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
Allmovie 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.

[edit] External links

• The Wings of Eagles at the Internet Movie Database
• The Wings of Eagles at Allmovie
• The Wings of Eagles at the TCM Movie Database
• Article at Turner Classic Movies website

v • d • e The films of John Ford 1910s The Tornado • The Fighting Gringo • The Trail of Hate • The Scrapper • Cheyenne's Pal • The Soul Herder • Straight Shooting • The Secret Man • A Marked Man • Bucking Broadway • The Phantom Riders • Wild Women • Thieves' Gold • The Scarlet Drop • Hell Bent • A Woman's Fool • The Craving (with Francis Ford) • Three Mounted Men • Roped • The Fighting Brothers • A Fight for Love • Rustlers • Bare Fists • Gun Law • By Indian Post • The Gun Packer • Riders of Vengeance • The Last Outlaw • The Outcasts of Poker Flat • Ace of the Saddle • Rider of the Law • A Gun Fightin' Gentleman • Marked Men 1920s The Prince of Avenue A • The Girl in Number 29 • Hitchin' Posts • Just Pals • The Big Punch • The Freeze-Out • The Wallop • Desperate Trails • Action • Sure Fire • Jackie • Little Miss Smiles • Silver Wings (with Edwin Carewe) • The Village Blacksmith • The Face on the Bar-Room Floor • Three Jumps Ahead • Cameo Kirby • North of Hudson Bay • Hoodman Blind • Hearts of Oak • Lightnin' • Kentucky Pride • Thank You • The Fighting Heart • The Shamrock Handicap • 3 Bad Men • Upstream • Four Sons • Napoleon's Barber • Strong Boy • The Black Watch 1930s Men Without Women • Born Reckless • Up the River • Seas Beneath • The Brat • Arrowsmith • Airmail • Pilgrimage • Doctor Bull • The Lost Patrol • The World Moves On • Judge Priest • The Whole Town's Talking • The Informer • Steamboat Round the Bend • The Prisoner of Shark Island • Mary of Scotland • The Plough and the Stars • Wee Willie Winkie • The Hurricane • Four Men and a Prayer • Submarine Patrol • Stagecoach • Young Mr. Lincoln • Drums Along the Mohawk 1940s The Grapes of Wrath • The Long Voyage Home • Tobacco Road • How Green Was My Valley • They Were Expendable • My Darling Clementine • The Fugitive • Fort Apache • 3 Godfathers • Pinky • She Wore a Yellow Ribbon 1950s When Willie Comes Marching Home • Wagon Master • Rio Grande • The Quiet Man • What Price Glory? • The Sun Shines Bright • Mogambo • The Long Gray Line • Mister Roberts (with Mervyn LeRoy) • The Searchers • The Wings of Eagles • The Rising of the Moon • Gideon's Day The Last Hurrah • The Horse Soldiers 1960s Sergeant Rutledge • Two Rode Together • The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance • How the West Was Won (with Henry Hathaway and George Marshall) • Donovan's Reef • Cheyenne Autumn • 7 Women Television "Fireside Theatre" (1949) • The Bamboo Cross (1955) • "Screen Directors Playhouse" (1955) • "Wagon Train" (1957-1965) Productions The Iron Horse (1924) • The Blue Eagle (1926) • Mother Machree (1928) • Hangman's House (1928) • Riley the Cop (1928) • Salute (1929) • Flesh (1932) • The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938) • Young Cassidy (1965) Documentaries Torpedo Squadron • Sex Hygiene (1942) • The Battle of Midway (1942) • December 7th (1943) • We Sail at Midnight (1943) • This Is Korea! (1951) • Korea (1959) • Chesty: A Tribute to a Legend (1976)