# Flying Leathernecks (1951)

### reviewed by
Mark O'Hara

    Flying Leathernecks (1951)

    A Film Review by Mark O'Hara

    John Wayne                Major Dan Kirby
    Robert Ryan                Captain Carl "Griff" Griffin
    Janis Carter                Jane Kirby
    Jay C. Flippen                Master Sergeant Clancy

It's hard to watch John Wayne without remembering it's John Wayne. He's not a bad actor; it's just that he's so famous that his face is an icon. The face and the booming voice and the swaying gait. And most of all, the toughness. In FLYING LEATHERNECKS Wayne plays Major Dan Kirby, an officer called in to command a squadron of American pilots just before the Battle of Guadalcanal. Wayne plays Kirby with classic American stoicism. He has a job to do and cannot waste time on sentiment or guilt over giving orders. When his squadron loses men, Kirby cannot let it get to him.

It's Kirby's second in command, Capt. Griffin, who is a bit too sensitive in the line of battle. That's why "Griff" was not recommended for the command post in the first place - why the brass imported Kirby. As Griffin, Robert Ryan delivers a performance at least as strong as Wayne's. No, you cannot have an interesting story without conflict, and one conflict in LEATHERNECKS is Griffin's resentment of Kirby's by-the-book attitude. At one a pilot peels off to pursue, and eventually destroy, a small Japanese plane. But the American loses his plane in the process. When the pilot returns to base, everyone except Major Kirby is ecstatic to see him. But Kirby orders his arrest pending court-martial. Clearly the men are disgruntled with the discipline, especially because qualified pilots are scarce.

Griffin and Kirby have many run-ins. But eventually we see Kirby was using the tough façade to work his men into condition. He cancels the court-martial. We also watch as Kirby plays a recording he received, as a Christmas gift, from his young son back in the States. So Kirby is human after all! Eventually, Griffin completes the formula by paying his respect to Kirby. Kirby, of course, earns this respect through several command decisions and successful missions. We see more of the human side of Kirby when, between assignments, he makes an unannounced visit home. His wife is overwhelmed, of course, and his son receives both his father's love and a Japanese sword he can show off to his friends.

What's fascinating about the script is that it portrays the historical controversy over strategic bombing. In the film, Kirby is a staunch advocate of low-flying support: you receive precise coordinates from officers on the ground, and then send your Wildcats in to bomb enemy positions, which are just yards away from friendly troops. During the Second World War, this type of support had not been developed, and crediting officers like Kirby adds interest as well as historical value to the story.

Also of historical interest are the scenes of actual battle. Compared to modern films, with special effects and huge budgets, LEATHERNECKS does not supply viewers with extended and breath-taking dogfights; but what we see is pieces of real air combat, even shot in color to match the color of the movie - tracer bullets hitting their targets, Zeros spinning to crash into the ground. Considering that directors in the 1990s still intersperse real footage with their fictionalized narrative, the makers of LEATHERNECKS were ahead of their time.

First-rate comic relief is supplied by Jay C. Flippen, the character actor's character actor. He plays a figure similar to Jamie Farr's Corporal Klinger from MASH - a finagler, a petty thief who looks after his men and keeps the squadron's planes in the air. When an amused Major Kirby looks the other way at Clancy's pilfering, we witness another endearing point of characterization. And it's funny as hell when Clancy is busted to PFC.

Released six years after the Second World War ended, FLYING LEATHERNECKS does not contain the all-out, gung-ho heroism of movies made during the war. But it certainly praises the American armed forces, and men like Kirby and Griffin who were among its front-line fighters. It makes no mistake about its patriotism. Having John Wayne, the reddest-blooded American film hero, as its star does not hurt its impact. For a film of its time, it's a winner.

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