Flying Tigers

Plot synopsis:
Jim Gordon (John Wayne in his first war film) leads the Flying Tigers, a squadron of freelance American pilots who fly Curtiss P-40B fighters against Japanese aircraft in the skies over China. The pilots are a mixed bunch, motivated by money (they receive a bounty for each aircraft shot down), or just the thrill of aerial combat.
One day, old friend and former airline pilot Woody Jason (John Carroll) signs up under Jim's command. An arrogant, hot-shot aviator, he starts causing trouble immediately. When the Japanese raid the Flying Tigers' airbase, the enthusiastic new arrival goes after them, taking up a P-40 fighter without permission, not realizing until too late that it has no ammunition. As a result, Woody is shot down. He is unharmed after his fighter crash lands, but the precious P-40 fighter is a total wreck. As time goes on, Woody shows that he has little use for teamwork, alienating and endangering the other pilots. He abandons his wingman, Blackie Bales (Edmund MacDonald), in order to shoot down a Japanese aircraft. As a result, Blackie comes under fire from another and must bail out of his burning P-40. While hanging suspended in his parachute, he is strafed to death by the Japanese pilot.
Woody starts romancing nurse Brooke Elliott (Anna Lee), who is considered by all the Tiger pilots to be Jim's girlfriend. One night, they go on a date. When he is late getting back for a night patrol, Jim's right-hand man, "Hap" Smith (Paul Kelly), secretly takes his place, despite having just been grounded by Jim because his vision had deteriorated, notably at night. In the resulting dogfight Hap is unable to judge distances accurately and winds up dying in a collision with a Japanese aircraft he is pursuing. This proves to be the final straw. While sitting at his office desk, Jim fires Woody, explaining that "It's out of my hands now. None of these men will ever fly with you again. And they have to fly". The date showing on Jim's calendar is Sunday, December 7, 1941, the day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, bringing America into World War II.
A day later, Jim receives notice that a vital bridge must be destroyed. The target is so heavily defended, however, that the only way there might be a chance of succeeding is to fly in very low with a single unescorted bomber to attack the bridge; the mission appears likely to be a one-way suicide mission. Jim volunteers to fly the bomber, but Woody invites himself along at the last second, much to Jim's irritation. They proceed to attack the bridge too late to keep a crucial enemy supply train from crossing. Their aircraft is hit by flak and catches fire. Jim bails out with an unexpected push from Woody, expecting Woody to follow. Woody, however, has concealed the fact that he is bleeding, having been hit by shrapnel from a flak burst. He then takes the bomber's controls and heroically crashes into the train, destroying it at the cost of his own life. Back at the Tigers' base, Woody has left a goodbye letter which Jim and Brooke read; in that letter he has asked for his lucky scarf to be given to the next pilot who thinks aerial combat will be "an easy racket". Jim hands the scarf to his youthful new wingman, telling him to "Take good care of it ... it belonged to a pretty good flyer".

Tags: violence, romantic

Review:
One poster complained that the Flying Tigers actually were only flight trainers for the Chinese Air Force, and only lost three pilots in combat.
Sixth, the outdoor sequences of "The Flying Tigers" were not filmed in Northridge, California, but rather in the high desert area around Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the (successful) attempt to give the foliage a more "foreign" look.As to the film itself, I would suggest you go to the Fighter Museum in Phoenix, AZ, or the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH, and find out just how close the film was to reality.
Wayne Goes To War. John Wayne's first war film was one of his best, a solid actioner with Wayne giving great presence as the leader of a fighter squadron doing battle against the Japanese invader over the skies of China in the dark days before the U.S. entry into World War II.Wayne plays Jim "Pappy" Gordon, a variation on the many flinty-commander-with-heart-of-gold characters he would play in films to follow like "Sands Of Iwo Jima" and "Fighting Seabees." Gordon is less flinty than most of them, maybe because his men are volunteers or maybe because his girlfriend Brooke (Anna Lee) is stationed on the same airbase.
While the Japanese take their toll on his men, Gordon's toughest job may be keeping peace in his squadron when smug gloryhog Woody Jason (John Carroll) arrives.When I first saw "Flying Tigers" as a boy, the on-screen gore made the strongest impression.
