''International Squadron'' (aka ''Flight Patrol'') is a 1941 American

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 ...

directed by

Lewis Seiler Lewis Seiler (September 30, 1890 – January 8, 1964) was an American film director. He directed more than 80 films between 1923 and 1958. Seiler was born in New York City and died in Hollywood, California. Partial filmography *''A Bankru ...

and

Lothar Mendes Lothar Mendes (19 May 1894 – 24 February 1974) was a German-born screenwriter and film director. His two best known films are ''Jew Süss (1934 film), Jew Süss'' (1934) and ''The Man Who Could Work Miracles'' (1936), both productions for Briti ...

that starred

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

Olympe Bradna Antoinette Olympe Bradna (12 August 1920 – 5 November 2012) was a French dancer and actress, who emigrated to the United States where she lived for the rest of her life. Early years Bradna was born in a dressing room in the Olympic Theatre in ...

and in his final film,

James Stephenson James Albert Stephenson (14 April 1889 – 29 July 1941) was a British stage and film actor. He found extraordinarily rapid success in Hollywood after arriving in his late 40s, but he died unexpectedly in his early 50s. Early life Stephenson ...

. The film is based on the

Eagle Squadrons The Eagle Squadrons were three fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed with volunteer pilots from the United States during the early days of World War II (circa 1940), prior to America's entry into the war in December 1941. Wit ...

, American pilots who volunteered to fly for the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

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 ...

. ''International Squadron'' featured noted

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, ...

pilot

Paul Mantz Albert Paul Mantz (August 2, 1903 – July 8, 1965) was a noted air racing pilot, movie stunt pilot and consultant from the late 1930s until his death in the mid-1960s. He gained fame on two stages: Hollywood and in air races. Early years Ma ...

who acted as the film's aerial coordinator and flew during the production.

Plot

Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Charles Wyatt (

) asks his friend, Jimmy Grant (

), a daredevil pilot on the airshow circuit, to join the RAF's International Squadron, made up of Americans. Jimmy turns him down, saying that he intends to stay safe at home. Faced with a breach-of-promise suit, Jimmy, however, is hired to deliver a new American-designed

Lockheed Hudson The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and prim ...

bomber to the RAF, flying to England with his mechanic, "Omaha" McGrath (

Cliff Edwards Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "Ukulele Ike", was an American singer, musician and actor. He enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standar ...

). When they encounter a heavy fog over the English base, Jimmy ignores a request from Charles to bail out, and brings the bomber in to a safe landing. While in London, Jimmy meets up with an old friend, Rog Wilkins (

William Lundigan William Paul Lundigan (June 12, 1914 – December 20, 1975) was an American film actor. His more than 125 films include '' Dodge City'' (1939), ''The Fighting 69th'' (1940), ''The Sea Hawk'' (1940), ''Santa Fe Trail'' (1940), '' Dishonored Lady ...

) now serving in the International Squadron. Jeanette (

), the young French woman assigned as his driver, he asks her out for dinner. A German raid hits the city. Jimmy is impressed by the courage of the embattled Londoners and moved by the death of a young child, to join the fight. In the RAF, Jimmy is not able to fit in, and during an air patrol, while he shots down a German bomber, his reckless flying results in the death of an RAF comrade. The only thing that saves him from dismissal is the intervention of Charles. The next occasion when Jimmy can make amends ends badly as he wants to take Jeanette out, appealing to Rog to stand in for him. Despite being on call for 20 hours, Rog flies his patrol, and is shot down and killed. In despair, Jimmy wants to quit but Charles persuades him to stay and avenge his friend's death. When Jeanette's boyfriend, Michele Edmé (

Tod Andrews Tod Andrews (born Theodore Edwin Anderson; November 9, 1914 – November 7, 1972) was an American stage, screen, and television actor. Early years Tod Andrews was born as Theodore Edwin Anderson in El Paso, Texas, to Henry Anderson and Lydia ...

) is selected for a dangerous bombing mission over Nazi-held territory, Jimmy knocks him out and takes his place. Caught by enemy aircraft, Jimmy shoots two down, successfully completing his bombing run but is overwhelmed and shot down, crashing to his death. At his airbase, the International Squadron drinks a toast in tribute to him.

Cast

as Jimmy Grant *

as Jeanette *

as Squadron Leader Charles Wyatt *

as Lt. Rog Wilkins *

Joan Perry Joan Perry (born Elizabeth Rosiland Miller; July 7, 1911 – September 16, 1996), was an American film actress, model, and singer. She was known as Betty Miller during her career as a model. Early years Perry attended Plant High School in ...

as Connie Wilkins * Reginald Denny as Wing Commander Severn *

as Omaha McGrath *

Julie Bishop Julie Isabel Bishop (born 17 July 1956) is an Australian former politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2018 and deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 to 2018. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Curtin ...

as Mary Wyatt *

as Michele Edmé *

John Ridgely John Ridgely (born John Huntington Rea, September 6, 1909 – January 18, 1968) was an American film character actor with over 175 film credits. Early years Ridgely was born in Chicago, Illinois,Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: T ...

as Bill Torrence * Charles Irwin as Biddle *

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 Chief Engineer *

Selmer Jackson Selmer Adolf Jackson (May 7, 1888 – March 30, 1971) was an American stage film and television actor. He appeared in nearly 400 films between 1921 and 1963. His name was sometimes spelled Selmar Jackson. Jackson was born in Lake Mills, Iowa an ...

