The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Emmet Lavery (story)
Milton Sperling (story)

Release Date:

31 December 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | War

Tagline:

He defied the army and navy . . . and they gave him a Court Martial!

Plot:

A dramatization of the American general and his court martial for publically complaining about High Command's dismissal and neglect of the aerial fighting forces.

Plot Keywords:

Naval Aviation | Admiral | Sacrifice | American President | Obsolete

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Gary Cooper	...	Col. Billy Mitchell
Charles Bickford	...	Gen. Jimmy Guthrie
Ralph Bellamy	...	Congressman Frank R. Reid
Rod Steiger	...	Maj. Allan Guillion
Elizabeth Montgomery	...	Margaret Lansdowne
Fred Clark	...	Col. Moreland
James Daly	...	Lt. Col. Herbert White
Jack Lord	...	Lt. Cmdr. Zachary 'Zack' Lansdowne
Peter Graves	...	Capt. Bob Elliott
Darren McGavin	...	Capt. Russ Peters
Robert F. Simon	...	Adm. Gage (as Robert Simon)
Charles Dingle	...	Sen. Fullerton
Dayton Lummis	...	General Douglas MacArthur
Tom McKee	...	Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker
Stephen Roberts	...	Major Carl Spaatz (as Steve Roberts)

Also Known As:

One Man Mutiny (UK)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Warnercolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording) (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)

Certification:

UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #17602) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company:

United States Pictures

Trivia:

The Mitchell family was very unhappy with the film, especially the casting of the tall, laconic Gary Cooper in the lead role. The real Billy Mitchell was short with an explosive temper. The family thought James Cagney would have been ideal.

Quotes:

Admiral William S. Sims: Just because you read a lot of books about golf, doesn't make you a good golfer.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "M*A*S*H: 5 O'Clock Charlie (#2.2)" (1973)

Good Movie But Incorrect History

This movie which is supposed to be about Billy Mitchell, an early proponent of air power and of his subsequent court martial for insubordination was entertaining, but as with most Hollywood productions which are made from true stories, was filled with errors.

During the first part of the movie, Billy Mitchell allegedly violated orders by using one-ton bombs that he was told not to use. That is a falsehood. Mitchell had permission to use the heavier bombs. In addition, in the movie, the general overseeing the bombing tests was a General Guthrie. There was no such person.

The movie showed Mitchell being reduced in rank for violating orders which was another falsehood. He was reduced in rank, but not for this reason. As previously stated, Mitchell had permission to use the heavier bombs.

The movie also portrayed Mitchell as being a bachelor, when in reality, he was married. In fact, pictures of Mitchell at his court martial show his wife sitting next to him!

The movie also showed Mitchell telling Congressman Reed, that he wouldn't go along with Reed wanting to challenge Army members of the court for prejudice. In reality, Mitchell had one general removed for that reason. After his removal, the general remarked that he and Mitchell were now enemies.

Just once, I wish that Hollywood, when making a movie of a true event, would make it like it really happened and stop changing things to suit what they want the public to see.

I think the biggest mis-casting was having Gary Cooper playing Billy Mitchell. The real Billy Mitchell was a firebrand who wasn't afraid to speak his mind. Cooper, in the movie, was more laid back and just didn't impress me as being the right actor to play Mitchell.