''Flying Tigers'' (a.k.a. ''Yank Over Singapore'' and ''Yanks Over the Burma Road'') is a 1942 American

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...

drama from

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City an ...

that was produced by

Edmund Grainger Edmund Grainger (1906–1981) was an American film producer. He produced more than sixty films during his career, and also occasionally worked as an assistant director. During the 1930s he was employed by Universal Pictures. He worked for RKO du ...

, directed by David Miller, and stars

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

John Carroll John Carroll may refer to: People Academia and science *Sir John Carroll (astronomer) (1899–1974), British astronomer *John Alexander Carroll (died 2000), American history professor *John Bissell Carroll (1916–2003), American cognitive sci ...

, and

Anna Lee Anna Lee, MBE (born Joan Boniface Winnifrith; 2 January 1913 – 14 May 2004) was a British actress, labelled by studios "The British Bombshell". Early life Anna Lee was born Joan Boniface Winnifrith in Ightham, (pronounced 'Item'), Kent, the ...

. ''Flying Tigers'' dramatizes the exploits of the

American Volunteer Group The American Volunteer Groups were volunteer air units organized by the United States government to aid the Nationalist government of China against Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The only unit to actually see combat was the 1st AVG, pop ...

(AVG), Americans who fought the Japanese in China, serving with the Chinese Nationalist forces, 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 ...

. The movie portrays them as fighting before U.S. entry into the war but, in point of fact, they did not see action until after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is unabashedly a wartime

propaganda film A propaganda film is a film that involves some form of propaganda. Propaganda films spread and promote certain ideas that are usually religious, political, or cultural in nature. A propaganda film is made with the intent that the viewer will ad ...

that was well received by a 1940s audience looking for a patriotic "flagwaver".

Plot

Jim Gordon leads the

Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States Ar ...

, a squadron of volunteer American pilots who fly Curtiss P-40C fighters against Japanese aircraft in the skies over China during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

. The pilots are a mixed bunch, motivated by money (they receive a

bounty Bounty or bounties commonly refers to: * Bounty (reward), an amount of money or other reward offered by an organization for a specific task done with a person or thing Bounty or bounties may also refer to: Geography * Bounty, Saskatchewan, a g ...

for each aircraft shot down) or just by the thrill of aerial combat. One day, Jim's old friend Woody Jason shows up. An arrogant, hot-shot aviator, he starts causing trouble immediately. When the Japanese raid the Flying Tigers' airbase, the new arrival goes after them, taking up a P-40 fighter without permission, not realizing until too late that it has no ammunition. As a result, Woody is shot down. He is unharmed, but the precious fighter is a total wreck. As time goes on, Woody shows that he has little use for teamwork, alienating and endangering the other pilots. He abandons his

wingman A wingman (or wingmate) is a pilot or UAV who supports another pilot in a potentially dangerous flying environment. ''Wingman'' was originally the plane flying beside and slightly behind the lead plane in an aircraft formation. According to th ...

, Blackie Bales, in order to shoot down a Japanese aircraft. As a result, Blackie is attacked and bails out of his burning P-40. While hanging suspended in his parachute, he is

strafed Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such ...

and killed by the Japanese pilot. Woody starts romancing nurse Brooke Elliott, who is considered by all the Tiger pilots to be Jim's girlfriend. One night, they go on a date. When he is late getting back for a night patrol, Jim's right-hand man, "Hap" Davis, secretly takes his place, despite having just been grounded by Jim because his vision had deteriorated, especially at night. In the resulting dogfight, Hap is unable to judge distances accurately and winds up dying in a collision with a Japanese aircraft he is pursuing. This proves to be the final straw; Jim fires Woody, telling him "It's out of my hands now. None of these men will ever fly with you again. And they ''have'' to fly." The date is Sunday, December 7, 1941, the day of the Japanese

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

, bringing America into World War II. A day later, Jim is notified that a vital bridge must be destroyed. The target is so heavily defended that the only chance of success is to fly in very low with a single, unescorted bomber and hope not to be spotted; it is likely to be a

suicide mission A suicide mission is a task which is so dangerous for the people involved that they are not expected to survive. The term is sometimes extended to include suicide attacks such as kamikaze and suicide bombings, whose perpetrators actively commit s ...

