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| starring      = [[Van Johnson]]<br />[[Robert Walker (actor, born 1918)|Robert Walker]]<br />[[Spencer Tracy]]
| starring      = [[Van Johnson]]<br />[[Robert Walker (actor, born 1918)|Robert Walker]]<br />[[Spencer Tracy]]
| music          = [[Herbert Stothart]]
| music          = [[Herbert Stothart]]
| cinematography = [[Robert Surtees (cinematographer)|Robert Surtees]], ASC<br />[[Harold Rosson]], ASC 
| cinematography = [[Robert Surtees (cinematographer)|Robert Surtees]]<br />[[Harold Rosson]]
| editing        = [[Frank Sullivan (film editor)|Frank Sullivan]]
| editing        = [[Frank Sullivan (film editor)|Frank Sullivan]]
| studio        = [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
| studio        = [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
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| gross          = $6.2 million<ref name="Mannix"/><ref>"All-Time Top Grossers". ''Variety'',  January 8, 1964, p. 69.</ref>
| gross          = $6.2 million<ref name="Mannix"/><ref>"All-Time Top Grossers". ''Variety'',  January 8, 1964, p. 69.</ref>
}}
}}
'''''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo''''' is a 1944 American [[war film]] produced by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]. The screenplay by [[Dalton Trumbo]] is based on the 1943 book of the same name by Captain [[Ted W. Lawson]]. Lawson was a pilot on the historic [[Doolittle Raid]], America's first retaliatory air strike against Japan, four months after the December 7, 1941, Japanese [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]. The raid was planned, led by, and named after [[United States Army Air Forces]] [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Jimmy Doolittle|James Doolittle]], who was promoted two ranks, to [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]], the day after the raid.
'''''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo''''' is a 1944 American [[war film]] produced by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]. The screenplay by [[Dalton Trumbo]] is based on the 1943 book of the same name by Captain [[Ted W. Lawson]]. Lawson was a pilot on the historic [[Doolittle Raid]], America's first retaliatory air strike against Japan, four months after the December 7, 1941, Japanese [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]. The raid was planned, led by, and named after [[United States Army Air Forces]] [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Jimmy Doolittle|James Doolittle]], who was promoted two ranks, to [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]], the day after the raid.


[[Sam Zimbalist]] was the film's producer and [[Mervyn LeRoy]] directed. The picture stars [[Van Johnson]] as Lawson; [[Phyllis Thaxter]] as his wife, Ellen; [[Robert Walker (actor, born 1918)|Robert Walker]] as Corporal David Thatcher; [[Robert Mitchum]] as Lieutenant Bob Gray; and [[Spencer Tracy]] as Lieutenant Colonel—and soon General— [[Jimmy Doolittle]].
[[Sam Zimbalist]] was the film's producer and [[Mervyn LeRoy]] directed. The picture stars [[Van Johnson]] as Lawson; [[Phyllis Thaxter]] as his wife, Ellen; [[Robert Walker (actor, born 1918)|Robert Walker]] as Corporal David Thatcher; [[Robert Mitchum]] as Lieutenant Bob Gray; and [[Spencer Tracy]] as Lieutenant Colonel—and soon General—[[Jimmy Doolittle]].
Tracy's appearance in the film is more in the nature of a guest star; he receives special billing rather than his usual top billing and has considerably less screen time than star Van Johnson.
Tracy's appearance in the film is more in the nature of a guest star; he receives special billing rather than his usual top billing and has considerably less screen time than star Van Johnson.


In the book, Lawson gives an eyewitness account of the intensive training, the mission, and the aftermath as experienced by his crew and by others who flew the mission on April 18, 1942. Lawson piloted "The Ruptured Duck", the seventh of 16 [[North American B-25 Mitchell|B-25s]] to take off from the aircraft carrier [[USS Hornet (CV-8)|USS ''Hornet'']]. The film depicted the raid accurately and used actual wartime footage of the bombers.
In the book, Lawson gives an eyewitness account of the intensive training, the mission, and the aftermath as experienced by his crew and by others who flew the mission on April 18, 1942. Lawson piloted the ''Ruptured Duck'', the seventh of 16 [[North American B-25 Mitchell|B-25s]] to take off from the aircraft carrier {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|6}}. The film depicts the raid accurately and uses actual wartime footage of the bombers.


