Task Force (film)
| Task Force | |
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theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Delmer Daves |
| Produced by | Jerry Wald |
| Written by | Delmer Daves |
| Starring |
Gary Cooper Jane Wyatt |
| Narrated by | Gary Cooper |
| Music by | Franz Waxman |
| Cinematography |
Robert Burks Wilfred M. Cline Paul Mantz (Aerial photography) |
| Edited by | Alan Crosland Jr. |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Task Force (1949) is a war film filmed in black-and-white with some Technicolor sequences about the development of U.S. aircraft carriers from the USS Langley (CV-1) to the USS Franklin (CV-13). Although Robert Montgomery was originally considered for the leading role, the film stars Gary Cooper, Jane Wyatt, Walter Brennan, Wayne Morris, Julie London and Jack Holt. Task Force was the only film Gary Cooper and Jane Wyatt made together, and was the last of the eight films Cooper and Walter Brennan made together. The U.S. Navy provided complete support in not only loaning naval vessels and facilities, but also allowed the use of archival footage of the development of naval air power.
As a 1917 graduate of the Naval Academy, Naval Aviator Jonathan L. "Scotty" Scott (Gary Cooper) spends 28 years, from 1921 to 1949, promoting U.S. Naval Aviation and the power of the aircraft carrier. During that period, he antagonizes powerful people in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Congress, and marries Mary Morgan (Jane Wyatt), the widow of a fellow flier who died in a crash during a carrier takeoff aboard the USS Langley. Throughout, Scott has the help and friendship of his mentor and superior officer, Pete Richard (Walter Brennan).
The Scotts spend two years in Hawaii and then move to Annapolis, where Scott, now a lieutenant commander, is to teach naval aviation but his outspoken stand in favor of aircraft carriers in combat causes him to lose a promotion. After Japan invades Manchuria, Scott is offered a civilian sales position selling aircraft in Europe, but remains in the Navy.
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