. Jim volunteers to fly the bomber, but Woody invites himself along at the last second, much to Jim's irritation. They destroy the bridge too late to keep a crucial enemy supply train from crossing. The bomber is hit by

flak Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

and catches fire. Jim bails out, with an unexpected push from Woody, expecting Woody to follow. Woody, however, has concealed the fact that he has been hit by the flak. He crashes into the train, destroying it at the cost of his own life.

Cast

As appearing in ''Flying Tigers'', (main roles and screen credits identified):"Credits: Flying Tigers (1941)."
''Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: May 20, 2012. *

as Capt. Jim Gordon *

as Woodrow "Woody" Jason *

as Brooke Elliott * Paul Kelly as "Hap" Davis * Gordon Jones as "Alabama" Smith *

Mae Clarke Mae Clarke (born Violet Mary Klotz; August 16, 1910 – April 29, 1992) was an American actress. She is widely remembered for playing Henry Frankenstein's bride Elizabeth, who is chased by Boris Karloff in ''Frankenstein'', and for being o ...

as Verna Bales *

Addison Richards Addison Whittaker Richards, Jr. (October 20, 1902 – March 22, 1964) was an American actor of film and television. Richards appeared in more than three hundred films between 1933 and his death. Biography A native of Zanesville, Ohio, Richa ...

as Col. R.T. Lindsay *

Edmund MacDonald Edmund Francis MacDonald (May 7, 1908 – September 2, 1951) was an American actor. Early years MacDonald was born in Boston. He had one brother. Career MacDonald gained early acting experience in stock theater on Long Island. He made hi ...

as "Blackie" Bales *

Bill Shirley William Jesse Shirley (July 6, 1921 – August 27, 1989) was an American actor and tenor/lyric baritone singer who later became a Broadway theatre producer. He is perhaps best known as the speaking and singing voice of Prince Phillip in Walt Disn ...

as Dale *

Tom Neal Thomas Carroll Neal Jr. (January 28, 1914 – August 7, 1972) was an American actor and successful amateur boxer best known for his costarring role in the critically lauded film ''Detour'', for having a widely publicized affair with actress Ba ...

as Reardon * Malcolm "Bud" McTaggart as McCurdy * David Bruce as Lt. Barton *

Chester Gan Chester Gan (1908-1959) was an American character actor of Chinese descent who worked in Hollywood from the 1930s through the 1950s. Biography Chester Gan was born in Grass Valley, California, to Wing Hong Gan and Wong Shee. He went to China ...

as Mike, Mechanic *

Jimmie Dodd James Wesley Dodd (March 28, 1910 – November 10, 1964) was an American actor, singer and songwriter best known as the master of ceremonies for the popular 1950s Walt Disney television series ''The Mickey Mouse Club,'' as well as the write ...

as "Mac" McIntosh (credited as James Dodd) *

Gregg Barton Gregg Barton (Born Harold Wilson Barker, June 5, 1912 – November 28, 2000) was an American actor, who played various roles in feature films and television series. Career Born in Oswego, New York, Barton is possibly best remembered for having ...

as "Tex" Norton *

Richard Loo Richard Loo (October 1, 1903 – November 20, 1983) was an American film actor who was one of the most familiar Asian character actors in American films of the 1930s and 1940s. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1931 and 1982. Early lif ...

as Dr. Tsing (uncredited) * Charles Lane as Mr. Repkin (uncredited)

Production

Former Flying Tigers Lawrence Moore (who was a clerk) and Kenneth Sanger (who worked in communications) served as technical advisers on ''Flying Tigers''. Both had left the American Volunteer Group (AVG) in February 1942. None of the real pilots are mentioned by name in the film, which went into production while the original AVG was still in operation. While archival combat footage was used in some of the scenes, miniatures were used to portray the early model

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time an ...