==Plot==
==Plot==
Not long after the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor attack]], [[United States Army Air Forces]]  Lieutenant Colonel [[Jimmy Doolittle|James Doolittle]] orders 24 [[North American B-25 Mitchell]] [[medium bomber]]s—with volunteer crews—to report to [[Eglin Air Force Base|Eglin Field]], [[Florida]], for a secret three-month-long mission. They arrive on March 1. Among them is the craft piloted by Ted Lawson. His crew consists of Lt. Dean Davenport, co-pilot; Lt. Charles McClure, navigator, Lt. Bob Clever, bombardier, and Corporal [[David J. Thatcher|David Thatcher]], gunner-mechanic.
Not long after the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor attack]], [[United States Army Air Forces]]  Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle assembles two dozen North American B-25 Mitchell [[medium bomber]]s with volunteer crews at [[Eglin Air Force Base|Eglin Field]], [[Florida]], for a secret mission. Among them is Ted Lawson and his crew, co-pilot Lieutenant Dean Davenport, navigator Lieutenant Charles McClure, bombardier Lietuenant Bob Clever and gunner-mechanic Corporal [[David J. Thatcher|David Thatcher]]. Given the opportunity to decline the mission, the crews opt to stay on, including Lawson whose pregnant wife Ellen joins him at Eglin Field.


Doolittle warns them: This work is top-secret. He offers them the chance to opt out, particularly if they have wives and families. Lawson's wife, Ellen, drives to Eglin Field to join him. She is pregnant. They are very much in love, but giving up never occurs to them.
The crews are taught to take off from a runway only 500 feet long by a [[naval aviator]] from nearby [[NAS Pensacola|Pensacola Naval Air Station]].<ref>The short takeoff space was necessary because the bombers were too big to be stored below deck. As shown in the film, they were lashed to the carrier.  [http://www.doolittleraider.com The Official Website of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders]</ref> Lawson's plane acquires the nickname ''Ruptured Duck'' with [[nose art]] to match. Doolittle leads the group on a low-level flight at hedge-top height to [[Naval Air Station Alameda]], [[California]] where their planes are loaded aboard the aircraft carrier {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|6}}. He informs the men their mission is to bomb [[Tokyo]], [[Yokohama]], [[Osaka]], [[Kobe]], and [[Nagoya]]. They will launch from the carrier 400 miles from Japan and after dropping their payloads continue to designated landing spots in parts of [[China]] controlled by [[Nationalist government|Nationalist]] forces and regroup in [[Chongqing|Chungking]]. When an enemy surface vessel discovers the convoy, the crews are forced to take off twelve hours earlier than planned, to attack in broad daylight over Japan and land after nightfall in China.


The intensive training includes learning how to take off on a runway only 500 feet long as taught by an instructor [[Naval Aviator]] from nearby [[NAS Pensacola|Pensacola Naval Air Station]].<ref>The short takeoff space was necessary because the bombers were too big to be stored belowdecks. As shown in the film, they were lashed to the.carrier. [http://www.doolittleraider.com The Official Website of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders]</ref> They are not told why, and those who guess keep quiet. Lawson's plane acquires the nickname "Ruptured Duck" and [[nose art]] to match. One dark morning, Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle sends them off to fly cross-country at hedge-hopping height to [[Naval Air Station Alameda]], [[California]]. The planes are immediately loaded aboard the aircraft carrier {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|6}}.
Doolittle leads the raid, dropping [[Incendiary device|incendiary bombs]] to mark key targets for the others. The ''Ruptured Duck'' arrives over Tokyo to find some targets already burning, and attacks its targets as planned. Anti-aircraft fire bursts harmlessly around them, and confused enemy fighters ignore them. ''Ruptured Duck'' continues toward China and runs low on fuel approaching the coast in darkness and heavy rain. Lawson attempts a belly landing on the beach and crashes in the surf. With the exception of Thatcher, the entire crew is badly injured: Lawson's left leg is laid open to the bone, and McClure's shoulders are broken. Friendly Chinese soldiers help them, and the Americans face hardships and danger while being escorted through Japanese-held territory. In the absence of medical supplies, the injured men endure terrible pain, and Lawson's leg becomes infected. Delirious, he dreams of Ellen.


At last, Doolittle reveals the mission: Bomb [[Tokyo]], [[Yokohama]], [[Osaka]], [[Kobe]] and [[Nagoya]]. The carrier will get them within 400 miles of mainland Japan. After dropping their payloads, they will continue to designated landing spots in parts of [[China]] controlled by [[Nationalist government|Nationalist]] forces and regroup in [[Chongqing|Chungking]].
A [[Red Cross Society of China|Red Cross]] banner hangs in the village of Xing Ming where Doctor Chung offers to take them to his father's hospital, 19 miles farther. He informs the men the Japanese have captured one of the other crews, and they hurry into the hills just before Japanese search parties arrive to burn the village down. No surgeon is at the elder Dr. Chung's hospital, but Lieutenant Smith's crew is on its way with Lieutenant "Doc" White, who volunteered as gunner. The Japanese approach, and the able-bodied Americans leave, except for Doc. He amputates Lawson's leg well above the knee, using the single dose of [[Spinal anaesthesia|spinal anesthesia]] in their possession. It wears off too soon. Lawson passes out and dreams of Ellen.


