Themes: Military Life, War in the Sky, Living With Disability
Main Cast: John Wayne, Dan Dailey, Maureen O'Hara, Ward Bond, Ken Curtis
Release Year: 1957
Country: US
Run Time: 110 minutes
Plot
The Wings of Eagles is filmmaker John Ford's paean to his frequent collaborator--and, it is rumored, drinking buddy--Cmdr. Frank "Spig" Wead. John Wayne stars as Wead, a reckless WW1 Naval aviator who (it says here) was instrumental in advancing the cause of American "air power". In private life, Wead becomes estranged from his wife Minnie (Maureen O'Hara) after the death of their baby. Drinking heavily, Wead tumbles down the stairs of his home, and as a result he is apparently paralyzed for life. With the help of happy-go-lucky Navy mechanic Carson (Dan Dailey), Wead is able to regain minimal use of his legs, but it seems clear that his Naval career is over. Fortunately, he manages to find work as a prolific Hollywood screenwriter, and after the attack of Pearl Harbor he is called back to active duty to oversee the construction of "jeep carriers". Not one of John Ford's more coherent films--in fact, it's downright sloppy at times--The Wings of Eagles nonetheless contains several highlights, not least of which are the "I'm gonna move that toe" scene with John Wayne and Dan Dailey, and Ward Bond's inside-joke performance as irreverent film director "John Dodge". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Malcolm Brown - Art Director, William Horning - Art Director, James Newcom - Associate Producer, Paul Mantz - Consultant/advisor, Walter Plunkett - Costume Designer, John Ford - Director, Gene Ruggiero - Editor, Jeff Alexander - Composer (Music Score), William J. Tuttle - Makeup, Paul Vogel - Cinematographer, Charles Schnee - Producer, Keogh Gleason - Set Designer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, Arnold A. Gillespie - Special Effects, Warren Newcombe - Special Effects, Paul Mantz - Stunts, William Wister Haines - Screenwriter, Frank Fenton - Screenwriter, Commander Frank "Spig" Wead - Book Author
Soon after World War I is over, "Spig", along with John Dale Price (Ken Curtis, tries to prove to the Navy the value of seaplanes in combat. To do this, Wead pushes the Navy to compete in racing and endurance competitions. Several races are against the US Army aviation team led by Captain Herbert Allen Hazard (based on Jimmy Doolittle - played by Kenneth Tobey).
Wead spends most of his time either flying or horsing around with his teammates, meaning that his wife Minnie, or "Min" (Maureen O'Hara), and children are ignored.
The night he is promoted to fighter squadron commander, he falls down a flight of stairs at home, breaks his neck and is paralyzed. When "Min" tries to console him he rejects her and the family. He will only let his Navy mates like "Jughead" Carson (Dan Dailey) and Price near him. "Jughead" visits the hospital almost daily to encourage Frank's rehabilitation. Carson also pushes "Spig" to get over his depression, try to walk, and start writing. Being paralyzed and not going anywhere, he has all the time he needs to write.
After great success in Hollywood, Wead returns to active sea duty with the Navy in World War II, developing the idea of smaller escort, or "jeep," carriers to augment the main aircraft carrier force. A heart attack sends Wead home before the war's end.
Director John Ford is himself represented in the film, in the humorously-named character of John Dodge, played by another Ford favorite, Ward Bond.
There is historical license in the movie: one scene shows first the US Army around-the-World flight and then the US Navy winning the Schneider Cup. In fact the US Navy won the Schneider Cup in 1923 and the US Army embarked on the first aerial circumnavigation from March to September 1924. A similar film of the birth of US Army aviation is The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell in 1955.
