Flat Top (Eagles of the Fleet) (1952)
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35% of users liked it
(1,281 ratings)
In an obvious attempt to recreate some of the power and impact of Henry King's Twelve O'Clock High, Lesley Selander's Flat Top tells its story in flashback as Dan Collier (Sterling Hayden), a senior officer, recalls from the bridge of the carrier Princeton during the Korean War, the… More In an obvious attempt to recreate some of the power and impact of Henry King's Twelve O'Clock High, Lesley Selander's Flat Top tells its story in flashback as Dan Collier (Sterling Hayden), a senior officer, recalls from the bridge of the carrier Princeton during the Korean War, the first squadron he commanded on the ship during World War II. Arriving as green recruits, the men resent Collier's grounding the most dedicated man in the squadron (Keith Larsen) for ignoring a wave-off; even more so, they fail at first to understand his sometimes harsh efforts at preparing them for battle against the Japanese -- we also get to meet the various men of the squadron, who are mostly identified by what they did in civilian life -- William Schallert plays a poet-turned-pilot named "Longfellow"; John Bromfield plays an ex-football player nicknamed "Snakehips". Most of the conflict centers on Collier and his efforts to make a good executive officer out of Joe Rodgers (Richard Carlson), who was already in the navy when he transferred to aviation but is too concerned with being popular with the men to be a good commanding officer. Meanwhile, the pilots face various conflicts, psychological and personal, as they move toward the thick of battle. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Directed By
- Lesley Selander
- Written By
- Steve Fisher
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Dec 31, 1952 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
An action-packed WW II flyer film.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
No Featured Audience Ratings Found…
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Cast
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Sterling Hayden
as Dan Collier
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Richard Carlson
as Joe Rodgers
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William Phipps
as Red Kelley
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John Bromfield
as "Snakehips" MacKay
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Keith Larsen
as Barney Smith
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William Schallert
as Longfellow
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Todd Karns
as Judge
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Phyllis Coates
as Dorothy
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Dave Willock
as Willie
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Walter Coy
as Commander