The call to [[General quarters|battle stations]] comes twice daily, at dawn and dusk, when the enemy "[[Submarine|pig boats]]" (submarines) come up. When an enemy surface vessel does discover the convoy, the crews assemble to take off immediately—12 hours earlier than planned. It will be daylight over Japan and night when they reach China. Doolittle leads the raid, dropping [[Incendiary device|incendiary bombs]] to mark key targets. The Ruptured Duck is the seventh flight. Flying low over the ocean and into Tokyo, through the smoke of burning targets, dropping their bombs as planned. Flak bursts around them, but fighters ignore them.
A chorus of [[Scouting and Guiding in mainland China|Scouts]] singing "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]", in [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]], celebrates Lawson's first day out of bed. When the elder Dr. Chung gives Lawson an heirloom bracelet for his wife, Lawson is puzzled. He does not remember talking about her. When he totters on his crutches, he becomes distraught at the idea of Ellen seeing him without a leg. They hurry to [[Changzhou|Ch'ang Chou]] to rendezvous with an American plane that takes them home.


The Ruptured Duck continues on until running low on fuel approaching the Chinese coast. Lawson crashes in the surf while trying to land on a beach in darkness and heavy rain. With the exception of Thatcher, the entire crew is badly injured in the crash. Lawson's left leg is laid open to the bone, and McClure's shoulders are broken. Friendly Chinese soldiers help them, and the Americans face hardships and danger while being escorted through Japanese-held territory. In the absence of any medical supplies, the injured men endure terrible pain, and Lawson's leg becomes infected. Delirious, he dreams of Ellen.
General Doolittle visits Lawson in the hospital and tells him he has work for him to do. Lawson does not want to see Ellen until he obtains a prosthetic leg and learns to walk properly. Ellen arrives unannounced. Lawson forgets his missing leg and stands; he falls and Ellen rushes to him and the two embrace on the floor.
 
There is a [[Red Cross Society of China|Red Cross]] banner in the village of XingMing. Doctor Chung arrives with good news and bad. He will take them to his father's hospital, some 19 miles farther. The bad news is that the Japanese have captured an American crew. Hurrying into the hills, they look back: XingMing is burning.
 
There is no surgeon at the elder Dr. Chung's hospital, but Lt. Smith's crew is on its way with Lt. "Doc" White, who volunteered as gunner. The Japanese approach, and the able-bodied Americans leave, except for Doc. He amputates Lawson's leg well above the knee, using the single dose of [[Spinal anaesthesia|spinal anesthesia]] in their possession. It wears off too soon. Lawson passes out and dreams of Ellen.
 
A chorus of [[Scouting and Guiding in mainland China|Scouts]] singing "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]", in [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]], celebrate Lawson's first day out of bed. When the elder Dr. Chung gives Lawson an heirloom bracelet for his wife, Lawson is puzzled. He does not remember talking about her. When he totters on his crutches, he becomes distraught at the idea of Ellen seeing him without a leg. They hurry to [[Changzhou|Ch'ang Chou]] to rendezvous with an American plane that takes them home.
 
General Doolittle visits Lawson in the hospital and tells him he has work for him to do. Lawson doesn't want to see Ellen until he obtains a prosthetic leg and learns to walk properly. Ellen arrives unannounced. Lawson forgets his missing leg and stands; he falls and Ellen rushes to him and the two embrace on the floor, overjoyed to see each other.


