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The Wings of Eagles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Wings of Eagles | |
|---|---|
 1957 movie poster |
|
| Directed by | John Ford |
| Produced by | Charles Schnee |
| Written by | screenplay Frank Fenton William Wister Haines based on the book by Frank Wead |
| Starring | John Wayne Dan Dailey Maureen O'Hara Ward Bond Ken Curtis |
| Music by | Jeff Alexander |
| Cinematography | Paul Vogel |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | February 22, 1957 |
| Running time | 110 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Wings of Eagles is a 1957 film about Frank "Spig" Wead and US Naval Aviation from its inception through World War II. The film is a tribute to Wead from his friend, director John Ford.
John Wayne plays naval aviator-turned-screenwriter Wead who wrote the story or screenplay for such films as Hell Divers, Ceiling Zero, and They Were Expendable.
Soon after World War I is over, "Spig", along with John Dale Price (Ken Curtis later of Gunsmoke fame) tries to prove to the Navy the value of seaplanes in combat. To do this he pushes the Navy to compete in racing and endurance competitions. Many are against the US Army aviation team led by Captain Herbert Allen Hazard (based on Jimmy Doolittle - played by Kenneth Tobey).
Wead spends most of his time either flying or horsing around with his team mates, meaning that his wife Minnie, or "Min" (Maureen O'Hara), and children are ignored.
The night he is promoted to fighter squadron commander, he falls down a flight of stairs at home, breaks his neck and is paralyzed. When "Min" tries to console him he rejects her and the family. He will only let his Navy mates like "Jughead" Carson (Dan Dailey) and Price near him. "Jughead" visits the hospital almost daily to encourage Frank's rehabilitation. Carson also pushes "Spig" to get over his depression, try to walk, and start writing. Being paralyzed and not going anywhere, he has all the time he needs to write.
Director Ford tries to show Wayne as the vulnerable American hero as he did several times in other movies like The Quiet Man, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Rio Grande, and more. Ford wanted the hero to be extremely tough but at the same time have a quiet sensitivity under the surface.
Look for Ford, and a little shelf-humor on his part, in the character of John Dodge played by another Ford favorite, Ward Bond.