Evening star., 1941-08-30

| gaps are IlleQ WIFI llylnS Siioeo'
such as take-offs from carrier decks,
landings on same. acrobatics, attack
formations, etc. They carry an in
timation that things are not as
black as the peSsimists say, quail
| ity that makes you forget you have
seen them before. The color pho
tography also gives them a pretty
stunning visual effect.
The virtually all-male cast in this
masculine story finds Flynn supple
mented by an extremely competent
group. It's members include Fred
MacMurray, Ralph Bellamy, Regis
Toomey and others who help en-
hance the authenticity which is
one of the best features of olive
Bomber"
The flight surgeon portrayed by
Flynn is a human fellow in Frank
Wead's script. There is bad as we'll
as good in him, a balance too often
lacking in movie heroes. The bad
takes the form of an arrogance
which is attributed to having studied
at Harvard. Hopkins and Cam
bridge. He is flippant, sardonic, al
most contemptuous, toward men
who have more stripes and also more
civility. He also is handsome, knows
it. and uses it to act out moonlight
sonatas with suitably attractive
females.
These are not favorable qualities
in a man. but Flynn's flight surgeon
is fellow whose real passion is for
medical research that will keep fly
ers flying in spite of horde Of
mysterious occupational maladies.
His search for the answer to them
is handicapped by the fact that he
is not liked by fighter flyers. es-
pecially pair of super skilled naval
pilots whose pal dies in hasty op-
Grafton performed by him. They
match him sneer for sneer. some
of them resulting in sarcaStically
comic dialogue. when they all should
be collaborating on more serious
things than mere personal dislikes
The accent on the research as
poets of Dive Bomber" is laid upon
"blackout," that physiologic unbal-
ance in power dive which causes
pilot to lose consciousness at a
point where it takes brains to keep
from crashing. 1t is handled in a
highly illuminating fashion, so nom
technically almost that the layman
sometimes feels he could have told
them all the time That's the way
information should be handled in
picture, Of course.
There is some interesting charac-
terization in Dive Bomber" some
of it better illustrated than the
flight surgeon role played by the
hero. MacMurray and Toomey are
excellent as the tough, laconic gents
who find flying approximately all
the romance they need and whose
attitude toward medicos is one of
marked disdain. Even better is Bel
lamy's impersonation of the coldly
scientific specialist in flight surgery,
a chap who flew himself out of the
air by undertaking experiments too
difficult for the human body to with
stand.
The soundly conceived story, di-
rected by Michael Curtiz and acted
with competence all around. is the
more effective for being shot in
technicolor, which has a drama all
Its own in aviation pictures.
1t is very brief stage show. half
an hour long, that has been ar
ranged to 60 with Dive Bomber" at
the Earle. 1t opens with a produc-
tion number on the "V" theme, sung
by Dianne Christenberry and Gene
Archer, and danced by the Roxy
cites. Written by Leo Brady, it
turns out to be more effective for
dancing than for singing.
The other acts offer a sort of
patriotic-popular song cycle by Gus
Van and comedy acrobatic act by
the Arnolds, rather better than
most things of the kind.