''Men of the Sky'' is a 1942 American Technicolor

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

propaganda film, directed by

B. Reeves Eason William Reeves Eason (October 2, 1886 – June 9, 1956), known as B. Reeves Eason, was an American film director, actor and screenwriter. His directorial output was limited mainly to low-budget westerns and action pictures, but it was as a secon ...

. The

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

reenacted the training of a group of

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 ...

(USAAF) pilots. Following the

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 ...

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, ...

rushed to turn out films that would help to help win the war. The studios produced more than features, with countless cartoons and short subjects that were intended to inform the public, boost morale, encourage support of the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

and other organizations that were helping at home and overseas or in recruitment. There were also films that were shown only to members of the armed forces. These films either trained them or entertained them. ''Men of the Sky'' is one of the best examples of how Hollywood pitched in and worked to boost morale and also recruit men and women into military service. Along with Don DeFore and

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 ...

, Eleanor Parker has a leading role. Each of the leads would go on to lengthy screen and television careers.

Plot

In 1942, the stories of a new group of U.S. Army Air Forces pilots are intertwined. As they receive their wings from Lt. General

H.H. Arnold Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 – January 15, 1950) was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1941), ...

, each of the trainees, Cadet Frank Bickley (

), Cadet Dick Mathews ( Don DeFore) and Cadet Jim Morgan ( Ray Montgomery) recall their prewar introduction to

flight training Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a str ...

. In their first assignments as pilots, they are flying aircraft and airlifting matériel to General MacArthur in Australia.

Cast

as Cadet Frank Bickley (credited as Michael Ames) * Eleanor Parker as Mrs. Frank Bickley * Don DeFore as Cadet Dick Mathews * Ray Montgomery as Cadet Jim Morgan *

Ruth Ford Ruth Ford (July 7, 1911 – August 12, 2009) was an American actress and model. Her brother was the Bohemianism, bohemian surrealist Charles Henri Ford. Their parents owned or managed hotels in the American South, and the family regularly move ...

as Cadet Gladdens' Sweetheart *

Dave Willock David Willock (August 13, 1909 – November 12, 1990) was an American character actor. He appeared in 181 films and television series from 1939 to 1979. Biography Born in 1909, Willock began his professional career in vaudeville in 1931, teaming ...

as Bob "Sir Galahad" Gladdens (credited as David Willock) *

Henry H. Arnold Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 – January 15, 1950) was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1941), ...

as himself ("Hap") Arnold (uncredited)

Production

''Men of the Sky'' was the second film short released by Warner Brothers with cooperation from the United States Army Air Force and its nascent First Motion Picture Unit, the first military unit entirely composed of professionals from the film industry. The growing demand for training films became overwhelming for Warner Brothers and the First Motion Picture Unit took over as the USAAF’s primary film production unit, releasing over 400 films before the war’s end.

Reception

''Men of the Sky'' was typical of the propaganda films of the period produced under the auspices of the

Office of War Information The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other ...

.Koppes and Black 1987, p. 58. The film was distributed and exhibited by

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. Di ...

under the auspices of the Motion Picture Committee Cooperating for National Defense. ''Men of the Sky'' was the second wartime film short produced by Warner Brothers Studios and proved popular with audiences.Makamson, Collin
"Men of the Sky released."
''The National WWII Museum''. Retrieved: April 26, 2017.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Collins, Ace. ''Songs Sung Red, White, and Blue: The Stories Behind America's Best-Loved Patriotic Songs''. New York: Harper, 2003. . * Koppes, Clayton R. and Gregory D. Black. ''Hollywood Goes to War: How Politics, Profits and Propaganda Shaped World War II Movies''. New York, The Free Press, 1987. .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Men of the Sky 1942 films 1942 drama films 1942 short films American aviation films American drama films American World War II propaganda shorts Films about the United States Army Air Forces Films directed by B. Reeves Eason First Motion Picture Unit films Warner Bros. short films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films