A Guy Named Joe (1944)
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71% of users liked it
(586 ratings)
Opening in England during the middle of World War II, A Guy Named Joe tells the story of Pete Sandidge (Spencer Tracy), a tough, devil-may-care bomber pilot who's amassed an enviable record in combat, mostly by taking chances that give his C.O. (James Gleason) the shakes, much as he and the top… More Opening in England during the middle of World War II, A Guy Named Joe tells the story of Pete Sandidge (Spencer Tracy), a tough, devil-may-care bomber pilot who's amassed an enviable record in combat, mostly by taking chances that give his C.O. (James Gleason) the shakes, much as he and the top brass appreciate the results. Pete lives to fly, but he also appreciates the fairer sex, which for the last couple of years means Dorinda Durston (Irene Dunne), herself a hot-shot air-ferry pilot. She's also worried about the chances he takes, even after Pete and his best friend, Al Yackey (Ward Bond), are transferred to Scotland and switched to flying reconnaissance missions. Pete finally agrees to take a training position back in the States, but he must fly one last mission, to locate a German force threatening an Allied convoy. He and Al do the job and have turned for home when the German fighter cover attacks; Pete's plane is damaged and he's wounded, and after his crew bails out he takes the burning ship down and drops his bomb-load on the main German attack ship (a carrier, which is totally inaccurate) at zero altitude. His plane is caught in the blast and destroyed, and that's where the main body of the movie begins.Pete arrives in a hereafter that's a pilot's version of heaven, including a five-star general (Lionel Barrymore). He doesn't even appreciate what's happened to him until he meets Dick Rumney (Barry Nelson), a friend and fellow pilot who was previously killed in action. It seems that the powers of the hereafter are contributing to the war effort, sending departed pilots like Pete and Dick to Earth to help guide and help young pilots; Pete himself discovers that he benefited from these efforts in peacetime. Pete ends up at Luke Field near Phoenix, AZ, where he takes on helping Ted Randall (Van Johnson), a young pilot who lacks confidence. By the time he's done, riding along while Ted "solos," Ted is a natural in the air and ends up as the star of his squadron when he become operational in New Guinea -- in a group under the command of Al Yackey -- and ends up taking over command when their own leader is shot down. Pete's like a proud teacher, and also enjoys his unheard ribbing of Al and his ex-C.O. to Rumney, over their promotions, but then Dorinda shows up, and suddenly Pete finds all of his unresolved feelings about her recalled, even as he sees that she's never gotten over losing him. And when, with Al's help, she and Ted meet and seem to fall for each other, Pete's jealousy gets the better of him. It's only when he is made to realize just how important life was to him, and how important the future is for those still living, that he begins to understand that he has to let go of his feelings, and let Dorinda and Ted get on with their lives. But first he has to help Dorinda survive a suicide mission that she's taken over from Ted, attacking a huge and heavily defended Japanese ammo dump. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Directed By
- Victor Fleming
- Written By
- Chandler Sprague, David Boehm, Dalton Trumbo
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Classics, Science Fiction & Fantasy
- In Theaters
- Jun 1, 1944 Wide
- Studio
- MGM Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
What begins as a nice romantic fantasy turns into a schmaltzy melodrama about love and war, but it reflected the national mood and thus became a huge commercial hit.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Spencer Tracy
as Pete Sandidge
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Irene Dunne
as Dorinda Durston
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Van Johnson
as Ted Randall
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Ward Bond
as Al Yackey
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Lionel Barrymore
as The General
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James Gleason
as Col. "Nails" Kilpatrick
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Esther Williams
as Ellen Bright
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Barry Nelson
as Dick Rumney
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Henry O'Neill
as Col. Hendricks
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Don DeFore
as "Powerhouse" James J. Rourke
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Charles Smith
as Sanderson
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Kirk Alyn
as Officer In Heaven
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George Atkinson
as Waiter
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Irving Bacon
as Corporal
- Stephen Barclay
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William Bishop
as Ray
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Eddie Borden
as Taxi Driver
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Fred Coby
as Cadet
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Eddie Coke
as Corporal
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Peter Cookson
as Sgt. Hanson
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Mark Daniels
as Lieutenant
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Howard Davies
as Bartender
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Vernon P. Downing
as English Liaison Officer
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Mary Elliott
as Dance Hall Girl
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Frank Faylen
as Major
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John Frederick
as Lieutenant Ridley
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Gibson Gowland
as Bartender
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Richard Graham
as Crew Member
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Edward Hardwicke
as George
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Carey Harrison
as American Major in Red Lion Inn
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Gertrude W. Hoffman
as Old Woman
- Leatrice Joy
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George Kirby
as Fishermaen
- Harold Landon
- Robert Lowell
- Mary McLeod Bethune
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James Millican
as Orderly
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Neyle Morrow
as Flier
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Michael Owen
as U.S. Lieutenant
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Jean Prescott
as Mother
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Marshall Reed
as Flyer
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Addison Richards
as Maj. Corbett
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Walter Sande
as Mess Sergeant
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Jack Saunders
as American Captain
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Earl Schenck
as Col. Sykes
- Ken Scott
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Christopher Severn
as Peter
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Ernest Severn
as Davy
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Raymond Severn
as Cyril
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Jessie Tai Sing
as Headwaitress
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Arthur Space
as San Francisco Airport Captain
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Wyndham Standing
as English Colonel
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Clarence Straight
as Flight Sergeant
- Robert Sully
- Joan Thorsen
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Elizabeth Valentine
as Washerwoman's Child
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Philip Van Zandt
as Majors
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Leslie Vincent
as Sentry
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James Warren
as Irish Guard
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Jacqueline White
as Helen
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Eve Whitney
as Powerhouse Girl
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Matt Willis
as Lieutenant Hunter
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Melinda Wood Allen
as Tough Corporal
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Blake Edwards
as Flyer
- James Martin
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Maurice Murphy
as Capt. Robertson
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John Whitney
as Officer in Heaven
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Alan Wilson
as Sergeant in Jeep
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William Manning
as Co-Pilot
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Carlie Taylor
as English Captain
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Oliver Cross
as American Major
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Kay Williams
as Girl at Bar
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Martin Ashe
as Sergeant in Chinese Restaurant
- Herbert Gunn
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Aileen Haley
as Hostess
- Louis Hart
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Stanley Orr
as English Captain
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Violet Seton
as Bartender's Wife
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Yvonne Severn
as Elizabeth
- Arthur Stenning
- Richard Woodruff
- Ken Scott (III)
