Dive Bomber is a 1941 aviation drama film directed by Michael Curtiz. The film stars Errol Flynn, Fred MacMurray, Ralph Bellamy, and Alexis Smith. Dive Bomber is notable for its pre-World War II Technicolor photography of United States Navy planes and aircraft carriers.
Director: Michael Curtiz
Production Company: Warner Bros.
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Cast: Errol Flynn, Fred MacMurray, Ralph Bellamy, Alexis Smith, Robert Armstrong, Regis Toomey, Allen Jenkins, Craig Stevens
US Box Office: $4,387,500 ($168,000,000 adjusted for inflation)
Film Format: Technicolor
Genre: Drama, Action
Release Date: August 12, 1941 (premiere); August 30, 1941
Plot Summary: After completing training to become a Navy flight surgeon, Dr. Douglas Lee (Errol Flynn) is assigned to work with Dr. Lance Rogers (Ralph Bellamy) to find a solution to the deadly problem of pilot blackout. The Navy pilot squadron of Lt. Commander Joe Blake (Fred MacMurray) is also assigned to work with Lee and Rogers on the project. Blake initially hates Lee as he blames Lee for the death of his friend Lt. “Slim” Markham (Herbert Anderson), who was critically injured in a plan crash and then died while being operated on by Lee. Blake eventually comes around to Lee once he realizes how important the project is for saving lives, and volunteers to help Lee and Rogers in any way he can.
Production: In 1940 Warner Bros. studio executives began working on a new Technicolor aviation drama film. Robert Lord and Hal B. Wallis were assigned to produce the film, which was given the working title of Beyond the Blue Sky. The title was eventually changed to Dive Bomber. The screenplay for Dive Bomber was written by Frank Wead and Robert Buckner based on an original story by Wead. Frank “Spig” Wead was a former United States Navy aviator forced to retire in 1926 due to a spinal injury, who later became a prominent Hollywood screenwriter in the 1930s. Many of Wead’s films were aviation or military related. Although a fictional story, elements of a Dive Bomber were based on real aviation medical research that sought to solve the problem of air pressure-based pilot blackout.
In December of 1940, Warner Bros. executives publicly announced that Dive Bomber was to star James Cagney, George Brent, and Ronald Reagan and was to be directed by Lloyd Bacon. In February 1941 the script was revised to serve as a vehicle for Errol Flynn with a new director. Lord and Wallis chose Michael Curtiz to direct Dive Bomber. Curtiz was an extremely prolific contract director for the studio. He had recently directed the western Virginia City (1940) and the adventure The Sea Hawk (1940). After reading the screenplay, the Department of the Navy realized that Dive Bomber would be a good showcase for the American naval aviation program, and lent its full support to the production.
Errol Flynn was cast as naval flight surgeon Douglas Lee by February 1941. Flynn was one of the studio’s biggest stars of the late 1930s and early 1940s. He mainly appeared in adventure and western films during this time, but also notably starred in the romantic drama The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) and the mystery-comedy Footsteps in the Dark (1941). Although the two disliked each other, Curtiz directed Flynn in twelve films total, with Dive Bomber being the last. Fred MacMurray was cast as Joe Blake, the pilot who reluctantly helps Lee with his medical research. MacMurray had a contract with Paramount Pictures, and the studio loaned him to Warner for Dive Bomber in exchange for Olivia de Havilland for Hold Back the Dawn (1941). MacMurray recently starred in the western Rangers of Fortune (1940) and the drama Little Old New York (1940). Actress Alexis Smith was cast as Linda Fisher, Lee’s on-and-off girlfriend. Dive Bomber was Smith’s first credited role, she just had uncredited bit parts before this.
Michael Curtiz began shooting Dive Bomber in March of 1941 and principle photography wrapped up in May. Many of the scenes with actors were shot on location at and nearby the naval base in San Diego with the full cooperation of the U.S. Navy. Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, CA served as the main airfield used by the film crew. Filming also took place on the aircraft carriers USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Saratoga (CV-3), which were in the San Diego harbor near the base. The crew was given permission to film on the Enterprise for either three days or a week (sources differ). Background and establishing shots were filmed at Eglin Air Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida and in Honolulu, Hawaii. Interior scenes were shot on set at Warner Bros. Burbank Studios. Errol Flynn and director Curtiz frequently got into arguments on set, with Flynn believing that Curtiz was needlessly putting the actors at risk.
