Men of the Fighting Lady
Encyclopedia
Men of the Fighting Lady is a 1954 Korean War
drama
film starring Van Johnson
, Walter Pidgeon
, Keenan Wynn
, and directed by Andrew Marton
. The screenplay was written by Harry A. Burns. The original music score was composed by Miklós Rózsa
.
's The Forgotten Heroes of Korea and details life aboard the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. The film's high point is the factually depicted scene where Thayer (Johnson) talks in a blinded Navy F9F Panther
pilot (played by Dewey Martin) for a landing.
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film starring Van Johnson
Van Johnson
Van Johnson was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II....
, Walter Pidgeon
Walter Pidgeon
Walter Davis Pidgeon was a Canadian actor, who starred in many motion pictures, including Mrs...
, Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
, and directed by Andrew Marton
Andrew Marton
Andrew Marton was a Hungarian-American director, producer and editor...
. The screenplay was written by Harry A. Burns. The original music score was composed by Miklós Rózsa
Miklós Rózsa
Miklós Rózsa was a Hungarian-born composer trained in Germany , and active in France , England , and the United States , with extensive sojourns in Italy from 1953...
.
Synopsis
The film was based on the novels The Case of the Blinded Pilot by Cmdr. Harry A. Burns and James A. MichenerJames A. Michener
James Albert Michener was an American author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating historical facts into the stories...
's The Forgotten Heroes of Korea and details life aboard the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. The film's high point is the factually depicted scene where Thayer (Johnson) talks in a blinded Navy F9F Panther
F9F Panther
|-Popular culture:The Panther played a prominent role in the 1954 movie Men of the Fighting Lady . The F9F was featured in the flying sequences in the 1954 movie The Bridges at Toko-Ri, although in the 1953 James A...
pilot (played by Dewey Martin) for a landing.
Cast
- Van JohnsonVan JohnsonVan Johnson was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II....
as Lt. (jg) Howard Thayer - Walter PidgeonWalter PidgeonWalter Davis Pidgeon was a Canadian actor, who starred in many motion pictures, including Mrs...
as Comdr. Kent Dowling - Louis CalhernLouis CalhernLouis Calhern was an American stage and screen actor.- Early life :Louis Calhern was born Carl Henry Vogt on February 19, 1895 in Brooklyn, New York. His family left New York City while he was still a child and moved to St. Louis, Missouri where he grew up...
as James A. Michener - Dewey MartinDewey MartinDewey Martin is the name of:*Dewey Martin , drummer/vocalist best known for his association with the band Buffalo Springfield*Dewey Martin , American film and television actor...
as Ensign Kenneth Schechter - Keenan WynnKeenan WynnKeenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
as Lt. Comdr. Ted Dodson - Frank LovejoyFrank LovejoyFrank Lovejoy was an American actor in radio, film, and television. He was born Frank Lovejoy Jr. in Bronx, New York, but grew up in New Jersey. His father, Frank Lovejoy Sr., was a furniture salesman from Maine...
as Lt. Comdr. Paul Grayson - Robert HortonRobert HortonSir Robert Horton, FRSA is a British businessman. He is a Director of the European Advisory Council and of Emerson Electric Company. He spent 30 years working for BP, formerly British Petroleum. He became Chief Executive and Chairman of the Board of BP in March 1990, but was forced out in 1992...
as Ensign Neil Conovan - Bert FreedBert FreedBert Freed was a prolific American character actor, voice over actor, and the first actor to portray "Detective Columbo" on television.-Life and career:...
as Lt. (jg) Andrew Szymanski - Lewis Martin as Comdr. Michael Coughlin
- George CooperGeorge CooperGeorge Stephen Cooper , was an Australian cricket Test match umpire.He umpired two Test matches between 1948 and 1950...
as Cyril Roberts - Dick Simmons as Lt. Wayne Kimbrell
- Ann BakerAnn BakerAnn Baker is a former American television and film character actor.-Career:Baker appeared in eight films and television programs between 1947 and 1959. Her three film appearances include: Rhythm in a Riff , Men of the Fighting Lady playing Mary, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers as a town girl...
as Mary, Schechter's fiancee