''Beyond the Line of Duty'' is a 1942 American short

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 ...

, 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 ...

. The

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

reenacted the life and career of

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

Captain Hewitt T. "Shorty" Wheless. 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 ...

, 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 humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...

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. ''Beyond the Line of Duty'' 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. The film won the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

for Best Short Subject at the

15th Academy Awards The 15th Academy Awards was held in the Cocoanut Grove at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on March 4, 1943, honoring the films of 1942. The ceremony is most famous for the speech by Greer Garson; accepting the award for Best Actress, Gar ...

in 1943."Awards:'Beyond the Line of Duty' (1942)."
''IMDb''. Retrieved: April 24, 2017.

Plot

In 1942, the story of the heroism of an airman was introduced in the April 28 Fireside Chat by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The story relates to the life and career of Hewitt T. Wheless as an bomber pilot in the

(USAAC). Beginning when Wheless, working as a ranch hand in Texas, joined the Army Air Corps in 1938, the account follows through theoretical and practical training in courses at Randolph Field, Texas. He later graduated as a pilot, receiving his wings at Kelly Field, Texas. Qualifying as a bomber pilot, Lt. Wheless was stationed in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

with the

19th Bombardment Group 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

. On December 14, 1941, in the first weeks of

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 opposing ...

, Wheless was the pilot of a four-engine Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the larges ...

assigned a bombing mission to attack Japanese warships and transports in the harbor at Legaspi, Philippine Islands. While Wheless was able to successfully complete his mission, his bomber was attacked by 18 enemy fighters. During the running aerial battle, three gunners were wounded and a fourth killed while seven fighters were reportedly downed. Wheless was able to return to base and land the aircraft safely in the dark with three flat tires. In his nationwide address, President Roosevelt praised the pilot's extraordinary heroism and noted that Wheless had received the Distinguished Flying Cross. In a tribute to the remarkable strength of his B-17 bomber, Captain Wheless later gave a speech at the

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...

factory in Seattle, thanking the workers.

Cast

* Hewitt T. Wheless as Himself (as Captain Hewett T. Wheless) * Ronald Reagan as Narrator (voice) * Franklin Delano Roosevelt as Himself (voice) (archive footage) * Hubert R. Harmon as Himself (as Major General H.K. Harmon) *

William Hopper William DeWolf Hopper Jr. (January 26, 1915 – March 6, 1970) was an American stage, film, and television actor. The only child of actor DeWolf Hopper and actress and Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper, he appeared in predominantly minor r ...

as University of Texas classmate * Glenn Strange as Cal *

Knox Manning Charles Knox Manning (January 17, 1904 – August 26, 1980) was an American film actor. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. He and Annette North Manning are interred at Ivy Lawn Cemete ...

as Radio announcer

Production

''Beyond the Line of Duty'' was produced with the full cooperation of the USAAC, with Captain Wheless serving as a technical advisor. The film begins with the strains of the fourth verse of the "Air Corps Song": :Off we go into the wild sky yonder, Keep the wings level and true; :If you'd live to be a gray haired wonder, keep the nose out of the blue. :Flying men, guarding the nation's borders, we'll be there followed by more! :In echelon, we carry on, for nothing can stop the Army Air Corps!

Reception

''Beyond the Line of Duty'' 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. D ...

under the auspices of the Motion Picture Committee Cooperating for National Defense. ''Beyond the Line of Duty'' was the third wartime film short produced by Warner Brothers Studios and proved popular with audiences.Makamson, Collin
"Beyond the Line of Duty released."
''The National WWII Museum''. Retrieved: April 24, 2017.

Awards

''Beyond the Line of Duty'' won an

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 ...

at the

in 1943 for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel)."Nominees and Winners: The 15th Academy Awards (1943)."
''oscars.org''. Retrieved: April 24, 2017.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* 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:Beyond The Line Of Duty 1942 films 1942 drama films 1942 short films American aviation films American black-and-white films American drama films American World War II propaganda shorts Films about the United States Army Air Forces Films directed by Lewis Seiler First Motion Picture Unit films Live Action Short Film Academy Award winners Warner Bros. short films World War II films based on actual events 1940s English-language films 1940s American films