as Saunders *

Holmes Herbert Holmes Herbert (born Horace Edward Jenner; 30 July 1882 – 26 December 1956) was an English character actor who appeared in Hollywood films from 1915 to 1952, often as a British gentleman. Early life Born Horace Edward Jenner, (some sou ...

as Sir Basil Wryxton *

as Connie Wilkins

Production

When American pilots went to war in the R.A.F. Eagle Squadrons, it set off a minor war between several of the Hollywood studios. Producer

Walter Wanger Walter Wanger (born Walter Feuchtwanger; July 11, 1894 – November 18, 1968) was an American film producer active from the 1910s, his career concluding with the turbulent production of '' Cleopatra,'' his last film, in 1963. He began at Para ...

had immediately copyrighted the name of "Eagle Squadron" for his film of the same name that appeared in early 1942. Producer

Darryl F. Zanuck Darryl Francis Zanuck (September 5, 1902December 22, 1979) was an American film producer and studio executive; he earlier contributed stories for films starting in the silent era. He played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of ...

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

wrote angry letters to

Hal Wallis Harold Brent Wallis (born Aaron Blum Wolowicz; October 19, 1898 – October 5, 1986) was an American film producer. He is best known for producing '' Casablanca'' (1942), ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938), and ''True Grit'' (1969), along w ...

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

accusing them of not only stealing his idea of his '' A Yank in the R.A.F.'' but making a low budget

B picture 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 ...

to beat Fox's prestigious production to the screen. Zanuck threatened legal action unless Warners stopped the film from being made or not to release their film until 60 days after Zanuck's film was released. Warners ignored Zanuck as the Eagle Squadrons were a major news item of the day and Warners based their screenplay on a film made by the studio ''

Ceiling Zero ''Ceiling Zero'' is a 1936 American adventure drama film directed by Howard Hawks and starring James Cagney and Pat O'Brien. The picture stars Cagney as daredevil womanizing pilot "Dizzy" Davis and O'Brien as Jake Lee, his war veteran buddy a ...

'' based on a play by

Frank Wead Frank Wilbur "Spig" Wead (24 October 1895 – 15 November 1947) was a U.S. Navy aviator who helped promote United States Naval aviation from its inception through World War II. Commander Wead was a recognized authority on early aviation. Followi ...

. They did change the film's original title from ''Eagle Squadron'' to ''Flight Patrol'' then finally ''International Squadron'' and released it two months before ''A Yank in the R.A.F.'' Warners acquired another boost by hiring Byron Kennerly, a former member of an Eagle Squadron as the film's

technical advisor In film production, a technical advisor is someone who advises the director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a ...

. Kennerly had written a magazine story ''Squadron 71, Scramble! A Day in the Eagle Squadron, R.A.F.'' that was published in the July 1941 issue of ''Harper's Magazine'' and was in the process of writing a book ''The Eagles Roar!'' that Warners bought the rights to. However, according to some sources Kennerly left the Eagle Squadron before their first engagement; with some sources saying he was on furlough for an ear ailment. Kennerly later served with the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

and was jailed for bank robbery in February 1951. Actual film of dogfighting between Spitfires and Messerschmitts and Heinkels and a London air raid were shot by Warners'

Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long m ...

studios technicians and shipped to the United States for inclusion in the film. The modest budget for ''International Squadron'' necessitated the use of the

Alhambra, California Alhambra (, , ; from " Alhambra") is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains t ...

Municipal Airport standing in for an RAF base, and a bevy of contemporary civil aircraft standing in for the latest RAF fighters. The unlikely group included a Mantz's

Boeing Model 100 The Boeing P-12/F4B was an American pursuit aircraft that was operated by the United States Army Air Corps , United States Marine Corps, and United States Navy. Design and development Developed as a private venture to replace the Boeing F2B a ...

, Brown B-3 Racer, three Ryan STA trainers and a

Travel Air Type R Mystery Ship The Type R "Mystery Ships" were a series of wire-braced, low-wing racing airplanes built by the Travel Air company in the late 1920s and early 1930s. They were so called, because the first three aircraft of the series (R614K, R613K, B11D) were bui ...

Reception

''International Squadron'' was favorably reviewed by Theodore Strauss for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', who said: "As another aerial and romantic dog-fight in the hurtling succession of epics about the Royal Air Force, it breezes along with dash and bravado and not too much self-importance. Its emotional upheavals are tossed off with a wisecrack; it doesn't belabor its story with inspirational organ music, and it keeps its wheels well off the ground. No ace among war films, it is none the less a brisk, brash flier in pulse-quickening entertainment."Strauss, Theodore (T.S.)
"Movie Review: 'International Squadron' (1941); At the Strand."
''The New York Times'', November 14, 1941. Retrieved: December 8, 2015.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Glancy, H. Mark. ''When Hollywood Loved Britain: The Hollywood 'British' Film 1939-1945''. Manchester University Press, 1999. * Klinkowitz, Jerome. ''Yanks Over Europe: American Flyers in World War II''. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 1996. . * Orriss, Bruce. ''When Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Aviation Film Classics of World War II''. Hawthorne, California: Aero Associates Inc., 1984. . * Pendo, Stephen. ''Aviation in the Cinema''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. .

External links

* } * {{Lothar Mendes 1941 films American war films Films set in England Films set in London World War II films made in wartime Films set in the 1940s Films directed by Arthur Lubin Warner Bros. films American aviation films American black-and-white films Ronald Reagan Films scored by William Lava Films directed by Lothar Mendes 1941 war films 1940s English-language films