Billed third, Spencer Tracy plays Lt. Col. James P. Doolittle, who led the bombing raid over Tokyo. Most of the footage concerns pilot Ted Lawson (Van Johnson), who loses a leg while escaping from China after the attack; other subplots concern the meticulous preparations for the raid, and the individual exploits of those Doolittle flyers who crashed into the sea or were captured by the Japanese. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
After an overly mushy first half, the movie redeems itself with a second act that is decidedly dark and dreary and an extended air combat sequence that's still amazing nearly 70 years later.
Mervyn LeRoy's fact-based WWII action-drama was extremely popular due to subject matter, star power (Spencer Tracy), Oscar-winning effects, and intelligent script by Dalton Trumbo, later blacklisted and one of the Hollywood Ten.
Some of the footage of the scenery flying by on the way to this historic bombing run is way ahead of its time. Robert Mitchum on the rise. Van Johnson established.
Exceptionally good World War II propaganda film. Although Spencer Tracy gets third billing, he is not in it as much as most of the rest of the cast. Robert Mitchum's early screen appearance is very memorable. Van Johnson is his usual adequate self. Some great war scenes, and it does wave the flag quite a bit too much,
but then again, it was 1944. Great cinematography, which was nominated for an Academy Award and it won the Oscar for it's fine special effects.
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