Dad's Movies: "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo"

 It's more WW2 fun with Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944). 

This movie slots in nicely with over propagandistic shows of the time that really wanted to not only play up the Doolittle Raid, but paint those serving overseas in a heroic light at a time when the war had been going on for a while.

Spencer Tracy really only has a few scenes where he gives speeches (he always asks if anyone wants to drop out!) so the real featured performer here is Van Johnson. Johnson does relatively well not overplaying his role and the rest of the cast is mostly okay with a small early role for Robert Mitchum, who stands out.

The film plays it pretty straight on the facts of the Doolittle mission and isn't nearly as cringy with the anti-Asian stuff as other similar films, but the real issue is that the show is just too long. The first half feels like a slog and doesn't really pick up until the story shifts to the mission itself. 

The score is pretty weak with a lot of stock cues and patriotic musical wallpaper. Fine. 

And, one of the best things about the movie is all the authentic shots of WW2 aircraft. There's a lot less stock footage than you'd expect. 

I don't know how much Dad loved this movie, but I'm sure he remembered it from the time since he was likely spending his days building airplanes (P-51s), so this would have meant something.