Flying Leathernecks
| Flying Leathernecks | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Nicholas Ray |
| Produced by | Edmund Grainger |
| Written by | Kenneth Gamet |
| Screenplay by |
James Edward Grant Beirne Lay, Jr. |
| Starring |
John Wayne Robert Ryan Don Taylor |
| Music by | Roy Webb |
| Cinematography | William E. Snyder |
| Edited by | Sherman Todd |
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Production
company |
RKO Radio Pictures
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| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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102 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.6 million (U.S. rentals) |
Flying Leathernecks is a 1951 Technicolor action war film directed by Nicholas Ray, produced by Edmund Grainger, (who had produced Sands of Iwo Jima) and starring John Wayne and Robert Ryan. The movie details the exploits and personal battles of United States Marine Corps aviators during World War II. Marines have long had the nickname "leatherneck," hence the title.
Major Dan Kirby (John Wayne) arrives at VMF-247 ("Wildcats") as the new commander when everybody in the unit was expecting Captain Carl "Grif" Griffin (Robert Ryan) to take over. Kirby is strict and makes this understood from day one. Assigned to the Cactus Air Force during the Guadalcanal campaign, Kirby has few planes available and a lot to accomplish with a field attacked daily by the Japanese. His pilots are young and behave like "kids," sometimes disobeying orders and foolishly losing precious pilots and precious planes. Kirby is requiring maximum effort, and Captain Griffin is not as tough as Kirby wants. Griffin stays closer to his young pilots, one of them his own brother-in-law, Vern "Cowboy" Blithe (Don Taylor).
Kirby for his part hates the decisions he has to make, knowing that he is sending pilots to their death, but the success of his missions is the most important thing to him. He keeps this secret from the rest of his squadron. The hard conditions of the war force Kirby to get even more strict with his exhausted pilots. He even refuses sick leave to men with malaria or to allow planes with problems to return to base. Tension between Griffin and Kirby soon peaks. Griffin recognizes the hardships Kirby faces, but he is often more driven by his sentimental side.
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Wikipedia