The Wings of Eagles (1953)

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BACKGROUND

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Ford had made two films co-written by Frank “Spig” Wead the Naval Aviation pioneer turned screenwriter who is the biographic subject of The Wings of Eagles. The first was Air Mail in 1932 and the second was They Were Expendable made in 1945. Wead has been described as: ”belligerent, brave, eccentric visionary; a man of fanatical dedication...doomed to be alone.”

 

Wead brought his technical knowledge and enthusiasm for aviation to his writing but lacked the nuanced depth of Ford’s more prolific screenwriters. Ford was heard saying of The Wings of Eagles that he: “didn't want to direct it but he didn't want anyone else to either.” He approached Wead’s strengths and weaknesses with a level of honesty that seems inspired by the fact that he and John Wayne shared many of them. 

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PLOT SUMMARY

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A Navy flier helps to pioneer early flight only to be paralyzed after falling down a flight of stairs before going on to become a successful writer. 

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