Though it's troubling to be entertained by what amounts to real images of people getting killed, director David Miller manages to incorporate actual combat footage very well into battle sequences that alternate with Lydecker miniature work and shots of actors in their cockpits, better than the more acclaimed director Nicholas Ray later did in another Wayne air war film, "Flying Leathernecks.""Flying Tigers" contains one key historical inaccuracy: While assembled in the months before Pearl Harbor, the Tigers didn't see action until December 20, 1941.
This is an important caveat, but the inaccuracy allows for one of the very first and best examples of that classic movie cliché, where a dramatic scene ends with a glimpse of a desk calendar showing the date "Dec. 7." The scene that follows is one of those Wayne moments that resonated especially in theaters in 1942 and still packs a punch now: Pappy alone by a radio, standing expressionless while a cigarette smolders in his fingers, listening to President Roosevelt declare war.Neither Wayne's iconographic stature or final victory against the Japanese were sure things when "Flying Tigers" came out in 1942; we tend to take more for granted and give films like this less credit.
Unlike other wartime films which went heavy on ethnic stereotyping, the Japanese are seen as skilled, ruthless adversaries who require resolve to face down.The film does lose altitude at the end, when Wayne goes off on a hare-brained bombing mission and Carroll has a "why-we-fight" epiphany that rings rather hollow.
There's also a little too much melodrama between Wayne and Lee that feels out of place in a war film.But "Flying Tigers" has weathered the years better than most films of its kind, and is a historic landmark both for its effective action scenes and its pioneering use of Wayne as cultural touchstone.
The Flying Tigers and God Is My Co-Pilot are the two films out of World War II which are dedicated to the American volunteers who flew for the nascent Chinese Air Force both before and after America officially got into World War II.
And it's true they did have a nasty habit of machine gunning fliers while they were parachuting down, no avoiding that.The main plot of the film is John Wayne as the disciplined leader of this particular squadron of Flying Tigers based somewhere in western China and an old and rather undisciplined friend John Carroll in a rivalry over nurse Anna Lee. Carroll's irresponsibility causes the death of one man and maybe another.Still he's not a bad sort, just an overgrown kid.
Carroll actually has the best moment in the film consoling Mae Clarke the widow of one of the Flying Tigers.Some nice aerial combat shots are in this film and it really should be seen today to explain some of the Chinese attitudes towards the Japanese today.
We got into World War II on December 7, 1941 which in fact the men in Wayne's squadron hear about in the film.
Being born in 1939 I grew up watching all the John Wayne movies and remember quite well the impact this film had on me and eventually my chosen profession as a pilot.
And, Wayne, being an old pal of Carrol's knows that down deep Carrol will prove himself in the end.Along the way, we are treated to a liberal dose of the nobility of our Chinese comrades in arms as well as the inherent decency of our volunteer pilots.
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.......
October '42) recalls that he and a couple other Tigers were so embarrassed by the film that they were caught sneaking out of the theater.However, the loathing of John Wayne contained in other reviews on this site demonstrates a total lack of objectivity.
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.
The movie based on their exploits is called " Flying Tigers " and star's John Wayne as Capt.
As a result with the additional cast of John Carroll, Paul Kelly, Gordon Jones and Edmund MacDonald as 'Blackie Bales' the movie succeeds in creating a rousing yarn of heroic young men and the niche they created over the Asian skies.
The Flying Tigers were a volunteer air security team stationed in China both before and during the second world war.
Promotional tours were soon abandoned, and its career ended as a movie prop, appearing in ground roles* in several motion pictures ("Five Came Back" 1939, "Flying Tigers" 1942, others) before reportedly being scrapped c.1943.
The Flying Tigers were the foundation for America`s efforts to win the war against Japan in the Pacific theater.I liked John Wayne`s character`s toughness in order to GET THE JOB DONE.Unlike Claire Channault and "Pappy" Boyington, it is unfortunate that John Wayne is not buried at Arlington National Cemetery..
Exciting WW2 actioner about flight commander John Wayne and his crew having to deal with hot shot pilot John Carroll's recklessness.
In this case, it was looking like Carroll would steal Anna Lee away from John Wayne which is a movie-killing idea if there ever was one.
