Expert: Barbara L. Baker - 8/13/2005

Question
Dear Prof. Baker, you are mentioning "I have a particular interest in black comedy and political satires". Perhaps you can help me: i'm looking for the TITLE OF A MOVIE, probably US, from the forties?!?, b & w. It's a satirical comedy about a US Navy fighter pilot in World War II, who is falsely declared as dead, because his comrades believe he deliberately struck an enemy aircraft carrier (japanese) with his plane - like a "kamikaze". The voice transmission from his "last" flight is then sent in the radio of his hometown - he tells, he would like "to walk in the park with ... (female first name)". The Problem: He doesn't mean a woman, but his DOG! :-D  A woman who works in the same company, where he was employed before the war too, is now falsely recognized as his love interest, and she is now treated by the newspapers like a widow of a war hero. Later the pilot returns "from the dead", as he survived the attack on the enemy ship. He and the girl now have to play the role of a couple because of propaganda purposes, although they don't like each other very much. There is a scene with him and the girl in a cinema, where at the moment his "last flight" is shown. He is punched in the nose by a man in the audience, because he tells, the story of "killed in action" would be a lie. I have seen this movie first in 1977 and found it very interesting, because i wondered, how it could pass censorship during the war (the story of the war hero in the movie has IMHO somewhat a resemblance to Medal of Honor Recipient LCMDR Edward "Butch" O'Hare, the US national hero - even to the Grumman F4F "Wildcat" fighter aircraft types featured in the movie). I would like to see this movie again, but can't remember the title. Even in web discussion boards about movies this movie could not be discovered yet. Do you perhaps know this movie and the correct US title or at least the actors? Thank you! Regards A. Buehler


Answer
Dear Andy:  I regret to tell you I've so far had no luck in locating this title, despite spending several hours with various permutations of the plot description.  I'm sorry because you actually provided a lot more detail than most people do.  It isn't a film that I recall seeing, although the description did strike me as vaguely familiar.

At first I thought the plot sounded somewhat like Preston Sturges' film, "Hail the Conquering Hero" (1944), but soon discarded that idea (Sturges' satirical comedy focuses on a fake Marine, not a pilot). I then did a keyword search (looking for combinations of WWII, naval-aviation, pilot, impersonation, kamikaze, Japan, Pacific, etc).  I examined a LOT of possible titles from the late 1930s up through the early 1950s.  Most of these turned out to be either dramatic films or various documentaries and cartoons.  Those that were comedies unfortunately had plot descriptions that did not match what you wrote.  

I hate not being able to locate a title.  I can still try to search for it, but it probably will take awhile, as I'm also getting ready for my fall semester to begin.  If you want me to continue, please contact me again directly at <bbaker@cmsu1.cmsu.edu>  

If you can recall any other identifying information about this film, that might help. Otherwise, good luck on your search.