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Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

The amazingly detailed true story of "The Doolittle Raid" based on the novel
of the same name. Stunned by Pearl Harbor and a string of defeats, America
needed a victory - badly. To that end, Colonel Jimmy Dolittle, a former air racer
and stunt pilot, devises a plan for a daring raid on the heart of Japan itself. To
do this, he must train army bomber pilots to to something no one ever dreamed
possible - launch 16 fully load bombers from an aircraft carrier! This movie is
remarkable in it's accuracy and even uses film footage from the actual raid.

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy

Writing credits: Robert Considine, Ted W. Lawson, Dalton Trumbo

Cast:

Van Johnson ....  Lt. Ted Lawson
Robert Walker ....  Cpl. David Thatcher
Tim Murdock ....  Lt. Dean Davenport
Scott McKay ....  Capt. Davey Jones
Herbert Gunn ....  Bob Clever
Don DeFore ....  Lt. Charles McClure
Robert Mitchum ....  Lt. Bob Gray
John R. Reilly ....  Lt. Jacob 'Shorty' Manch
Stephen McNally ....  Lt. Thomas 'Doc' White
Spencer Tracy ....  Gen. James Doolittle
Phyllis Thaxter ....  Ellen Lawson
Donald Curtis ....  Lt. Randall
Louis Jean Heydt ....  Navy Lt. Henry Miller
William 'Bill' Phillips ....  Lt. Don Smith
Douglas Cowan ....  Lt. Everett 'Brick' Holstrm
Paul Langton ....  Capt. Edward 'Ski' York
Leon Ames ....  Lt. Cmdr. Stephen Jurika
Bill Williams ....  Ens. Bud Fenton
Robert Bice ....  Ens. 'Jig' White
Dr. Hsin Kung ....  Old Dr. Chung
Benson Fong ....  Young Dr. Chung
Alan Napier ....  Mr. Parker
Ann Shoemaker ....  Mrs. Parker
Dorothy Morris ....  Jane, George's wife
Jacqueline White ....  Emmy York
Selena Royle ....  Mrs. Reynolds
Ching Wah Lee ....  Guerilla
Charlie Walter Sande ....  General (scenes deleted)
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams ....  Bit Part (scenes deleted)
Morris Ankrum ....  Captain of the 'Hornet'
Steve Brodie ....  MP Corporal
Hazel Brooks ....  Bit role
Ralph Brooks ....  Sailor
Wally Cassell ....  Sailor
Luke Chan ....  Chinese Runner
Mary Chan ....  School Teacher
Myrna Dell ....  Bit role
Blake Edwards ....  Lt. Smith's crewman
Eddie Hall ....  Joe
Harry Hayden ....  Judge
John James ....  Lt. Smith's crewman
John Kellogg ....  C-47 Transport Pilot
Charles King ....  Sailor
Edith Leach ....  Girl
Peggy Maley ....  Bit role
Jack McClendon ....  Dick Joyce
Jay Norris ....  Hallmark
Moroni Olsen ....  General
Elaine Shepard ....  Bit role
Arthur Space ....  Deck Officer
Gordon Trigg ....  Bit Part
Peter Varney ....  Spike Henderson
Will Walls ....  Hoss Wyler
Eve Whitney
Kay Williams ....  Girl in Officers' Club

Produced by Sam Zimbalist
Original Music by Herbert Stothart
Cinematography by Harold Rosson, Robert Surtees
Film Editing by Frank Sullivan
Art Direction by Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse
Set Decoration by Ralph S. Hurst, Edwin B. Willis
Costume Design by Irene
Makeup Department Jack Dawn ....  makeup artist
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Wallace Worsley Jr. ... assistant director
Art Department Ralph S. Hurst ....  associate set decorator
Sound Department John F. Dullam ....  sound
Douglas Shearer ....  sound recording director
Special Effects by A. Arnold Gillespie ....  special effects
Donald Jahraus ....  special effects
Warren Newcombe ....  special effects
Donald Jahraus ....  model maker
Stunts Floyd Nolta ....  stunt pilot
Wilson Talbott ....  stunt pilot
Other crew Henry H. Arnold ....  technical advisor
Kay Dean ....  associate costume designer
James Doolittle ....  technical advisor
Murray Cutter ....  orchestrator
Wally Heglin ....  orchestrator

Runtime: 138 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Black and White / Color
Sound Mix: Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification: Finland:S / Spain:T / Sweden:15

Trivia: Actual footage of the B-25 Mitchell bombers taking off from the
U.S.S. Hornet was used in the film.

Goofs:
Revealing mistakes:
Ted Lawson's amputated left leg is briefly visible when he puts the
sandal on his right foot.
Continuity: When Lawson's plane lifts off the
carrier deck, they immediate raise the landing gear; Several seconds
later, when viewed from the side, the gear raises again
Revealing mistakes:
When Lawson tries to go to his wife, you can clearly see his "amputated"
leg foot and all, flail up behind him as he falls to the ground. He was only
sitting on it the entire scene.
Continuity: When the Ruptured Duck takes off
from the carrier, the front of the engine cowls are dark colored. After the
bomb run over Tokyo, an exterior view shows the cowls are white.

Quotes: Lieutenant Jacob 'Shorty' Manch: Well feed me corn and watch
me grow! How did all this scum get in here?

Awards: Won Oscar. Another 1 nomination

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