Flying Leathernecks (RKO Radio Pictures 1951)

Thanks to ASM826 over at Random Acts of Patriotism for this week's ECM of the Week!

Can you be a leader? Can you be the type of person who can guide a business, a college, an organization, or a military fighting force? Keep in mind you may have to fire personnel, or cut funding, or perhaps put troops in harm's way.

The old saying It's a tough job but somebody's got to it was never more true with John Wayne's character in the 1951 WWII film Flying Leathernecks! Here is the synopsis from IMDb...

Major Daniel Kirby (Wayne) takes command of a squadron of Marine fliers just before they are about to go into combat. While the men are well meaning, he finds them undisciplined and prone to always finding excuses to do what is easy rather than what is necessary. The root of the problem is the second in command, Capt. Carl 'Griff' Griffin. Griff is the best flier in the group but Kirby finds him a poor commander who is not prepared to the difficult decision that all commanders have to make - to put men in harm's way knowing that they may be killed.

Here are some interesting facts I found about this movie...

Flying Leathernecks is often considered merely another assignment of Director Nicholas Ray's at RKO for Howard Hughes to prove his political and professional alliance during the Red Scare. A pro-war movie that Hughes cared about and Ray did not, Ray disagreed with the film's politics and is said to have, along with Robert Ryan, intentionally over-act. Ryan and Ray, who were leftist liberals, constantly fought against John Wayne and Jay C. Flippen, who were conservatives and supported the Blacklist.

Here is the trailer...