WWII propaganda is entertaining John Wayne film....
FLYING TIGERS, made on a tight budget for Republic Studios, has JOHN WAYNE doing his standard hero role with ease and skill as he copes with a squadron of American men volunteering to shoot down Japanese planes during the early days of WWII.
Roosevelt, heard in his famous speech to Congress wherein he invokes that "day of infamy" phrase.If this were an MGM film, it would have been a perfect vehicle for SPENCER TRACY (in Wayne's role) and CLARK GABLE (in the JOHN CARROLL part of a cocky flyer).
Carroll breezily handles the role of Jason, Wayne's old service buddy who shows up at the outpost in China so he can shoot down the Japanese for $500 per downed aircraft and makes no bones about it.
His cavalier attitude is a turnoff for the men in the squad, so we know he's going to have to redeem himself in everyone's eyes by becoming a hero before the last reel is over.It's a clichéd story, done before in films like ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS, even the part about the disabled man whose eyesight bans him from flying but nevertheless must prove himself when the chips are down and he gets the chance to fly because Carroll doesn't show up in time.
These and other plot devices seem borrowed from the Howard Hawks film, whether intentionally or not.But it serves as good, solid entertainment for John Wayne fans, despite the low-budget production values because all of the aerial sequences are well filmed with special effects that make the action as realistic as possible, even when some of the footage appears to be taken from actual stock scenes of dogfights.Victor Young's score is a solid plus, and the performances are adequate with ANNA LEE as a charming nurse for Wayne's love interest and GORDON JONES as Carroll's sidekick, with MAE CLARK, TOM NEAL and David BRUCE in minor roles.Carroll's role is played in such a way that he reminded me of a poor man's Clark Gable--the same cocky charm and arrogance that Gable would have brought to the role.For fans of WWII war films, this one fills the bill nicely..
Flying Tigers was not a big-budget film, with what appears to be Northridge, CA subbing for China, but there's enough action and explosions to make any male viewer happy (and some sappy love interest, too).
Other attention to detail: the Americans were basically paid mercenaries and one of them makes no bones that he is killing for cash; the flying tactics are mostly accurate as the actual P-40s in China were, on their own, no match for Japanese Zeroes.
As the leaders of one of the squadrons of the American Volunteer Group in China known as the Flying Tigers, "Captain Jim 'Pappy' Gordon" (John Wayne) has a lot on his hands.
Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an okay movie overall but-like most films produced during World War 2-it has it's fair share of propaganda.
Be that as it may, while some viewers might consider this movie to be a bit corny it served as a refreshing change of pace for many Americans during this particular time and all things considered I have rated this film accordingly.
The attack on Pearl Harbor brought the US into the war and made national heroes out of the real-life Flying Tigers and their commander Claire Chennault, who as paid warriors in the Chinese air force were the only Americans already fighting the Japanese on 7 December 1941.
John Wayne was swiftly hired to play the pilot mercenary leader in a propaganda movie a year later.
The chief sub cut and replaced it with the words: "Standard John Wayne war movie" instead.
In this early war film Wayne played Claire Chennault disguised under a pseudonym Jim Gordon perhaps to keep US intentions from the Japanese.AVG, the official acronym of the Flying Tigers, was composed of American mercenaries who flew for the Chinese Republic.
A few years before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, a unit called The Flying Tigers helps the Chinese defend themselves against air strikes from the Japanese.
When Jim's old pal, Woody Jason, joins him on the team it sees their friendship put under strain as Woody's cavalier attitude puts him and the others at risk.I'm not entirely sure why this film was thought to be a morale booster because I would have though the troops may have been a bit narked that John Wayne was free to make films when really he should have been overseas as well as part of the draft.
The real draw of the film are the occasional dog fights that, although obvious models at times, are still reasonably good fun (compared to the rest of the material anyway).The preaching message at the end (where Carroll says that the Chinese cities meant nothing to him until he realized that they were just people like back home) is a bit rich and in poor taste when you consider what the US then did to the Japanese cities but I suppose you can forgive it for doing what it set out to do  simplify the issues for the sake of boosting morale.
Anyway, I am curious as to what kind of an airplane John Wayne and the other guy were flying trying to drop the nitro on the Japanese.
