24 Jan The Wings of Eagles
The Wings of Eagles, WWII movie starring John Wayne
(1957) The Wings of Eagles is the story of Frank “Spig” Wead, a WWI pilot who was instrumental in promoting Naval aviation up until World War II. John Wayne played the part of Wead, and Maureen O’Hara is his often ignored wife. The first part of the movie is indicative of the wild times that Wead and his men enjoyed.
In 1926, while he was at home, Wead fell down his stairs, fractured his neck and was thereafter paralyzed. He eventually learned to walk with the help of steel braces. While recuperating in the hospital, he began to write, and in collaboration with director John Ford, began a new career. His screenplays led to films in the 1930s and ’40s. They were Expendable, Dive Bomber, and Destroyer are three that I’ve seen. Mead received two Academy Award nominations.
Along the way, after the attack on Pearl Harbor Commander “Spig” Wead served on the USS Yorktown and on the Essex. He retired from active duty in 1944 and passed away in 1947 at the age of 52. The strength of this movie is that it is the story of a man who played such an important role in advancing the public image of the armed forces both through his service and his movies.
The Wings of Eagles at amazon.com
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