''Air Strike'' is a 1955

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written, directed and produced by Cy Roth and starring

Richard Denning Richard Denning (March 27, 1914 – October 11, 1998) was an American actor who starred in science fiction films of the 1950s, including ''Unknown Island'' (1948), ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' (1954), '' Target Earth'' (1954), ''Day the ...

Gloria Jean Gloria Jean (born Gloria Jean Schoonover; April 14, 1926 – August 31, 2018) was an American actress and singer who starred or co-starred in 26 feature films from 1939 to 1959, and made numerous radio, television, stage, and nightclub app ...

and

Don Haggerty Don Haggerty (July 3, 1914 – August 19, 1988) was an American actor of film and television. Early life and education Before he began appearing in films in 1947, Haggerty was a Brown University athlete and served in the United States Army f ...

; the supporting cast features former child star

Billy Halop William Halop (February 11, 1920 – November 9, 1976) was an American actor. Early life Halop was born to Benjamin Cohen Halop and Lucille Elizabeth Halop on February 11, 1920. Halop came from a theatrical family; his mother was a dancer, and ...

. The plot involves pilots training at a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

squadron preparing for the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. The film features the original song, "Each Time You Leave Me" by composers Sylvia Ostrow and André Brummer.

Plot

U.S. Navy Commander Stanley Blair (

), is in charge of a fighter-bomber squadron during the Korean War based on the USS ''Essex'' aircraft carrier. While training in the Atlantic Ocean, Blair's second-in-command, Lieutenant Dick Huggins (

) demands Ensign James Delaney (William Courtney) be transferred because he has exhibited a "lone wolf" attitude and an aggressive flying style. Blair intercedes explaining to the younger man that team work in the squadron is important. Huggins also is facing family pressure as his wife, Marg (

) is pressuring him to take a shore assignment. Other men in the squadron are also facing difficult decisions: Lieutenant Anthony Perini states that he is only serving his term and then will return to law school, while Lieutenant Hal Alexander (Stanley Clements) wonders if he "has the stuff" to become a career Navy man like his father, who received the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Lieutenant Smith (William Hudson) reveals that Blair also received the Navy Cross in the war, during a fight near the Mariana Islands, where he bombed an enemy cruiser. While on maneuvers, after Huggins disputes Delaney's claim that he has spotted an unidentified submarine, the conflict between the two results in Blair offering Huggins a transfer out of the squadron. On a training flight, when the squadron runs into dense fog, each pilot has to try to reach the carrier before running out of fuel. With his instruments out and fuel running low, Huggins gets lost. Delaney runs out of fuel and crash-lands, but is rescued. When he finds that Huggins is still in the air, he volunteers to lead Huggins to safety. When both are safely back on the aircraft carrier, they reconcile and the squadron is praised for coming out of a difficult situation with skill and bravery.

Cast

as Cmdr. Stanley Blair *

as Marg Huggins *

as Lt. Richard Huggins * William Hudson as Lt. John Smith (credited as Bill Hudson) * Alan Wells as Anthony Perini * John Kirby as David Loring *

as Lt. Cmdr. Orville Swanson (credited as William Halop) * James Courtney as Ensign James Delaney *

Stanley Clements Stanley Clements (born Stanislaw Klimowicz; July 16, 1926 – October 16, 1981) was an American actor and comedian, best known for portraying "Stash" in the East Side Kids film series, and group leader Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie in The Bowery ...

as G.H. Alexander

Production

''Air Strike'' relied heavily on stock footage, noting before this film's opening credits, a foreword reads: "With grateful appreciation for the cooperation of the Department of the Navy and the Department of Defense." At the film's end, the following dedication appears: "The mighty air arm of the United States Navy with its control of the seas is a great part of this nation's security. Aggression can be stopped and peace maintained with a strong Navy. This story is dedicated to the men at sea with wings." In a news item appearing in the November 1953 issue of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', producer Cy Roth had "obtained complete financial backing from San Francisco interests for his Coyt Productions schedule." ''Air Strike'' would become the first of the films produced by Roth."Notes: 'Air Strike' (1955)."
''

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasti ...

