IMDb RATING
6.6/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
In WW2, an American aircraft carrier sails around the Pacific on a decoy mission until it joins the battle of Midway against the Japanese forces.In WW2, an American aircraft carrier sails around the Pacific on a decoy mission until it joins the battle of Midway against the Japanese forces.In WW2, an American aircraft carrier sails around the Pacific on a decoy mission until it joins the battle of Midway against the Japanese forces.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total
Cedric Hardwicke
- Admiral
- (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Harry Morgan
- Ens. Malcolm Brainard
- (as Henry Morgan)
Eddie Acuff
- Pharmacist's Mate
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Jerome Cady
- Mortimer Braus(uncredited)
- Jo Swerling(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDuring the Battle of Midway, all the flyboys of Torpedo Squadron 8 were killed except for Ensign George Gay. This film's original intention was to depict their lives, especially Gay's. The Twentieth Century-Fox studio bought the rights to a 'Life' magazine story by Sidney L. James on the Battle of Midway as well as obtaining permission from both Ensign Gay and the United States Navy to film the story. The 23 September 1942 edition of the 'Hollywood Reporter' stated that "The Navy has relented in its stand against the use of the names of war heroes in film dramatizing their deeds and will not stand in the way provided the permission of the hero is obtained and the story content is satisfactory." However, the studio decided to produce a fictionalized telling of the Battle of Midway. The 'New York Times' of 6 February 1944 reported that the film script about Ensign Gay and Torpedo Squadron 8 was "entirely discarded" after "the protest of a certain high Government official that the proposed picture would carry a defeatist implication."
- GoofsThe film takes place in the months leading up to the Battle of Midway in June, 1942, and the pilots in it fly Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers. The TBF was not introduced until just prior to Midway and saw its first operational flights at the battle. During the period in which the film takes place, the pilots would actually be flying Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bombers instead.
- Quotes
Capt. Waddell: The trap has been sprung. Believing us scattered all over the ocean, the main Jap fleet is headed for Midway. They're going in for the kill and so are we. We're through pulling punches. We're through running away. Our mission is accomplished and from here on in, we fight!
- ConnectionsEdited into All This and World War II (1976)
Featured review
Excellent WW II Navy Movie!
"Wing and a Prayer" really gives those of us not born yet a realistic idea of what life on a carrier was like going up against Japan in World War II. The tough decisions brought on by war were very poignant as were the losses of friends and shipmates in combat. The film was a bit murky at the end as to how the carrier (name?!) fit in with the Battle of Midway and the Japanese ship models were pretty cut-rate, even by 1940's standards. Using U.S. Navy Wildcat planes with white circles painted over their US star to represent Japanese planes was campy, but understandable since the US was in the process of really shooting all of the real zero's out of the sky during the time of the movie. Harry "MASH" Morgan was a 29 year old pilot hotshot that was nice to see him in his prime. Don Ameche did a very good job being a serious-as-death commander who had to be a hard *ss in order to send men into mortal combat. A great film!
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- joliettim
- Jan 3, 2006
- How long is Wing and a Prayer?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Queen of the Flat Tops
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,250,000
- Runtime1 hour 37 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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