==Cast==
==Cast==
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}}


* [[Van Johnson]] as [[First lieutenant#United States|Captain]] [[Ted W. Lawson]], Pilot of The Ruptured Duck
* [[Van Johnson]] as [[First lieutenant#United States|Captain]] [[Ted W. Lawson]], pilot of the ''Ruptured Duck''
* [[Robert Walker (actor, born 1918)|Robert Walker]] as [[Corporal#United States|Corporal]] [[David J. Thatcher|David Thatcher]], gunner-mechanic.
* [[Robert Walker (actor, born 1918)|Robert Walker]] as [[Corporal#United States|Corporal]] [[David J. Thatcher|David Thatcher]], gunner-mechanic
* Tim Murdock as Lt. [http://www.doolittleraider.com/raiders/davenport.htm Dean Davenport], co-pilot
* Tim Murdock as Lt. [http://www.doolittleraider.com/raiders/davenport.htm Dean Davenport], co-pilot
* [[Don DeFore]] as Lt. [http://www.doolittleraider.com/raiders/mcclure.htm Charles McClure], navigator
* [[Don DeFore]] as Lt. [http://www.doolittleraider.com/raiders/mcclure.htm Charles McClure], navigator
* Gordon McDonald as Lt. [http://www.doolittleraider.com/raiders/clever.htm Bob Clever], bombardier
* Gordon McDonald as Lt. [http://www.doolittleraider.com/raiders/clever.htm Bob Clever], bombardier
* [[Phyllis Thaxter]] as Ellen Lawson
* [[Phyllis Thaxter]] as Ellen Lawson
* [[Stephen McNally]] as Lt. Thomas "Doc" White, gunner on Lt. Smith's plane.
* [[Stephen McNally]] as Lt. Thomas "Doc" White, gunner on Lt. Smith's plane
* [[Spencer Tracy]] as [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant Colonel]]/ [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]] [[Jimmy Doolittle]]
* [[Spencer Tracy]] as [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant Colonel]]/ [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]] [[Jimmy Doolittle]]
* John R. Reilly as Lt. Jacob "Shorty" Manch
* John R. Reilly as Lt. Jacob "Shorty" Manch
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==Production==
==Production==
There is an error in the onscreen credits, perpetuated in many sources, including [https://variety.com/1943/film/reviews/thirty-seconds-over-tokyo-1200414194/ the ''Variety'' review]. They list Ted W. Lawson and Robert Considine as authors of both "the book" and a "story" in ''Collier's'' magazine. There was no such story. Lawson was the sole author of the book ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'', and the word "Collier's" was crossed off in the credits of the copyright cutting continuity.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/24206-THIRTY-SECONDSOVERTOKYO?sid=d60f1c2e-1342-4372-b2a5-bcbbe67b228d&sr=20.36729&cp=1&pos=0|title=AFI{{!}}Catalog. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo: History|last=|first=|date=|website=catalog.afi.com|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>[[File:Thirty-seconds-over-tokyo.jpg|thumb|275px|The B-25s about to launch from USS ''Hornet.'' Admiral Halsey (Morris Ankrum) is saluting in the foreground.]]
An error in the onscreen credits is perpetuated in many sources, including [https://variety.com/1943/film/reviews/thirty-seconds-over-tokyo-1200414194/ the ''Variety'' review]. They list Ted W. Lawson and Robert Considine as authors of both "the book" and a "story" in ''Collier's'' magazine. Lawson was author of the book ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'', although Robert Considine is given the credit "edited by.<ref>Title page, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, 1943 edition</ref> There was an extract of the story in Collier's in May–June 1943.<ref>Copyright claim by Robert Considine and Ted Lawson for"In Collier's, June 12, 1943" at https://exhibits.stanford.edu/copyrightrenewals/catalog/R486008</ref> The word "Collier's" was crossed off in the film credits of the copyright cutting continuity.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/24206-THIRTY-SECONDSOVERTOKYO?sid=d60f1c2e-1342-4372-b2a5-bcbbe67b228d&sr=20.36729&cp=1&pos=0|title=AFI{{!}}Catalog. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo: History|last=|first=|date=|website=catalog.afi.com|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>[[File:Thirty-seconds-over-tokyo.jpg|thumb|275px|The B-25s are about to launch from USS ''Hornet.'' Admiral Halsey (Morris Ankrum) is saluting in the foreground.]]
[[File:30SOT trailer 15 Ruptured Duck flies over Tokyo.JPG|thumb|275px|"The Ruptured Duck" flies over a burning target in ''Thirty Seconds over Tokyo'']]
[[File:30SOT trailer 15 Ruptured Duck flies over Tokyo.JPG|thumb|275px|The ''Ruptured Duck'' flies over a burning target in ''Thirty Seconds over Tokyo''.]]


The film is known for its accurate depiction of the raid and use of actual wartime footage of the bombing aircraft. The production crew worked closely with Captain Ted Lawson and other members of the raid to make the film as realistic as possible. Filming at [[Hurlburt Field]] and [[Peel Field]] near [[Mary Esther, Florida]], and Eglin Field (the actual base where the Doolittle Raiders trained), and operational USAAF B-25C and B-25D bombers were used (closely resembling the B-25B Mitchells used in 1942). Auxiliary Field 4, [[Peel Field]], was used for the short-distance take off practice scenes.<ref>[http://video.onset.freedom.com/nwfdn/kz4hzl-eglininthemovies.pdf "Eglin in the Movies."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015070157/http://video.onset.freedom.com/nwfdn/kz4hzl-eglininthemovies.pdf |date=2013-10-15 }} ''video.onset.freedom.com.'' Retrieved: October 27, 2011.</ref>
The film is known for its accurate depiction of the raid and use of actual wartime footage of the bombing aircraft. The production crew worked closely with Captain Ted Lawson and other members of the raid to make the film as realistic as possible. Filming at [[Hurlburt Field]] and [[Peel Field]] near [[Mary Esther, Florida]], and Eglin Field (the actual base where the Doolittle Raiders trained), and operational USAAF B-25C and B-25D bombers were used (closely resembling the B-25B Mitchells used in 1942). Auxiliary Field 4, Peel Field, was used for the short-distance take-off practice scenes.<ref>[http://video.onset.freedom.com/nwfdn/kz4hzl-eglininthemovies.pdf "Eglin in the Movies."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015070157/http://video.onset.freedom.com/nwfdn/kz4hzl-eglininthemovies.pdf |date=2013-10-15 }} ''video.onset.freedom.com.'' Retrieved: October 27, 2011.</ref>


