Flight Nurse

Joan Leslie is a nurse in the United States Air Force. Her assignment is to supervise the wounded as they are ferried from the battlefields of Korea back to Japan and the hospitals. She's engaged to Arthur Franz, a helicopter pilot, but he's currenntly Missing in Action. She covers her anxiety by workig extra hard, which worries her assistant, sergeant James Holden, and the pilot and co-pilot of the plane she's assigned to, Forrest Tucker and Dick Simmons.

After the massive amount of Hollywood films during the Second World War, it's puzzling to realize that none of the majors made more than one or two Korean War films at the time. Probably they didn't think the fighting would last long enough, or the public be mindful enough. Republic Pictures, on the other hand, did several, including one in 3-D. It would not be until Altman directed M. A. S. H. -- which was, after all, a Viet Nam War film, and the TV series ran for eleven seasons that Korea was seen as more important than, say a Marines filibuster into Guatemala.

Allan Dwan does what he can, but Alan LeMay's script is filled with corn, and so is the dialogue. Neither am I fond of Victor Young's score, which alternates between a too-sweet romantic theme and a churchly organ solo. Still, the nurses are pretty ones, like Jeff Donnell, Kristine Miller, and Maria Palmer, th men are stalwart and casual, and the Lydecker Brothers pull off their usual fine fakery with a plane crash on the water.

An incredibly glamorous chick flick with a Korean War backdrop and a romantic Victor Young score in which we are told but see little of the ravages of war.

Joan Leslie and the other nurses' fatigues are always spotless and at one point she touches up her lipstick while preparing to bale out. At other times she enjoys quick tetes-a-tetes with God and her eyes light up as she watches a 'commie' plane go down in flames.

Even in 1953 this film was probably considered to be too heavy on romance and "brave nurses and doctors etc." and too light on action. If every kiss in this film had been bullets fired against North Korea the Korean War would have been over in a week, or less. Possibly the worst war propaganda film ever made. No cliché was missing and then they were done to extreme. It has not aged well.

This book was based on the Kyushu Gypises at K16 Yong Dong Po near Seoal Korea early 50s There mission was to move wounded service men and women for treatment. The squadron flew C- 47s they also delivered mail, carried rations to all the bases in Korea. We also hauled the USO shows to different bases.The book THE GREATEST AIRLIFT was also written about this unit.There was also a Greek squadron that flew with the Gypises . The only C 47 from that era still in use is a Greek plane stationed in Greese.The AirForce personal that was stationed there still hold annual reunions each year. The unit was broken up in 1955, we have a news letter we receive once a month. It keeps us posted on old friends and comrades.

This film brings back memories. I grew up in Fullerton, California, and most of the films I saw in the 1950s played our local Fox theater. I suspect that's where I saw "Flight Nurse." Haven't seen it since, but I do remember it. As I recall, it was the second film on a double bill.

"Flight Nurse" was a low budget effort, to be sure. As with many such productions, its low budget did not mean low quality. The cast was certainly competent and the script okay if not exceptional.

One scene stands out in my mind, a bit of comic relief. As I recall, several of the film's characters found themselves next to a base ammo dump. One of them was doing something not considered safe practice, perhaps getting ready to throw away a lighted match. Anyway, one of the other characters criticizes the match-thrower and points to a sign posted next to a pile of bombs. The sign says "We want this ammo to explode, just not here!" The setting of this film, Korean War medical evacuations, is an interesting one. Your time won't be wasted if you watch this film, especially if you do not expect it to be another "Sands of Iwo Jima" or "Sgt. York."