A Guy Named Joe

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Movie Info

Opening in England during the middle of World War II, A Guy Named Joe tells the story of Pete Sandidge (Spencer Tracy), a tough, devil-may-care bomber pilot who's amassed an enviable record in combat, mostly by taking chances that give his C.O. (James Gleason) the shakes, much as he and the top brass appreciate the results. Pete lives to fly, but he also appreciates the fairer sex, which for the last couple of years means Dorinda Durston (Irene Dunne), herself a hot-shot air-ferry pilot. She's also worried about the chances he takes, even after Pete and his best friend, Al Yackey (Ward Bond), are transferred to Scotland and switched to flying reconnaissance missions. Pete finally agrees to take a training position back in the States, but he must fly one last mission, to locate a German force threatening an Allied convoy. He and Al do the job and have turned for home when the German fighter cover attacks; Pete's plane is damaged and he's wounded, and after his crew bails out he takes the burning ship down and drops his bomb-load on the main German attack ship (a carrier, which is totally inaccurate) at zero altitude. His plane is caught in the blast and destroyed, and that's where the main body of the movie begins.Pete arrives in a hereafter that's a pilot's version of heaven, including a five-star general (Lionel Barrymore). He doesn't even appreciate what's happened to him until he meets Dick Rumney (Barry Nelson), a friend and fellow pilot who was previously killed in action. It seems that the powers of the hereafter are contributing to the war effort, sending departed pilots like Pete and Dick to Earth to help guide and help young pilots; Pete himself discovers that he benefited from these efforts in peacetime. Pete ends up at Luke Field near Phoenix, AZ, where he takes on helping Ted Randall (Van Johnson), a young pilot who lacks confidence. By the time he's done, riding along while Ted "solos," Ted is a natural in the air and ends up as the star of his squadron when he become operational in New Guinea -- in a group under the command of Al Yackey -- and ends up taking over command when their own leader is shot down. Pete's like a proud teacher, and also enjoys his unheard ribbing of Al and his ex-C.O. to Rumney, over their promotions, but then Dorinda shows up, and suddenly Pete finds all of his unresolved feelings about her recalled, even as he sees that she's never gotten over losing him. And when, with Al's help, she and Ted meet and seem to fall for each other, Pete's jealousy gets the better of him. It's only when he is made to realize just how important life was to him, and how important the future is for those still living, that he begins to understand that he has to let go of his feelings, and let Dorinda and Ted get on with their lives. But first he has to help Dorinda survive a suicide mission that she's taken over from Ted, attacking a huge and heavily defended Japanese ammo dump. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

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Cast

Spencer Tracy
as Pete Sandridge
Van Johnson
as Ted Randall
Irene Dunne
as Dorinda Durston
Lionel Barrymore
as The General
Ward Bond
as Al Yackey
James Gleason
as Col. "Nails" Kilpatrick
Barry Nelson
as Dick Rumney
Esther Williams
as Ellen Bright
Henry O'Neill
as Col. Sykes
Don DeFore
as "Powerhouse" James J. Rourke
Charles Smith
as Sanderson
Addison Richards
as Maj. Corbett
Mary Elliott
as Dance Hall Girl
Earl Schenck
as Col. Hendricks
Maurice Murphy
as Capt. Robertson
Gertrude W. Hoffman
as Old Woman
Mark Daniels
as Lieutenant
William Bishop
as Ray
Eve Whitney
as Powerhouse's Girl
Kay Williams
as Girl at Bar
Walter Sande
as Mess Sergeant
Leatrice Joy
Gibson Gowland
as Bartender
John Whitney
as Officers in Heaven
Kirk Alyn
as Officers in Heaven
James Millican
as Orderly
Ernest Severn
as Davy
Edward Hardwicke
as George
Raymond Severn
as Cyril
Yvonne Severn
as Elizabeth
Christopher Severn
as Peter
John Frederick
as Lt. Ridley
Frank Faylen
as Major
Philip Van Zandt
as Major
Blake Edwards
as Flier
Marshall Reed
as Flier
Robert Lowell
as Flier
Michael Owen
as Flier
Stephen Barclay
as Flier
Neyle Morrow
as Flier
Joan Thorsen
Irving Bacon
as Corporal
Peter Cookson
as Sgt. Hanson
Matt Willis
as Lt. Hunter
Jacqueline White
as Helen
Bill Arthur
as Cadet
John Bogen
as Cadet
Herbert Gunn
as Cadet
Harold Landon
as Cadet
Robert Sully
as Cadet
Johnny Dunn
as Cadet
James Martin
as Cadet
Richard Woodruff
as Cadet
Ken Scott
as Cadet
Louis Hart
as Cadet
Fred Coby
as Cadet
Charles King III
as Lt. Collins, Radio Operator
Eddie Borden
as Taxi Driver
Arthur Space
as San Francisco Airport Captain
Alan Wilson
as Sergeant in Jeep
Leslie Vincent
as Sentry
Elizabeth Valentine
as Washerwoman's Child
Arthur Stenning
as Fisherman
George Kirby
as Fisherman
Mary McLeod Bethune
as Hostess
Aileen Haley
as Hostess
Oliver Cross
as American Major
Wyndham Standing
as English Colonel
Violet Seton
as Bartender's Wife
Rebecca Bohannen
as English Girl
Jean Prescott
as Mother
Oliver Simon
as Boy
Richard Graham
as Crew Member
James Warren
as Irish Guard
George Atkinson
as Waiter
Howard Davies
as Bartender
Carlie Taylor
as English Captain
Jack Saunders
as American Captain
Stanley Orr
as English Captain
Melinda Wood Allen
as Tough Corporal
Eddie Coke
as Corporal
Carey Harrison
as American Major in Red Lion Inn
Dora Baker
as Scrub Woman
Clarence Straight
as Flight Sergeant
Vernon P. Downing
as English Liaison Officer
William Manning
as Co-Pilot
Jessie Tai Sing
as Headwaitress
Martin Ashe
as Sergeant in Chinese Restaurant
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Critic Reviews for A Guy Named Joe

All Critics (4)

  • What begins as a nice romantic fantasy turns into a schmaltzy melodrama about love and war, but it reflected the national mood and thus became a huge commercial hit.

    Jun 18, 2009 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

    Emanuel Levy

    EmanuelLevy.Com
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Audience Reviews for A Guy Named Joe

  • Dec 23, 2008
    Was there ever an actress more intelligent, more beautiful, than Irene Dunne? And never an Oscar winner. This one's a little hokey, but a beautiful double love story. The movie that made Van Johnson a star.
    Lanning : Super Reviewer
  • Sep 16, 2007
    Overtly sentimental and gooey. A Guy Named Joe is a product of its era. It's a film that's a cut above Spielberg's 1989 remake ("Always") but just barely. With a cast that includes Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson and Irene Dunne I expected more. Its a good film, with it's own merit and character, but with a cast like that it could be/should be better.
    Kevin S Super Reviewer
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