''. Retrieved: May 22, 2016.

Aircraft used

As noted in the onscreen film credits of ''Air Strike'' and in ''The Hollywood Reporter'', sequences were filmed aboard the USS ''Essex'' (CVA-9) aircraft carrier, stationed in San Diego. The onscreen cast credit for the military extras reads: "The officers and men of the U.S.S. Essex (CVA 9); The "Fighting Falcons" of VF 142 Cougar Squadron." Additional sequences were shot at the Samuel Goldwyn Studios in 1954. The aircraft that appeared in ''Air Strike'' are:Santoir, Christian
"Review: 'Air Strike'."
''Aeromovies''. Retrieved: May 22, 2016. *

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is a dive bomber developed by Curtiss-Wright during World War II. As a carrier-based bomber with the United States Navy (USN), in Pacific theaters, it supplemented and replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless. A few survi ...

Douglas AD Skyraider The Douglas A-1 Skyraider (formerly known as the AD Skyraider) is an American single-seat attack aircraft in service from 1946 to the early 1980s. The Skyraider had an unusually long career, remaining in front-line service well into the Jet Age ...

Douglas SBD Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/div ...

Grumman F9F Cougar The Grumman F9F/F-9 Cougar is a carrier-based fighter aircraft for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Based on Grumman's earlier F9F Panther, the Cougar replaced the Panther's straight wing with a more modern swept wing. Thr ...

McDonnell F2H Banshee The McDonnell F2H Banshee (company designation McDonnell Model 24) is an American single-seat carrier-based jet fighter aircraft deployed by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps from 1948 to 1961. A development of the FH Phant ...

McDonnell FH-1 Phantom The McDonnell FH Phantom is a twinjet fighter aircraft designed and first flown during World War II for the United States Navy. The Phantom was the first purely jet-powered aircraft to land on an American aircraft carrier and the first jet deplo ...

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (russian: Микоя́н и Гуре́вич МиГ-15; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of ...

Mitsubishi A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 19 ...

North American FJ-3 Fury The North American FJ-2 and FJ-3 Fury are a series of swept-wing carrier-capable fighters for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The FJ-2 resulted from an effort to navalize the North American F-86 Sabre operated by the United States Ai ...

* Sikorsky HO3S-1 *

Vought F7U Cutlass The Vought F7U Cutlass is a United States Navy carrier-based jet fighter and fighter-bomber of the early Cold War era. It was a tailless aircraft for which aerodynamic data from projects of the German Arado and Messerschmitt companies, obtain ...

Reception

''Air Strike'' was primarily a

B film A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

, and although aerial scenes were notable, fell short in other aspects. In a later appraisal, film historian Michael Paris in ''From the Wright Brothers to Top Gun: Aviation, Nationalism, and Popular Cinema'' (1995) noted that the film was a "studio-based" approach to the Korean War era. Film historians Jack Hardwick and Ed Schnepf dismissed the film as "

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

", claiming that "the film credits should read: 'Made free by U.S. Navy'."Hardwick and Schnepf 1989, p. 51. Aviation film historian Christian Santoir considered ''Air Strike'' as a historical document with "rare" film footage of U.S.Navy postwar jet aircraft.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Hardwick, Jack and Ed Schnepf. "A Viewer's Guide to Aviation Movies". ''The Making of the Great Aviation Films'', General Aviation Series, Volume 2, 1989. * Paris, Michael. ''From the Wright Brothers to Top Gun: Aviation, Nationalism, and Popular Cinema.'' Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1995. .

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 0047805, Air Strike American war drama films 1955 films 1950s war drama films American aviation films Films about the United States Navy Lippert Pictures films Korean War aviation films 1955 drama films 1950s English-language films Films directed by Cy Roth 1950s American films American black-and-white films