The greatest movie ever made..!

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

***SPOILERS*** Movie about the US Army 501th parachute battalion released just three months before Pearl Harbor that has a number of recruits overcoming their fear of flying as well as jumping in getting their wings as one of the first group of US paratroopers in US military history. There's the reformed alcoholic who wants to prove to himself that he's got what it takes Bill Burke played by a boyish looking 25 year old Edmond O'Obrien who's dad Col. Burke, Robert Barrat,just happens to be the superintendent of the paratroop unite that's he's assigned to. There's also football hero Don Morse, Robert Preston, who in him fooling around with the fairer sex has him engaged to two women at the same time that can put him behind bars for bigamy. But by him being a private would prevent that from happening since it's against US Army rules to be married unless your an NCO or an officer. And last but not least there's hillbilly Jeff Hollis, Buddy Ebson, who's only there to be trained to fight, by using modern military hardware, to use his military expertise against a rival hillbilly clan back home whom his family has been having an 75 year old blood fraud with.Of course there's the man or top-kick in charge of the 501th tough on the outside but a softie inside MSgt. Bill "Thunderhead" Richards, Harry Carey, who's job is to whip the recruits into shape to face real combat against a foreign enemy of the USA that was to come in the Japansese attack on Pearl Harbor. Which was a lot sooner then anyone in both US government and the military ever expected. There's also the romantic angle with both Burke & Morse vying for the affection of "Thunderhead's" pretty daughter Kit, Nancy Kelly, whom "Thunderhead" want's to get hitched up with a real man, not a draft dodging collage wimp, like one of the soon to become paratroopers that he's training.****SPOILERS*** The film bolls down to the final parachute jump to become a full fledged US paratrooper with both Morse & Bruke missing the bus or plane and left behind from participating in the big jump to get their wings. Commadeering a fighter plane the two take off into the wild blue yonder to make their jump unofficially only to have Mosre's parachute get tangled and unable to open. It's Burke who just earlier was slugging it out with Morse, over Kit Richards, who saved Morse's life as well as the day and motion picture by shearing his parachute with him that prevented Morse from free falling to his death below.

Although it gives a rather light-hearted treatment to the rigor of paratrooper training, this film has considerable value and interest especially for military and airborne history and development. The light- heartedness may be accounted for because of the newness of the paratroops in 1941, efforts to educate the public and military about airborne training, and intentional efforts not to scare recruits away. Its major flaw is in not showing the rigors of training. As a former paratrooper (from the Cold War years of early 1960s in Germany), I thought the easy-go-lucky atmosphere in this film was quite exaggerated. Indeed, reading accounts of the first test platoon and parachute units (some good online sources), informs that the training from the earliest was most rigorous and with considerable discipline.The biggest difference noted in the training from then until now, is that enlistees were then going right into training to be paratroopers -- so, boot camp and infantry specialty and jump school were all rolled into one. This film is important to point out that bit of history in the time just before and during the war. But, since WWII, paratroopers have first had to complete 8 weeks of regular basic training (boot camp), then go to their specialty school for 8 weeks or more (infantry, artillery, communications, medical, etc.), and finally spend 3 to 6 weeks in jump school at Ft. Benning, GA. The latter depends on passing the very rigorous physical abilities test. One has three tries (weeks) to make it. If on the first try, jump school then is three weeks. One other note: the Army Airborne school also trains men and women who go into some other specialty fields and from other branches of the service (Special Forces; Long Range Recon Patrol -- it may be called something different now; Navy Seals; Air Force forward observers -- if they're still used, etc.).Some scenes that other viewers may find strange or questionable are important to have been included because they show things that really happened – in my airborne training and service, and that of two brothers and older and younger paratroopers I've met over the years. Two examples in this film were of men "freezing" in the door and not being able to jump; and of a jumpmaster giving a jumper a boost or shove out the door. The gun scene was overboard – I doubt it has ever happened; but, where the film was quite light otherwise, it may have served to show in earnest the early fear and reticence (anyone in his or her right mind at least has butterflies the first few times up) about going out the door. And, the "yahoo" reaction shown by two or three of the troopers after they have "hit the silk" is a true portrayal of the feeling of elation and somewhat wonderment of hanging suspended in the air and slowly floating to the ground.Some of the training from the earliest days (packing of one's own chutes, and individual jumps), as well as equipment, had changed by the late 1950s and early 1960s, to say nothing of the aircraft used for jumping (from C-47s, to C-119 Flying Boxcars during most of WWII, to C- 130s, to C-124 Globe Trotters, to the Jet transports of later years). Also, the jump chute design and parachute landing falls were soon changed from what was shown in the film -- to a roll, to prevent broken legs from stiff-legged landings. The 250-foot towers as well as shorter jump training towers with cables are in use today. All in all, though, this was a very good film. Most likely, veterans and others interested in military history would not be bored by the repeated jumping scenes. And, I think the considerable cast of known actors for the time, with a fairly decent, if somewhat predictable story line, made it an altogether enjoyable film. I'm sure it brings a smile to any veteran's face – of any branch of service – to think that a recruit in boot camp or initial training would get a pass, or be able to go on a date with or visit a training NCO or officer's daughter. But that's part of Hollywood's license for fiction, supposedly to boost the entertainment value and/or box office take. For the historical and educational value, with a cast of good acting and lots of jumping, I score this fairly high – 9 stars.

This curious movie, which seems to be part documentary and part drama, tells of three individuals who have signed up for a parachute battalion. This film almost gives the VIEWER a heads up on what it takes to train to drop your parachute. Everything from Jumping exercises to height practice to even detailed instruction on how to pack a parachute! Oh yeah, two of the squad have a bit of a spat over a girl, but the main plot is about the training. What's so curious is that the film was made with the National Paratroopers Batallion in America, but shows some curious habits of the paratroopers that almost put them in a bad light. I'm talking of course of the captain pushing off a scared paratrooper off a plane for his solo flight, and another scene where another scared paratrooper pulls a gun on the plane (!!) and tells them HE'S NOT JUMPING!! Anyways, that's all forgotten of course, because any film that has Buddy Ebsen dancing and doing comedy is fine by me J

"Parachute Battalion" was filmed with members of the 501st Parachute Battalion performing the actual jump scenes, etc. A member of my family was in the 501st and was killed on D-day after jumping into Normandy. On the very off-chance that he might be seen in the movie backdrop, I would like to be able to view a video of it but cannot locate a copy. Can anyone help me in this regard?