PWNYCNY As much I as tried to like this movie, I could not, not because of the subject of the the story nor because of how the movie was made, but because of John Wayne. Mr. Wayne was miscast for the role. His performance as a hot-headed naval aviator who battles adversity was unconvincing. Not that his performance is poor, he just did not seem right for the role and to me that proved to be the movie's undoing. Dan Dailey's performance also stretches credulity, but one can make allowances for a supporting role. There is no doubt that Frank Wead had a dynamic life, but there was more to him then that. He seemed to be a complex person who was much more than an acting out swashbuckler as portrayed in the movie. He was trying to juggle his devotion to duty with the needs of his family, which proved to be insurmountable for him. John Wayne's attempt to portray such a person comes off as phony because Mr. Wayne plays characters who are bold and decisive, an image that Mr. Wayne cannot shake in this movie.

wes-connors In this absurd John Ford biography, John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara play the young Mr. & Mrs. Spig Wead. Watching their drinking and smoking habits, it's a wonder they didn't burn down the house, or fall down the stairs, earlier. Mr. Wayne is way too old for these shenanigans; all of the slapstick carousing could not have been good for his health. Favorite early film moment: check out the way Wayne attacks Ms. O'Hara's face in the "love scene" before the accident! Intermission: John Wayne and Dan Daily sing, "I'm Gonna Move That Toe".The movie becomes more dramatic. To show his advancing years, Wayne plays without his toupee; surprisingly, he looks more natural, and vulnerable, than he ever will again. Not so for O'Hara; who looks like Maureen O'Hara with an ugly streak of silver paint in her hair.Check out the scene with Wayne saying, "…it's too late"; then, O'Hara kisses his balding head - a symbolic way of saying, "John Wayne, you are older than your years, take it easy, we love you." It's a very nicely photographed scene, and the highlight of the movie. That's what the film has to offer - nice moments.Finally, the movie becomes a war story. There are a lot of bombs, and airplanes crash. The John Wayne/John Ford "formula" production shows signs of crashing with "The Wings of Eagles". *** The Wings of Eagles (2/22/57) John Ford ~ John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Ward Bond, Dan Dailey

ozthegreatat42330 The iconic director and his usual cast of players take on Naval Aviation in this look at a man who helped to advance navy aviation as John Wayne again looms on the screen bigger than life in the role of Frank "Spig" Wead, a pioneer of the navy air corps. Based on the autobiography of Wead the usual themes of adventure, patriotism and romance abound with stellar supporting roles with veteran actors like Ken Curtis, Dan Daily, and Ward Bond as a thinly veiled portrait of director Ford himself. Set against the background of World War II the film is about courage and commitment in a big way, and there really is not another actor who could have brought it to the screen with the believability that the "Duke" manages so easily. One of his finer roles.

artbeads I just caught this on TCM. It's a stretch in acting for Wayne, I think. He rarely did characters with flaws, either physical or mental.But he does a great job.Did anyone catch a wonderful comment made by Wayne while he and the naval staff were watching films of the carriers being bombed? Wayne is commenting that the solution to the Navy's problem is obvious, but it is eluding him. There is some banter about how to get your thinking going when it's at a standstill. That is, how to get into action when things seem unworkable. Wayne comments, "In Hollywood we'd stop and look around and here's the 7th cavalry coming." All things considered, I thought it a great comment!