From my favorite movies..

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

One of the top fighter plane squadrons is the Hellcats. When the film begins, they have just lost one of their pilots in an accident. His replacement is an extremely cocky new Ensign (Robert Taylor) just out of flight school at Pensacola. On his way from the academy in Florida to the Hellcat base in San Diego, he gets in trouble--everything is fogged in and he can't possibly safely land. Ignoring orders, he tries to land and is nearly killed. Soon after this, he also screws up during gunnery practice and nearly kills himself for the second time!! Clearly, Taylor has a long way to go to fit in with the Hellcats! In addition to this plot early on in the film, Ruth Hussey plays an interesting part. She's the wife of the group's commander (Walter Pidgeon). The stress of seeing her husband and other men she cares about risking their lives is simply too much. Keeping a 'stiff upper lip' is getting tougher and tougher and unless something changes, she's headed for a breakdown.The sort of character Robert Taylor played in this film is nothing new for him, as he'd played a similar cock-sure guy in "A Yank at Oxford" a couple years earlier. And, by formula, you know that the character's cockiness will eventually change to make him the team player and all-around swell guy by the time the credits roll at the end of the film. But, because it's all handled so well, the film is a lot of fun. Excellent acting, an interesting script (it's more than just airplanes and Taylor's adjustment to the Hellcats) and direction by one of the era's better directors, Frank Borzage, make this a very good film--even if you aren't into airplane films.By the way, the biplanes used in this film were the Grumman F3F-3. These dated looking planes were retired from service in 1941 and were pretty much outdated by the time the US entered WWII. It's odd, then, that the Hellcats (a crack fighter squadron) would STILL be using this plane by the time this movie was made in 1940. Top Navy squadrons would have been using more modern monoplanes like the Brewster Buffalo or F4F Wildcat. MGM would probably not had access to these other planes, as the Navy would have been a lot more protective of their newer planes. Of course, few people on IMDb are plane nuts like me, so most of this hardly matters to the average viewer!And, for ship nuts out there, Miss Hussey reads a newspaper article about the navy going on maneuvers with three aircraft carriers--including the USS Virginia. There never was a carrier with this name and the battleship Virginia was deliberately sunk in 1923.By the way, I did a little checking and found out some things which are interesting. This is one of Red Skelton's first films. Soon after finishing this film, he and his wife split up...and she married the director, Borzage! Wow...now that's pretty sensational and weird! And, if you are in the mood for more dirt, try reading up on the life of one of the principle actors in the film, Paul Kelly--it's pretty sensational.

Lots of fun. Wells Root and Commander Harvey Haislip penned this screenplay from an original story Haislip also co-authored about an eager Naval Flight School cadet (Robert Taylor) in Pensacola flying solo out to Southern California to join Hellcat Fighters who have just lost one of their beloved teammates; he makes a colorful entrance (having to ditch his plane and parachute into the ocean because of fog!) and finds an early friend in a somewhat-emotional woman...the Skipper's wife! Camaraderie between the pilots on the ground is enjoyably written and played, with Taylor's charming self-assurance an interesting dynamic within the group (he isn't cocky, he's careful--though anxious to fit in). Subplot with Ruth Hussey's lonesome wife is soapy yet surprisingly skillful, while the aerial maneuvers are nicely photographed. An extra bonus: Red Skelton as a joshing lieutenant...and Walter Pidgeon looking younger than I have ever seen him. **1/2 from ****

For service in World War II, brash Robert Taylor (as Alan "Pensacola" Drake) is assigned a "Flight Command" role, with the squadron of Navy fliers known as the "Hell Cats". At first, Mr. Taylor's confident cockiness rubs everyone the wrong way; but, he earns his comrades' respect, through charm and ability. Taylor also catches the eye of otherwise happily married Ruth Hussey (as Lorna Gary), wife of "Hell Cat" commander Walter Pidgeon (as William "Billy" Gray). Will their "love triangle" be consummated? Ordinary flag-waving film, ostensibly about Taylor fitting in with his squadron; however, the war sacrifices Ms. Hussey makes become the film's main focus. The supporting players outperform the leads; in particular, Shepperd Strudwick (as Jerry Banning) and Paul Kelly (as Dusty Rhodes). Mr. Strudwick's "fog device" provides an interesting sub-plot. The inter-cut "fog device" visual is an example of one of the film's irritants. Frank Borzage (direction) and Harold Rosson (photography) make some scenes look nice. **** Flight Command (12/17/40) Frank Borzage ~ Robert Taylor, Ruth Hussey, Walter Pidgeon, Paul Kelly

Ens. Alan Drake (Robert Taylor) is a naval air cadet assigned to one of the U.S. Navy's most elite flying squadrons. In the face of personal problems and social conflicts, can he make the grade?