World War I ace Dick Courtney derides the leadership of his superior officer, but Courtney is soon promoted to squadron commander and learns harsh lessons about sending subordinates to their... Read allWorld War I ace Dick Courtney derides the leadership of his superior officer, but Courtney is soon promoted to squadron commander and learns harsh lessons about sending subordinates to their deaths.World War I ace Dick Courtney derides the leadership of his superior officer, but Courtney is soon promoted to squadron commander and learns harsh lessons about sending subordinates to their deaths.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 1 win total
- Ackroyd - Mechanic
- (uncredited)
- Allen - Mechanic
- (uncredited)
- Minor Role
- (uncredited)
- German Pilot
- (uncredited)
- German Soldier
- (uncredited)
- Pilot
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDirector Howard Hawks, who was a pilot in the US Army during World War I, flew in the battle scenes as a German pilot.
- GoofsWhen Captain Courtney is rescued, he jumps on the wing and hangs onto the strut. When the actual aircraft takes off, not only was dummy used much further forward on the wing than Captain Courtney was, but it is an entirely different plane - a two seat trainer.
- Quotes
Major Brand: Officious overdressed brass hat! Orders, orders. Thinks the 59th can't do it, eh? Well, the 59th can do anything he can think up! It's a slaughterhouse, that's what it is, and I'm the executioner!
- ConnectionsEdited into The Eagle and the Hawk (1933)
- SoundtracksStand to Your Glasses! (Hurrah for the Next Man to Die)
(uncredited)
Music traditional
Lyrics adapted from poem "The Revel" by Bartholomew Dowling
Played on guitar by an unidentified airman and sung by an unidentified airman and others
Reprised a cappella by the airmen
Also known as "The Dawn Patrol", it was remade in 1938. That's the one I knew from Million Dollar Movie on Ch. 9 in NYC, and it would play for a whole week. I loved it and watched it as often as I could. I thought no one could beat Errol Flynn and David Niven in the two lead roles, until I saw the original, "Flight Commander" which starred Richard Barthelmess, Neil Hamilton and Douglas Fairbanks,Jr. (Basil Rathbone played the Neil Hamilton role as Commander of the doomed fliers in the '38 version). The acting was far superior in the earlier version, but the later one had better production values. It seems some of the same great aerial footage was used in both films.
If I had to pick one, I like this (1930) version better as it was emotionally more satisfying; it had more 'heart'. And Richard Barthelmess was an excellent actor who for some reason couldn't last in talking pictures. I also thought this may have been Fairbanks' best acting job. Well, that's my take on the two films, and that's the best part of going to the movies - it's often subjective, and there's no accounting for taste.
- How long is The Dawn Patrol?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Flight Commander
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $611,722 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 48 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1