A pre-World War II melodrama starring Robert Taylor as an ensign dubbed "Pensacola", the Navy's flight school location, by the seasoned "Hell Cat" pilots who land on aircraft carriers. Walter Pidgeon plays the squadron's commander who's too busy for his wife (Ruth Hussey) such that one of his lieutenants (Shepperd Strudwick) keeps her company. But this lieutenant dies after his invention to enable pilots to land in the fog fails and his plane crashes.When Pensacola fills the vacancy left next to the commander's wife, suddenly the other pilots (Paul Kelly, Red Skelton, Dick Purcell, etc.) have a problem with the arrangement. But Pensacola's ability to fix the fog device (with help from Nat Pendleton's character) and his later associated heroics redeem him in the end.The film, which features primitive yet Academy Award nominated Special Effects, was directed and co-produced by Frank Borzage (with J. Walter Ruben), and written by Harvey S. Haislip and Wells Root.The lovely Marsha Hunt appears as a Southern Belle who entertains some of the pilots; Lee Tung Foo and John Hamilton are among those who appear uncredited.

Robert Taylor plays a flier assigned to the famous "Hell Cats" in "Flight Command" from 1940. Taylor plays Alan Drake, who excitedly joins the Hell Cats and then realizes he has a lot to learn from his commander, Billy Gary (Walter Pidgeon) - Alan met Billy's wife Lorna when he landed off-course en route to join the Hell Cats. Though he feels left out by the guys, he finds acceptance at a party given at Billy's and Lorna's (Ruth Hussey) house and blends in well. He helps Billy's brother-in-law Jerry (Shepperd Strudwick) with a device he's working on that allows one to fly in the fog; unfortunately, Jerry is killed testing the device, leaving his sister Lorna devastated.While Billy is out of town, Alan does what he can to cheer Lorna up. She starts to fall for him, and in a panic, she leaves Billy. The Hell Cats assume that Alan is having an affair with her and turn on him.Pretty routine with some wonderful flying sequences and some lovely performances, particularly from Pidgeon and Hussey. Strudwick, a young man here, was a Broadway actor who went on to continue on Broadway and also prime time television and soap operas, best remembered as Victor Lord in One Life to Live. He gives an energetic performance.Taylor is handsome and debonair and does a good job as Alan. He was a solid actor, not given to introspection, and capable of better work than he was often given. He loved being at MGM, took the pathetic money the studio gave him (he was supposedly the lowest paid contract player in history), and played whatever parts he was handed. The parts got better after the war. We lost so many of these leading men way too young, thanks to the habit of smoking. Taylor was a three-pack-a-day man who died at the age of 57.Pretty good, nice performances, great effects for 1940.

ROBERT TAYLOR plays a cocky air cadet who must prove to his commander and teammates that he's really a good guy when their perception of him is unclear due to a few plot circumstances.WALTER PIDGEON plays the commander with his usual poise and elegance, smoothly mature as the husband of RUTH HUSSEY. Hussey has never had a better share of close-ups but her role is really peripheral to the main story of camaraderie among the men.Frank Borzage has directed with a good eye for the aerial sequences during the period just before WWII. Carriers with planes landing on them and various formations while on maneuvers are all well photographed and realistically presented.Taylor gives an admirable performance in the kind of role that would have gone to John Payne if the film had been made at Fox. His subtle awareness of how the men perceive him (after a misunderstanding) shows that he was capable of being more than just a pretty face.Although well done and enjoyable to watch, the script prevents it from being anything more than a routine aerial film with some nice touches.

I gave this movie a look during TCM's Memorial Day Weekend marathon. I'm not sorry. There's nothing new in the plot: it's a typical "cocky kid screws up but finally proves himself" story with one interesting twist -- among the kid's (Robert Taylor, in a decent performance) many screw-ups is a friendship with his boss' wife which others perceive the wrong way.By the way, the "boss" in question is his CO -- did I mention the "cocky kid" has just become a Navy Hellcat? -- and the "others" are his fellow officers.The flying footage -- and there's a lot of it -- is okay but somewhat pedestrian since it's mostly training and search-and-rescue stuff. The movie was made in 1940 and several references are made to the war in Europe, but America had not yet joined in, so there's no combat flying. Still, there are interesting moments including a training and competition mission where the new pilot compounds an error and ends up tangled in a cloth target sleeve which nearly causes him to crash yet another plane.Taylor is okay as the new pilot, although I'm not one of his biggest fans. The first couple of scenes between Pigeon (the CO) and Ruth Hussey (the CO's wife) seem a little awkward and the banter seems forced, but they get better. Pigeon excels in playing "nice guy without a clue about women" roles, whether he's the father or the husband. I wasn't familiar with Hussey before but will correct that mistake as she turned in a very nice performance. Likewise the performance of Shepperd Strudwick as her unfortunate brother -- inventor of a navigational device he hopes will enable planes to land in fog. Red Skelton's role as "Mugger" seemed artificial and forced -- unusual, I thought, as he usually seems very relaxed in front of the camera, but I have heard this was his first movie.It won't win any awards, but it's a fun way to spend a couple of hours, with a likable story & performances.