Dean Davenport was a technical adviser and stunt flyer for the film. He flew a B-25 bomber off a pier in Santa Monica, Calif., for a scene showing the takeoffs from the Hornet.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Goldstein|first=Richard|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/21/us/dean-davenport-81-aviator-in-doolittle-raid.html|title=Dean Davenport, 81, Aviator in Doolittle Raid|date=2000-02-21|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-02-09|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
Dean Davenport was a technical adviser and stunt flyer for the film. He flew a B-25 bomber off a pier in Santa Monica, California, for a scene showing the take-offs from the ''Hornet''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Goldstein|first=Richard|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/21/us/dean-davenport-81-aviator-in-doolittle-raid.html|title=Dean Davenport, 81, Aviator in Doolittle Raid|date=2000-02-21|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-02-09|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>


Although an aircraft carrier was not available, due to wartime needs (USS ''Hornet'' itself had been sunk in the [[Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands]] on October 27, 1942 only six months after launching the raid), a mix of realistic studio sets and original newsreel footage recreated the USS ''Hornet'' scenes. Principal photography took place between February and June 1944.<ref>Orriss 1984, p. 93.</ref> {{#tag:ref|MGM's studio 15 provided room for {{convert|179|ft|m}} of carrier deck. Three actual B-25s were used on the set and the remainder were matte paintings of the deck and B-25s integrated into the background.|group=Note}}
Although an aircraft carrier was not available, due to wartime needs (USS ''Hornet'' herself had been sunk in the [[Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands]] on October 27, 1942, only six months after launching the raid), a mix of realistic studio sets and original newsreel footage recreated the USS ''Hornet'' scenes. Principal photography took place between February and June 1944.<ref>Orriss 1984, p. 93.</ref> {{#tag:ref|MGM's studio 15 provided room for {{convert|179|ft|m}} of carrier deck. Three actual B-25s were used on the set and the remainder were matte paintings of the deck and B-25s integrated into the background.|group=Note}}


==Reception==
==Reception==
The film received favorable reviews. ''[[Look (American magazine)|Look]]'' magazine praised it as one of the five best films of the year, and the [[National Board of Review]] ranked it as eighth-best film of the year. ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' reviewer called it "one of the greatest war pictures ever made".<ref name=":0" /> Film critic and author [[James Agee]] wrote in 1944, "''30 Seconds Over Tokyo'' is in some respects the pleasantest of current surprises: a big-studio film, free of artistic pretension, it is transformed by its not very imaginative but very dogged sincerity into something forceful, simple, and thoroughly sympathetic in spite of all its big-studio, big-scale habits{{nbsp}}... The Chinese, nearly all of them amateur, are the best thing in the picture and the best Chinese in any American picture: I can only hope they make a great many people in Hollywood aware of the tremendous advantages of using non-actors in films{{nbsp}}..."<ref>Agee, James - ''Agee on Film Vol. 1'' © 1958 by The James Agee Trust.</ref>
The film received favorable reviews. ''[[Look (American magazine)|Look]]'' praised it as one of the five best films of the year, and the [[National Board of Review]] ranked it as eighth-best film of the year. ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' reviewer called it "one of the greatest war pictures ever made".<ref name=":0" /> Film critic and author [[James Agee]] wrote in 1944, "''30 Seconds Over Tokyo'' is in some respects the pleasantest of current surprises: a big-studio film, free of artistic pretension, it is transformed by its not very imaginative but very dogged sincerity into something forceful, simple, and thoroughly sympathetic in spite of all its big-studio, big-scale habits{{nbsp}}... The Chinese, nearly all of them amateur, are the best thing in the picture and the best Chinese in any American picture: I can only hope they make a great many people in Hollywood aware of the tremendous advantages of using non-actors in films{{nbsp}}..."<ref>Agee, James - ''Agee on Film Vol. 1'' © 1958 by The James Agee Trust.</ref>


