Dragonfly Squadron

Dragonfly Squadron (1954)

The BOMB-BLASTING STORY of an Air Force Wing That EXPLODES with the Intensity of an H-BOMB!

A Korean War film with a secondary plot of the training of South Korean pilots, to fly fighters in air defense, by American Air Force instructors,led by Major Brady, a famed and skilled-but-grounded pilot, assigned to the Kongku base.

Date of release
1954-03-21
TMDB
5.9 / 10 (7)
Runtime
1h 22m
Genres
War
Director
Lesley Selander

Casting

Interesting facts

Dragonfly Squadron is a 1954 American war film directed by Lesley Selander and starring John Hodiak, Barbara Britton and Bruce Bennett. The film is set in the period shortly before and during the invasion of South Korea by North Korean troops.

Production

Hodiak was cast to play the protagonist due to his "manly voice" which director Lesley Selander thought sounded more "leaderly and American" than that of the other actors who were considered for the role. Production of Dragonfly Squadron began in mid-August 1953 with all scenes shot in California at Warner's Ranch near Warner Springs, Whiteman Air Park in Pacoima, and at the Iverson Movie Ranch near Chatsworth, Los Angeles.

Dragonfly Squadron was made with the assistance of the U.S. military. The film's opening titles state: "We gratefully acknowledge the kind cooperation of the United States Department of Defense, the United States Air Force, and the United States Marine Corps in making possible the production of this picture... Dedicated to those American officers and men who served with, and so gallantly trained, the South Korean Army and Air Force."

Although a December 14, 1953 news item in Daily Variety reported that a 3D release of Dragonfly Squadron would be tested during four bookings in early 1954, it has not been established that the film played any 3D engagements. Its Los Angeles opening in January 1954 was in a "flat" version, as were all prints that went on general release in March 1954.

The life story of the military consultant on the film, Colonel Dean Hess, was the subject of Battle Hymn (1957), directed by Douglas Sirk and starring Rock Hudson. The role that Colonel Hess played in training of the South Korean Air Force pilots was similar to that portrayed in Dragonfly Squadron.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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