B/C Tomahawks that the Tigers flew on screen. For all ground shots, full-size P-40

mockup In manufacturing and design, a mockup, or mock-up, is a scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes. A mockup may be a ''prototype'' if it provides at leas ...

s were used that did no more than taxi. They were propelled by V-8 automobile engines, and the elevators and ailerons were missing from their wings and rear horizontal stabilizers. John Wayne's character arrives at the Tigers' airbase on the one-off

Capelis XC-12 The Capelis XC-12 was a failed 1933 aircraft design that most notably was used as a Theatrical property, prop in the films ''Five Came Back'', ''Flying Tigers (film), The Flying Tigers'', ''The Falcon in Danger'', and ''Immortal Sergeant''. The a ...

, a failed 1933 twin-engine transport aircraft that found new life at RKO as a non-flying movie prop. The aircraft was also used in ''

Five Came Back ''Five Came Back'' is a 1939 American black-and-white melodrama from RKO Radio Pictures produced by Robert Sisk, directed by John Farrow, written by Jerry Cady, Dalton Trumbo, and Nathanael West, and starring Chester Morris and Lucille Ball. ...

'' and other films. The American and Japanese aerial combat footage in ''Flying Tigers'' were actually miniatures being pulled along on wires off-screen, created by Republic's special effect experts Howard and Theodore Lydecker. This also included the miniature train and bridge sequence in the film's climax, as well as the miniature of the Capelis air transport seen flying through canyons and eventually crashing into the train. ''Flying Tigers''s special effects were nominated for an Academy Award, but many people voting did not realize the aircraft were miniatures running on wires, thereby passing the film by for the Oscar. In 1942, due to wartime priorities that prohibited the use of U. S. military aircraft for

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

productions,

Republic Studios Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City an ...

approached

Curtiss-Wright The Curtiss-Wright Corporation is a manufacturer and services provider headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, with factories and operations in and outside the United States. Created in 1929 from the consolidation of Curtiss, Wright, and v ...

in Buffalo to recreate the aerial battle sequences required for ''Flying Tigers''. A number of P-40F fighter aircraft waiting for delivery to the U. S. Army Air Forces were repainted in American Volunteer Group (AVG) markings, and with the aid of Curtiss test pilots, flew in the film. Chief Production Test Pilot

Herbert O. Fisher Herbert O. Fisher (March 6, 1909 – July 29, 1990) was an American test pilot and an aviation executive, overseeing aviation projects at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He worked for the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. Fisher flew as a ...

's screen role was substituting for John Wayne. Plot and character elements were lifted wholesale from the 1939 film ''

Only Angels Have Wings ''Only Angels Have Wings'' is a 1939 American Adventure film, adventure drama (film and television), drama film directed by Howard Hawks, starring Cary Grant and Jean Arthur, and is based on a story written by Hawks. Its plot follows the manager ...

'' without any acknowledgement, leading some to suggest that ''Angels'' director

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is not a household name." A v ...

should sue. ''Flying Tigers'' was originally going to be called ''Yanks Over the Burma Road'', but was changed because of MGM's film ''

A Yank on the Burma Road ''A Yank on the Burma Road'' is a 1942 drama film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Laraine Day, Barry Nelson and Keye Luke. It is also known as ''China Caravan'' and ''Yanks on the Burma Road''. It was produced as part of a cluster of Hol ...

''. Republic Pictures provided a larger budget than normal for the film, borrowing John Carroll and David Miller from MGM. In exchange MGM got an option on John Wayne's services. Filming began in April 1942.

Historical accuracy

''Flying Tigers'' only loosely represents the story of the real American Volunteer Group (AVG). Unlike the film characters, all AVG pilots were recruited from active or reserve U. S. military forces, were in Asia with the approval of the U. S. government, and did not see combat before the Japanese

. The first AVG combat mission was December 20, 1941, nearly two weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack. (AVG commander Chennault, however, had seen combat during his prior Chinese service.) John Wayne's character is nicknamed "Pappy", a common nickname for older military commanders. This was also the nickname of

Gregory Boyington Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (December 4, 1912 – January 11, 1988) was an American combat pilot who was a United States Marine Corps fighter ace during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. A Marine aviator with t ...

