jarrodmcdonald-1 Quite often, death scenes in movies seem -- for lack of a better word-- hokey. This practice is not limited to the early days of motion pictures (it continues into the present, especially in horror films). But watching A GUY NAMED JOE, namely that scene where Spencer Tracy learns he is either crazy or dead up in the clouds (you're not crazy, buddy), one can't help but wonder if this is how people thought the afterlife was in those days. Doesn't it seem contrived, uneducated and moronic, to an extent? Juvenile is the word that comes to mind.Where is the subject of death treated more accurately, or at least more believably, on celluloid? How about THE LAST ANGRY MAN (check out Paul Muni's spectacular deathbed scene); THE MCCONNELL STORY (where June Allyson's character witnesses the flying formation at the end that does not include Alan Ladd's deceased character); or GOOD-BYE MY LADY (which though it is unabashedly sentimental, seems to honestly convey the loss of a beloved pet).

Michael_Elliott Guy Named Joe, A (1943) *** (out of 4) Well-acted drama has a hot shot pilot (Spencer Tracy) getting killed during a WW2 battle leaving his fiancé (Irene Dunne) all alone. The dead pilot eventually comes back as a ghost to help a young pilot (Van Johnson) but soon his morals come into question when the young man starts dating his fiancé. This here seems to remain a popular movie considering how many times Turner Classic Movies plays it a year. The same can't be said for the Steven Spielberg remake, Always, which seems to have already been forgotten as one of the director's minor works. This film here is certainly sappy and predictable but the wonderful cast makes it very entertaining to watch even though the running time is a tad bit long. Tracy leads the way with a very touching performance that lets the actor show off various emotions ranging from anger to sweetness to even some nice comic tones. Tracy was also great at playing the tough guy with a heart and this here is no exception. Dunne is good in her role but I was surprised to see how blandly written it was. She basically just sits around (or stands) waiting for one of the men to come up to her and considering how star level at the time it's rather shocking to see her role not juiced up a bit. Johnson steals the film as the new pilot who mirrors Tracy's character too much. The naive innocence Johnson brings to the role is quite memorable. Lionel Barrymore, James Gleason and Ward Bond all offer up nice support. Barry Nelson and Esther Williams have small roles as well. The are a few battle scenes, which look extremely well including the main battle at the middle of the film when Tracy gets killed. The aerial footage was well shot and manages to be quite dramatic as well. The cinematography is another plus as is the music score. Again, the main problem tends to be in the screenplay, which really doesn't allow for too many surprises and that includes the ending, which isn't believable and really comes off rather silly. The great cast makes it worth watching though.

blitzebill i get some weird things happening to me once in a while.Spielberg's "Always," the remake of "A Guy Named Joe," was just on an Encore channel two nights ago (2/11/2009).Now here comes TCM replaying "A Guy..." right now.weird.anyway, this original is a decent film. Tracy of course shines in his performance. Van Johnson didn't seem to be into his role very much.Irene Dunne was OK.Maybe he was having an off-season for acting.but the real beauty of this film are the flying sequences. Same for "Always."here it's the P-38. And what flying!I need to buy these 2 films.there is some nice sentimentality in this film, nostalgia.it was a good idea for a film.

SCmovieprof Pete did NOT fly a bomber (B-25). His plane was a Lockheed P-38 Lightning, a FIGHTER plane, and one of the most advanced and successful fighters of WWII. Not only did it shoot down more Japanese aircraft than any American fighter, it was used by the two top American aces: Richard Bong and Tommy McGuire.The P-38 used in the movie (and the mock-ups) were early versions since they had the very sharply angled scoop on the engines. The plane was not perfect, as it suffered from "compressability" (the phenomenon of air passing too swiftly over the control surfaces and making it extremely difficult to pull out of a dive), AND its Allison engines were not as good as the Merlin/RRs used for the P-51 Mustang. Nevertheless, it was an excellent airplane, and its twin engines were greatly appreciated by its pilots, especially those in the South Pacific who flew over great expanses of ocean. Thus, to label this plane a "bomber" is not only grossly inaccurate, it fails to capture the attitude that all fighter pilots had during the war.