How long have they been up in the frigging air?!" John Wayne was a terrible actor but this was the worst film he ever attempted.
John Wayne as 'Captain Jim' is great for the most part but Anna Lee as his admiring nurse/sweetheart?
Had The Duke survived to the present day, then the parallel with the Bush Regime would probably be even more profound.Anyway, to the film; you could sum it up and say 'John Wayne; good', 'Japanese; evil, bad'.
The Japanese do 'bad' things (ie bomb innocent civillians and shoot  American pilots) and The Duke flies into town in his white plane and cleans up the whole gosh darn mess..There's nothing wrong with this film; it's a John Wayne film and it is very much 'of its' time' - xenophobia and racial stereotypes included.However, everytime The Duke lights a cigarette I cringe, because this is what, in time took his first lung, and ultimately his life..
FLYING TIGERS is one of those American war movies that came out while WW2 was still in full swing.
This film's milieu is a little different, chronicling as it does the adventures of a group of voluntary American pilots battling the Japanese in the skies over China just before Pearl Harbor.The film is low budget but effective and the lack of real plane interiors and the like is well disguised by the director's efforts.
Possessing unmatched skill and bravery, Jim Gordon (John Wayne), the Tigers' commander, is the top gun of China's skies.
Jim's fight to retain his respect for Woody while maintaining the solidarity of his pilots is an explosive battle of courage and heroism that lights up the sky with action!" according to the DVD sleeve description.This looks like it was rushed together from other war stories featuring brave flight commanders and his heroic crews, with all the familiar theatrics - the exception that Captain Wayne (as "Pappy" Gordon) doesn't ease his pain with alcohol can be explained as the film's release during wartime necessitated a pro-war slant.
"Flying Tigers" is usually claimed to be Wayne's first war picture, though he'd been fighting mightily in previous films.
Herein, Mr. Wayne is a steadfast but easy to pushover leader, hotshot John Carroll (as "Woody" Jason) gets most of the script action, cute nurse Anna Lee (as Brooke Elliott) cleans up quickly in the bath, and Paul Kelly (as "Hap" Davis) supports the team well.
The film is so programmed and artificial, it's difficult to recommend - but, many in the cast are enjoyable, and they've included some good, action-packed aerial footage.***** Flying Tigers (10/8/42) David Miller ~ John Wayne, John Carroll, Anna Lee, Paul Kelly.
The "Flying Tigers" gets off the ground early as Commander Jim Gordon (John Wayne) leads his blue group fighters into exciting aerial battle against the Japanese.
The film takes a look at an American band of mercenary fliers defending China just prior to our entry into World War II.
For historical perspective, there's a scene right after Gordon chastises hot shot flier Woody Jason (John Carroll) for missing a night time reconnaissance flight; on Gordon's desk is a calendar with the date - Sunday December 7, 1941.
This right after giving parachuted buddy Gordon the old Geronimo out the plane's door before disobeying orders one last time.John Wayne's romantic interest in the movie is suitably portrayed by Anna Lee, her character a nurse at the air base tending to Chinese children and wounded fliers when necessary.
Jones looks a bit out of place in the film, perhaps I've seen him too many times playing the foil to Abbott and Costello in any number of their own movies and TV shows.Both as a war film and a John Wayne vehicle, "Flying Tigers" is generally adequate, taking some liberties from a historical viewpoint to be considered entirely accurate.
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.
Gordon comes to odds with an old friend Woody Jason(John Carroll), who seems to need to prove his prowess in the air.
This is an early John Wayne film and, unfortunately, his acting is absolutely not up to his later standards.
They think they're watching a simple war flick, not realizing that this John Wayne vehicle actually is a film noir outing featuring Brooke, the deadliest Femme Fatale in recorded human history.
As John Wayne stares into the distance while socialist president FDR drones on from the radio about "Days of Infamy," you can tell that he's thinking "Some day my grandchild will drive a Lexus." FLYING TIGERS is a cynical look at war profiteering and mercenaries from beginning to end.
While the planes these American war heroes supposedly have the face and teeth of tigers painted on them, it is very apparent that they look more like sharks.
As these military men of the United States protecting the Chinese from invasions of the Japanese, they are involved in combat even before the attack on Pearl Harbor.