, a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

pilot who flew with the AVG until early 1942. Wayne's character, however, was not based on Boyington, who was not commander of the AVG, and not known as "Pappy" until he commanded VMF-214 in late 1943. The aviation goggles worn by John Wayne on screen and seen on RKO promotional posters were actually a set of repurposed tank crew goggles. The footage of Japanese soldiers firing anti-aircraft guns during the bridge bombing sequence was actually of Chinese soldiers. They are wearing M1935 Stahlhelm German army-style helmets, only used by elements of the Chinese Army and not by the Japanese. The death of Blackie Bates in ''Flying Tigers'' is based on a real AVG combat incident. On January 23, 1942, Flying Tiger

Bert Christman Allen Bert Christman (May 31, 1915 – January 23, 1942) was an American cartoonist and naval aviator. He is best known as artist of the newspaper comic strip '' Scorchy Smith'', about a pilot-adventurer in the inter-war years. He was also cred ...

's fighter was hit in the engine, and he had to bail out. While descending to the ground in his parachute, he was strafed and killed by a Japanese fighter (Christman was hit in several places and probably died as a bullet passed through the back of his neck). The cruel manner of Christman's death was widely publicized in 1942. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

published an illustrated feature article about it, and

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

made a short documentary about his life. Later in the year, Christman was featured in

War bond War bonds (sometimes referred to as Victory bonds, particularly in propaganda) are debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an unpopular level. They are ...

advertisements that read, "He gave his life. What will you give?"Glaess, Andy
"Christman biography."
''The Flying Tigers - American Volunteer Group - Chinese Air Force.'' Retrieved: November 25, 2011.

Reception

Coming out just after the United States entered the war, ''Flying Tigers'' was well received by both public and critics alike, mainly because of the exciting flying scenes. ''The New York Times'' said, "On a patch-work story frame, Republic Pictures has strung a first-rate aerial circus chock-full of exciting dogfights." The review in ''Variety'' was more exacting, commenting, "Handicapped primarily by a threadbare script, production also suffers from slow pacing while John Wayne, John Carroll, Anna Lee and Paul Kelly are barely adequate in the major acting assignments. Some of the scenes look repetitious, the same Jap flyers apparently being shot down and killed three or four times over." ''Flying Tigers'' was the first Republic film to make more than $1 million."Review: 'Flying Tigers'."
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', January 1943. Retrieved: August 1, 2016.

Proposed sequel

Republic announced plans for a never-made sequel, ''Sky Dragons'', which would have starred Wayne and Lee.Schallert, Edwin."Drama: 'Sky Dragons' planned; Metro may do 'Wookey'." ''Los Angeles Times'', August 14, 1942, p. A10.

Oscar nominations

Howard Lydecker (photographic) and

Daniel J. Bloomberg Daniel J. Bloomberg (July 4, 1905 – August 14, 1984) was an Academy Award-winning audio engineer. Bloomberg's first Hollywood credit was in 1934, his last his Oscar-nominated work on John Ford’s ''The Quiet Man'' 18 years later. In the int ...

(sound) were nominated for the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Effects, Special Effects;

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

for

Best Music Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

; Daniel J. Bloomberg for

Best Sound, Recording The Academy Award for Best Sound is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest or most euphonic sound mixing, recording, sound design, and sound editing. The award used to go to the studio sound departments until a rule change in 1969 said it ...

."The 15th Academy Awards (1943) Nominees and Winners."
''oscars.org.'' Retrieved: November 25, 2011.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Dick, Benard F. ''The Star-Spangled Screen: The American World War II Film''. The University Press of Kentucky, 1985. * Dolan, Edward F. Jr. ''Hollywood Goes to War''. London: Bison Books, 1985. . * 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. * Orriss, Bruce. ''When Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Aviation Film Classics of World War II''. Hawthorne, California: Aero Associates Inc., 1984. .

External links

* * * * {{Authority control 1942 films 1942 war films American aviation films American black-and-white films American war films 1940s English-language films Films directed by David Miller Films scored by Victor Young Films set in Republic of China (1912–1949) Films shot in California Films shot in New York (state) Films shot in New Mexico Flying Tigers in fiction Republic Pictures films Second Sino-Japanese War films World War II films made in wartime Japan in non-Japanese culture