''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' was recognized as an inspirational, patriotic film with great value as a morale builder for wartime audiences. ''[[The New York Times]]'' in 1944 summed the production, "our first sensational raid on Japan in April 1942 is told with magnificent integrity and dramatic eloquence."<ref>Orriss 1984, p. 100.</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' focused on the human elements, "inspired casting ... the war becomes a highly personalized thing through the actions of these crew members...this pleasant little family."<ref>Staff (December 31, 1943) [https://archive.today/20120714140545/http://stage.variety.com/review/VE1117795645.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo"] ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. Retrieved: November 22, 2011.</ref>
''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' was recognized as an inspirational, patriotic film with great value as a morale builder for wartime audiences. ''[[The New York Times]]'' in 1944 summed the production, "our first sensational raid on Japan in April 1942 is told with magnificent integrity and dramatic eloquence."<ref>Orriss 1984, p. 100.</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' focused on the human elements, "inspired casting ... the war becomes a highly personalized thing through the actions of these crew members...this pleasant little family."<ref>Staff (December 31, 1943) [https://archive.today/20120714140545/http://stage.variety.com/review/VE1117795645.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo"] ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. Retrieved: November 22, 2011.</ref>
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===Awards and honors===
===Awards and honors===
In the 1945 [[Academy Awards]], the ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' team of [[A. Arnold Gillespie]], [[Donald Jahraus]] and [[Warren Newcombe]] (photography) and [[Douglas Shearer]] (sound) won the Oscar for [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Special Effects]]. Robert Surtees, A.S.C. and Harold Rosson, A.S.C. were nominated in the category of Black and White Cinematography.<ref name="Oscars1945">[http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1945 "The 17th Academy Awards (1945) Nominees and Winners.'] ''oscars.org''. Retrieved: June 23, 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.filmsite.org/aa45.html "1945 Academy Awards: Awards and Winners."] ''filmsite.org.'' Retrieved: November 22, 2011.</ref>
In the 1945 [[Academy Awards]], the ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' team of [[A. Arnold Gillespie]], [[Donald Jahraus]] and [[Warren Newcombe]] (photography), and [[Douglas Shearer]] (sound) won the Oscar for [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Special Effects]]. Robert Surtees, A.S.C. and Harold Rosson, A.S.C. were nominated in the category of Black and White Cinematography.<ref name="Oscars1945">[http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1945 "The 17th Academy Awards (1945) Nominees and Winners.'] ''oscars.org''. Retrieved: June 23, 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.filmsite.org/aa45.html "1945 Academy Awards: Awards and Winners."] ''filmsite.org.'' Retrieved: November 22, 2011.</ref>


==In popular culture==
==In popular culture==
{{In popular culture|section|date=April 2024}}
{{In popular culture|section|date=April 2024}}
* ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' star [[Van Johnson]] appeared in a 1970 commercial for [[Post Foods|Post Fortified Oat Flakes]] breakfast cereal on a set evoking an aircraft carrier flight deck with B-25s on board. He ended with the line that the cereal would "take me to Tokyo – and back!"<ref>[http://www.jfredmacdonald.com/macfilms/Mixed%20ads%2061-70.htm "MacDonald & Associates' Television Commercials: Mixed Ads 61-70."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516164316/http://www.jfredmacdonald.com/macfilms/Mixed%20ads%2061-70.htm |date=2010-05-16 }} ''MacDonald & Associates,'' 2002. Retrieved: October 27, 2011.</ref>
* ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' star Van Johnson appeared in a 1970 commercial for [[Post Foods|Post Fortified Oat Flakes]] breakfast cereal on a set evoking an aircraft carrier flight deck with B-25s on board. He ended with the line that the cereal would "take me to Tokyo – and back!"<ref>[http://www.jfredmacdonald.com/macfilms/Mixed%20ads%2061-70.htm "MacDonald & Associates' Television Commercials: Mixed Ads 61-70."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516164316/http://www.jfredmacdonald.com/macfilms/Mixed%20ads%2061-70.htm |date=2010-05-16 }} ''MacDonald & Associates,'' 2002. Retrieved: October 27, 2011.</ref>
*[[Jefferson Airplane]]'s second live album, ''[[Thirty Seconds Over Winterland]]'' (1973), and experimental rock band [[Pere Ubu (band)|Pere Ubu]]'s 1975 debut single, "[[30 Seconds Over Tokyo (song)|30 Seconds Over Tokyo]]", are named after the film.<ref>Planer, Lindsay. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/r10304 "Thirty Seconds Over Winterland - Jefferson Airplane &#124."] ''AllMusic,'' 2011. Retrieved: October 27, 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.ubuprojex.net/pereubu.html "Pere Ubu Biography".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306002105/http://www.ubuprojex.net/pereubu.html |date=2012-03-06 }} ''Pere Ubu,'' 2011. Retrieved: October 27, 2011.</ref>  
*[[Jefferson Airplane]]'s second live album, ''[[Thirty Seconds Over Winterland]]'' (1973), and experimental rock band [[Pere Ubu (band)|Pere Ubu]]'s 1975 debut single, "[[30 Seconds Over Tokyo (song)|30 Seconds Over Tokyo]]", are named after the film.<ref>Planer, Lindsay. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/r10304 "Thirty Seconds Over Winterland - Jefferson Airplane &#124."] ''AllMusic,'' 2011. Retrieved: October 27, 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.ubuprojex.net/pereubu.html "Pere Ubu Biography".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306002105/http://www.ubuprojex.net/pereubu.html |date=2012-03-06 }} ''Pere Ubu,'' 2011. Retrieved: October 27, 2011.</ref>  
*The film ''[[The Purple Heart]]'' (1944) is a fictionalized account of the fates of American airmen from the Doolittle raid who are placed on trial in a Japanese court.  
*The film ''[[The Purple Heart]]'' (1944) is a fictionalized account of the fates of American airmen from the Doolittle raid who are placed on trial in a Japanese court.  
*The film ''[[Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'' (2001) includes a fictionalized version of the raid.
*The film ''[[Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'' (2001) includes a fictionalized version of the raid.
*The opening scene of the film ''[[Midway (1976 film)|Midway]]'' (1976) uses footage from ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' to launch the film's plot with the Doolittle Raid.
*The opening scene of the film ''[[Midway (1976 film)|Midway]]'' (1976) uses footage from ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' to launch the film's plot with the Doolittle Raid.
*In the ''[[Seinfeld]]'' season 3 episode "The Keys", Kramer mentions to Jerry that he is watching the film.
*In the ''[[Seinfeld]]'' season-three episode "The Keys", Kramer mentions to Jerry that he is watching the film.
* The title of "[[Thirty Minutes over Tokyo]]", an episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', is a reference to ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo''.<ref name="Meyer">Meyer, George. "Commentary for 'Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo'." ''The Simpsons: The Complete Tenth Season'' [DVD], 20th Century Fox, 2007.</ref>
* The title of "[[Thirty Minutes over Tokyo]]", an episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', is a reference to ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo''.<ref name="Meyer">Meyer, George. "Commentary for 'Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo'." ''The Simpsons: The Complete Tenth Season'' [DVD], 20th Century Fox, 2007.</ref>
*Part II of ''[[War and Remembrance (miniseries)|War And Remembrance]]'' uses the same footage as ''[[Midway (1976 film)|Midway]]''.
*Part II of ''[[War and Remembrance (miniseries)|War And Remembrance]]'' uses the same footage as ''[[Midway (1976 film)|Midway]]''.
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* {{TCMDb title|451}}
* {{TCMDb title|451}}
* [[iarchive:thirtysecondsove00laws|The book ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'']] may be borrowed from the [[Internet Archive]]
* [[iarchive:thirtysecondsove00laws|The book ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'']] may be borrowed from the [[Internet Archive]]
* [http://doolittleraider.com/first_joint_action.htm#_Toc510516215 Official Website of the Doolittle Raiders]
* [http://doolittleraider.com/first_joint_action.htm#_Toc510516215 Official Website of the Doolittle Raiders]
* [http://childrenofthedoolittleraiders.com/ Children of the Doolittle Raiders]
* [http://childrenofthedoolittleraiders.com/ Children of the Doolittle Raiders]