A variety of aircraft were featured in Dive Bomber. Vought SB2U Vindicator dive bombers and Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bombers were the most prominently shown planes in Dive Bomber. N3N Canary trainers at Naval Air Station North Island were used in the flight training sequence. Grumman F3F fighters were used in the pressure suit scenes at the end of the film. Curtiss SBC Helldivers, Brewster F2A Buffalo (used in the long shots), one Lockheed Electra 10A (colored green and used in the pressurized cabin scene), and one Douglas SBD Dauntless also appear in Dive Bomber.
Aerial cinematographer Paul Mantz was injured in an accident prior to filming, so Frank Clarke took over his role. Mantz instead oversaw aerial operations from the ground. The bulky technicolor cameras created problems for the flight sequences as the filming planes needed to preform the same maneuvers as the aircraft they were filming. Special mounts had to be built to allow one of the two cameras on the filming aircraft to be moved back and forth. Due to the large amount of actual plane footage shot for Dive Bomber, miniatures only saw limited use, mainly for the crashes and the riskiest stunts.
Fun Facts and Trivia: Dive Bomber was one of several films to feature both Alexis Smith and Craig Stevens (Ensign John Anthony), though the two don’t appear together in any scenes. Smith and Stevens also both appear in Lady with Red Hair (1940), Affectionately Yours (1941), Steel Against the Sky (1941), The Doughgirls (1944), Hollywood Canteen (1944), The Trout (1982), and guest starred on several episodes of the television series The Love Boat. The two married in 1944 and they remained together until Alexis Smith’s death in 1993.
Errol Flynn and Ralph Bellamy also starred together in Footsteps in the Dark (1941), which was released earlier that year. Flynn and Allen Jenkins (“Lucky” James) previously appeared together in The Case of the Curious Bride (1935), The Perfect Specimen (1937), and Footsteps in the Dark. The Case of the Curious Bride was notable for being Errol Flynn’s first role in an American film.
Reception: Dive Bomber premiered simultaneously in three theaters in San Diego on August 12, 1941. The film went into general release a few weeks later. For publicity purposes, the United States Navy (in cooperation with Warner Bros.) lent several new SBD Dauntless dive bombers for display in a few major cities showing Dive Bomber and set up recruiting booths next to theaters showing the film. Dive Bomber was released only a few months prior to the December 7th Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to the United States joining World War II.
Dive Bomber was a box office hit and earned a healthy profit for Warner Bros. The film was one of the top twenty highest grossing films of the year, though it was not quite as successful as They Died with Their Boots On, an Errol Flynn western released a few months after Dive Bomber. Warner Bros. was pleased with the success of Dive Bomber, and they paired Flynn and Alexis Smith together in three more films: the sports biopic Gentleman Jim (1942), the western San Antonio (1945), and the western Montana (1950) [additionally Flynn and Smith both made cameo appearances in Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)]. Jack Benny broadcast a parody of Dive Bomber on his radio show The Jack Benny Program on October 28, 1941.
Dive Bomber received a positive response from film critics when it was first released. The critics at Variety had strong praise for the film’s “spectacular air formations and maneuvers in Technicolor” and the performances of Fred MacMurray and Ralph Bellamy. The Tacoma Times praised the film’s Technicolor cinematography of naval aircraft and its unique focus on aviation medical research. The Roanoke Rapids Herald and The Daily Alaska Empire commended the acting performances. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times gave Dive Bomber a mostly good review. Crowther had strong praise for the Technicolor cinematography, the impressive footage of the planes in action, and for the performance of Ralph Bellamy. However, Crowther disliked the story, which he thought was too generic. Photoplay magazine ranked Dive Bomber as being one of the best films of the month in their November issue.
Dive Bomber has received a more mixed response in modern times. Leonard Maltin gave the film a 3/4 star review. Maltin praised Dive Bomber for its excitement and the performances of Flynn, MacMurray, and Alexis Smith. Dennis Schwarz conversely gave Dive Bomber a negative review. He critized the film for being too technical and thought that it would only appeal to aviation fans.
Oscars: Dive Bomber was nominated for one Oscar at the 14th Academy Awards ceremony: Best Color Cinematography (Bert Glennon). Glennon lost the Oscar to Ernest Palmer and Ray Rennahan for their work on the drama film Blood and Sand.
Why You Should See It: Dive Bomber is an excellent aviation drama film. The Technicolor cinematography of the planes in action looks fantastic and is highly impressive. The focus on the medical-drama aspect of aviation also makes Dive Bomber interesting and helps it to stand out from the typical war or adventure focus of other aviation films. Fred MacMurray and Ralph Bellamy both give strong dramatic performances. Errol Flynn also gives a good performance. Although his role is more serious than in his adventure films, Flynn still adds plenty of charm and likeability to the part of Douglas Lee.