Command Decision (film)
| Command Decision | |
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theatrical Poster
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| Directed by | Sam Wood |
| Produced by |
Sidney Franklin Gottfried Reinhardt |
| Written by |
William Wister Haines (play) George Froeschel William R. Laidlaw |
| Starring |
Clark Gable Walter Pidgeon Van Johnson Brian Donlevy |
| Music by | Miklós Rózsa |
| Cinematography | Harold Rosson |
| Edited by | Harold F. Kress |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,467,000 |
| Box office | $3,685,000 |
Command Decision is a 1948 war film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson and Brian Donlevy and directed by Sam Wood, based on a stage play of the same name written by William Wister Haines, which he based on his best-selling novel. The screenplay for the film was written by George Froeschel and William R. Laidlaw. Haines' play ran on Broadway for almost a year beginning in October 1947.
Although portraying the strategic bombing of Nazi Germany in World War II, the film has virtually no action scenes, taking place almost entirely within the confines of the headquarters of its protagonist. Depicting the political infighting of conducting a major war effort, the film's major theme is the emotional toll on commanders from ordering missions that result in high casualties, the effects of sustained combat on all concerned, and the nature of accountability for its consequences.
In 1943, at the Ministry of Information in London, war correspondents Elmer "Brockie" Brockhurst (Charles Bickford) and James Carwood (John Ridgely) of United News attend the daily briefing on bombing missions. While the RAF representative announces light losses, the PRO of the Eighth Air Force causes grumbling when his report reveals a record 48 bombers shot down bombing an undisclosed industrial target. Carwood questions whether any target could be worth such losses, but Brockhurst retorts that the U.S. 5th Bomb Division commander, Brig. Gen. "Casey" Dennis (Clark Gable), loves the war. Brockhurst travels to the base of the 32nd Bomb Group, where Dennis has his headquarters, and observes B-17s taking off on another major strike. He tries to milk information about the arrest of a decorated (and highly publicized) pilot, Captain Jenks, from T/Sgt. Evans (Van Johnson), an assistant in Dennis's office, but Evans cordially rebuffs him.
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