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[[Category:Films scored by Herbert Stothart]]
[[Category:Films scored by Herbert Stothart]]
[[Category:Films about the Doolittle Raid]]
[[Category:Films about the Doolittle Raid]]
[[Category:Films about shot-down aviators]]
[[Category:Films about the United States Army Air Forces]]
[[Category:Films about the United States Army Air Forces]]
[[Category:Films directed by Mervyn LeRoy]]
[[Category:Films directed by Mervyn LeRoy]]

Latest revision as of 10:20, 12 December 2025

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "For". Template:Infobox film/short descriptionScript error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[". Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is a 1944 American war film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The screenplay by Dalton Trumbo is based on the 1943 book of the same name by Captain Ted W. Lawson. Lawson was a pilot on the historic Doolittle Raid, America's first retaliatory air strike against Japan, four months after the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The raid was planned, led by, and named after United States Army Air Forces Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle, who was promoted two ranks, to brigadier general, the day after the raid.

Sam Zimbalist was the film's producer and Mervyn LeRoy directed. The picture stars Van Johnson as Lawson; Phyllis Thaxter as his wife, Ellen; Robert Walker as Corporal David Thatcher; Robert Mitchum as Lieutenant Bob Gray; and Spencer Tracy as Lieutenant Colonel—and soon General—Jimmy Doolittle. Tracy's appearance in the film is more in the nature of a guest star; he receives special billing rather than his usual top billing and has considerably less screen time than star Van Johnson.

In the book, Lawson gives an eyewitness account of the intensive training, the mission, and the aftermath as experienced by his crew and by others who flew the mission on April 18, 1942. Lawson piloted the Ruptured Duck, the seventh of 16 B-25s to take off from the aircraft carrier Script error: No such module "WPSHIPS utilities".. The film depicts the raid accurately and uses actual wartime footage of the bombers.

Plot

Not long after the Pearl Harbor attack, United States Army Air Forces Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle assembles two dozen North American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers with volunteer crews at Eglin Field, Florida, for a secret mission. Among them is Ted Lawson and his crew, co-pilot Lieutenant Dean Davenport, navigator Lieutenant Charles McClure, bombardier Lietuenant Bob Clever and gunner-mechanic Corporal David Thatcher. Given the opportunity to decline the mission, the crews opt to stay on, including Lawson whose pregnant wife Ellen joins him at Eglin Field.

