Good_to_see_Winged_Victory Unless you have a personal connection to this movie, you will probably just consider it a good movie. In my case, my grandfather was involved in its production so I rated it higher. My grandfather was too old and had too many kids to serve during WWII so instead, he moved the family as needed to do his part. For most of the war, he was the final inspector for the bombers at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona. Some of the scenes with the bombers were filmed nearby. He received a certificate of thanks for his participation but it has been lost over the years. It meant a lot to my Dad and his siblings to be able to see this movie again.

nfny40 Has anyone been able to buy this movie? My Uncle "Hutch" was a Real (not Reel) pilot who is seen tossing his wings in the air and then snatching them with his fist as he was awarded his pilot's wings. He's only on screen a few seconds but my family would love to have the movie. He was killed in a dogfight over Italy, he was only 24 at the time. Do we know the film studio that made it?Or has anyone seen it at a video store, like Blockbuster? I wish they would make entire catalogs of these old movies available as it is so cheap to make DVD's these days.Please email me at [email protected] if you know where I can buy a copy. Thank you.

RSebens I have fond memories of helping to 'make' Winged Victory. As an aviation cadet stationed at Santa Ana, several bus-loads of us were taken to Camp Pendleton to the campsite someone else mentioned above. We were seated around, watching a Christmas show produced by the soldiers stationed on the 'island'. Three performers with mop wigs did a lip-sync imitation of the Andrews Sisters. I think mail call was then going on when the sirens started. Everyone was instructed to 'scatter' and just get out of sight. Some went up the beach out of sight for a swim. I was in a group that crawled into a dummy tent (no tent flap) and we had a long session of poker. The film producers had quite a time trying to round up enough soldiers to do a re-take of the scene. Of course planes were dubbed in later to bomb the camp. They also did a PT session at the SAAC base with hundreds doing exercises and Lon and a taller actor participating. I joined in helping to push one of them up and down when retakes of chinning themselves became overwhelming. I never did see the movie but heard once that that scene was not used. There was a report that a preview used it, and that one of our hands was showing on the cropped scene (we were holding their legs to assist in the exercise). Thanks for the reminiscing. I would love to see it.

pvkennedy This movie gets it right. As a former USAF Aviation Cadet, I can tell you this movie has it all. The tedium of the application process. The waiting for word. The joy of acceptance. The worry about making it through the course. The sorrow of watching one's buddies (perhaps the best of them) wash out. The anguish of paying the ultimate price - the death of fellow student airmen. The glory of graduation. Always the flying, the flying, the flying. Many are called but few are chosen. We did for pay what we would have eagerly paid to do. Later, a lifetime of flying fighters and close air support aircraft. Living through combat in Viet Nam but always with the foundation gained in the Aviation Cadet Corps.