Tad Pole . . . to make way for the new: this is one of the messages of CHAIN LIGHTNING. I've had some connections with military people in my life, and from that I can tell you that this under-appreciated Humphrey Bogart vehicle perfectly captures their spirit (no matter how ridiculous the plotting becomes from time to time). Quibblers may carp that a few of the military details are not perfect, but these are the sort of people who don't care if the Chinese and Russians steal all of our American know-how when our flicks are exported overseas. No, dummy, Hollywood will NEVER share the blueprints for our latest secret weapons with everyone bearing the price of a theater ticket, no matter how much you scream and pull out your hair and stomp your feet and turn blue in the face over so-called "goofs!" The one thing that best exemplifies U.S. military thinking is how neither of the main two pilots gives a second thought to ditching a multi-million dollar jet (they're multi-billion each today, with inflation) to prove a point. Your tax dollars at work, folks!

jotix100 The story begins at the height of WWII, where a group of Air Force pilots are seen battling the Germans in a show of air supremacy. Matt Brennan, and his crew, are amazed when they spot a German plane that flies so fast, they consider it a rival that will challenge them in the air. Alas, the idea of a new prototype of fighting plane ends just as WWII is over.Matt Brennan, in love with the lovely Jo Holloway, figures he wants to marry her. His only problem, the general that is supposed to do the ceremony is not to be found. Fate intervenes and the two lovers drift apart. After the war is over, Matt has to resort to start his own flying academy, a short lived attempt to make a go of his flying knowledge.Always at odds with Max Troxell, Matt is brought over to the Willis manufacturing company, where a new plane with brand new technology is being developed by Max and other friends from his Air Force days. Matt, an experienced pilot is engaged to put the plane through different tests. He feels he can fly it in record time, while Max is working in a detachable cockpit that will be separated from the jet in case of trouble. Matt surprises when he does the feat in record time."Chain Lightning" directed by Stuart Heisler, is almost a documentary, that chronicles the advent of technology that revolutionized the aerospace industry. The jet age followed as a result of these pioneer men that were instrumental in the changes. Humphrey Bogart appears as Matthew Brennan, the man with a mission. Eleanor Parker plays Jo, his love interest. Richard Whorf is Troxell, Brennan's rival. Raymond Massey, and the supporting cast, do their best to make the film work.

Milbourne Whitt I saw this movie when it first came out and jets were practically unheard of. Three years later I was in Korea with the 335th FIS, and the King then was the F-86. The original movie showed a needle nose designed to break the air at high speed as a diver points his hands to break the water, and the air intakes were on the sides. The F-86 had one big intake in front which was dangerous because one of my best friends, a mechanic, was accidentally sucked up the intake while chocking wheels on the run-up strip when the pilot hit the throttle at 100%. He was gone in the blink of an eye. Bogie's plane could fly up to 60,000 ft and top speed of about 1600 mph. General Dynamics must have used this movie for the development of the F-16, because there seems to be a lot of similarities. I took an interest in some of the comparisons after seeing the movie "Afterburn".

Nazi_Fighter_David In 1950, jet planes were a relatively recent phenomenon and their emergence offered new possibilities for the long-defunct test-pilot genre of film… In "Chain Lightning," Bogart is a World War H bomber pilot hired as a test-pilot who, after the death of his designer friend (Richard Whorf), successfully tries out a newly designed ejection cockpit… However, there is as little value in a film in which a line like "JA-3 to Fort George. I am fifty miles North of you—ooooops, I just passed you!" is fairly commonplace… Eleanor Parker offers the only creative acting in the role of Raymond Massey's secretary and Bogart's love interest