spencer Tracy/Clark Gable flight movie TEST PILOT, more than it does the real story of the Flying Tigers. Wayne plays the paternalistic leader always telling the hot shot to play with the team; ironically, it was because the Army Air Force wanted to deflate the cowboy attitude and emphasize team work that the real Flying Tigers got disbanded. Despite the corn and cliches, Wayne and the movie are lovable. Like all war movies made between 1942-1945, it's also an eye-opening time capsule.

Well done action film with good attention to detail.Many critics unfairly derailed this movie as propaganda when it is actually a good peek into that time and place.Mercenaries!Oh my!Many do not want to recall that the U.S. was very much involved in combat with the Japanese long before Pearl Harbor.EGAD!No wonder the backlash.See this one if you like John Wayne and war films.One of the greatest B movies ever as this is the forte of Republic films.There are some historical exaggerations but all done in good taste to condense such large scale events into a short movie......