Men of the Fighting Lady

Plot

Leave it to MGM to turn the Korean War into a splashy, big-budget, all-star extravaganza. Men of the Fighting Lady is set on the US aircraft career of the same name. Van Johnson stars as Lt. Howard Thayer, while other MGM stalwarts in the cast include Walter Pidgeon, Kennan Wynn and Louis Calhern. The film's highlight is the famous fact-based scene wherein Lt. Thayer "talks in" blinded pilot Kenneth Schechter (Dewey Martin), assuring a safe landing for the incapacitated flyer. As a novelty, no concessions are made to the "love stuff" addicts in the audience: there is no contrived romantic subplot in the film, nor are there any women in the cast. Men of the Fighting Lady was based on two literary works: "The Case of the Blinded Pilot" by Cmdr. Harry A. Burns, and "The Forgotten Heroes of Korea" by James A. Michener (who is impersonated in the film by Louis Calhern). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cast

• Van Johnson - Lt. Howard Thayer
• Walter Pidgeon - Cmdr. Kent Dowling
• Louis Calhern - James A. Michener
• Dewey Martin - Ensign Kenneth Schechter
• Keenan Wynn - Lt. Cmdr. Ted Dodson

Frank Lovejoy - Lieutenant Commander Paul Grayson; Robert Horton - Ensign Neil Conovan; Bert Freed - Lt. Andrew Szymanski; Lewis Martin - Cmdr. Michael Coughlin; Dick Simmons - Lt. Wayne Kimbrell; Ann Baker - Mary Reynolds; Jonathan Hale - Announcer; Teddy Infur - Szymanski's Son; Jerry Mathers - Dodson's Son; Dorothy Patrick - Mrs. Dodson; Steve Rowland - Pilot Johnson; Sarah Selby - Mrs. Szymanski; George A. Cooper - Cyril Roberts; Paul L. Smith - Ensign Dispatcher; Chris Warfield - Pilot White; John Rosser - Officer

Credit

Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Andrew Marton - Director, Gene Ruggiero - Editor, Miklos Rozsa - Composer (Music Score), George Folsey - Cinematographer, Henry Berman - Producer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, Art Cohn - Screenwriter, Cmdr. Harry A. Burns - Book Author, James Michener - Short Story Author, Cmdr. Harry A. Burns - Short Story Author

Previous:	Men of the Dragon (1974 Film), Men of the Desert (1917 Film)
Next:	Men of the Hour (1935 Film), Men of the Hour (1918 Film)