The crews are taught to take off from a runway only 500 feet long by a naval aviator from nearby Pensacola Naval Air Station.[1] Lawson's plane acquires the nickname Ruptured Duck with nose art to match. Doolittle leads the group on a low-level flight at hedge-top height to Naval Air Station Alameda, California where their planes are loaded aboard the aircraft carrier Script error: No such module "WPSHIPS utilities".. He informs the men their mission is to bomb Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Kobe, and Nagoya. They will launch from the carrier 400 miles from Japan and after dropping their payloads continue to designated landing spots in parts of China controlled by Nationalist forces and regroup in Chungking. When an enemy surface vessel discovers the convoy, the crews are forced to take off twelve hours earlier than planned, to attack in broad daylight over Japan and land after nightfall in China.

Doolittle leads the raid, dropping incendiary bombs to mark key targets for the others. The Ruptured Duck arrives over Tokyo to find some targets already burning, and attacks its targets as planned. Anti-aircraft fire bursts harmlessly around them, and confused enemy fighters ignore them. Ruptured Duck continues toward China and runs low on fuel approaching the coast in darkness and heavy rain. Lawson attempts a belly landing on the beach and crashes in the surf. With the exception of Thatcher, the entire crew is badly injured: Lawson's left leg is laid open to the bone, and McClure's shoulders are broken. Friendly Chinese soldiers help them, and the Americans face hardships and danger while being escorted through Japanese-held territory. In the absence of medical supplies, the injured men endure terrible pain, and Lawson's leg becomes infected. Delirious, he dreams of Ellen.

A Red Cross banner hangs in the village of Xing Ming where Doctor Chung offers to take them to his father's hospital, 19 miles farther. He informs the men the Japanese have captured one of the other crews, and they hurry into the hills just before Japanese search parties arrive to burn the village down. No surgeon is at the elder Dr. Chung's hospital, but Lieutenant Smith's crew is on its way with Lieutenant "Doc" White, who volunteered as gunner. The Japanese approach, and the able-bodied Americans leave, except for Doc. He amputates Lawson's leg well above the knee, using the single dose of spinal anesthesia in their possession. It wears off too soon. Lawson passes out and dreams of Ellen.

A chorus of Scouts singing "The Star-Spangled Banner", in Mandarin, celebrates Lawson's first day out of bed. When the elder Dr. Chung gives Lawson an heirloom bracelet for his wife, Lawson is puzzled. He does not remember talking about her. When he totters on his crutches, he becomes distraught at the idea of Ellen seeing him without a leg. They hurry to Ch'ang Chou to rendezvous with an American plane that takes them home.

General Doolittle visits Lawson in the hospital and tells him he has work for him to do. Lawson does not want to see Ellen until he obtains a prosthetic leg and learns to walk properly. Ellen arrives unannounced. Lawson forgets his missing leg and stands; he falls and Ellen rushes to him and the two embrace on the floor.

Cast

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Cast notes

  • Phyllis Thaxter, Tim Murdock, Steve Brodie, and Robert Mitchum made their screen debuts in this film.[2]

Production

An error in the onscreen credits is perpetuated in many sources, including the Variety review. They list Ted W. Lawson and Robert Considine as authors of both "the book" and a "story" in Collier's magazine. Lawson was author of the book Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, although Robert Considine is given the credit "edited by.[3] There was an extract of the story in Collier's in May–June 1943.[4] The word "Collier's" was crossed off in the film credits of the copyright cutting continuity.[2]

File:Thirty-seconds-over-tokyo.jpg
The B-25s are about to launch from USS Hornet. Admiral Halsey (Morris Ankrum) is saluting in the foreground.
File:30SOT trailer 15 Ruptured Duck flies over Tokyo.JPG
The Ruptured Duck flies over a burning target in Thirty Seconds over Tokyo.

The film is known for its accurate depiction of the raid and use of actual wartime footage of the bombing aircraft. The production crew worked closely with Captain Ted Lawson and other members of the raid to make the film as realistic as possible. Filming at Hurlburt Field and Peel Field near Mary Esther, Florida, and Eglin Field (the actual base where the Doolittle Raiders trained), and operational USAAF B-25C and B-25D bombers were used (closely resembling the B-25B Mitchells used in 1942). Auxiliary Field 4, Peel Field, was used for the short-distance take-off practice scenes.[5]

Dean Davenport was a technical adviser and stunt flyer for the film. He flew a B-25 bomber off a pier in Santa Monica, California, for a scene showing the take-offs from the Hornet.[6]

Although an aircraft carrier was not available, due to wartime needs (USS Hornet herself had been sunk in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on October 27, 1942, only six months after launching the raid), a mix of realistic studio sets and original newsreel footage recreated the USS Hornet scenes. Principal photography took place between February and June 1944.[7] [Note 1]

Reception

The film received favorable reviews. Look praised it as one of the five best films of the year, and the National Board of Review ranked it as eighth-best film of the year. The Hollywood Reporter reviewer called it "one of the greatest war pictures ever made".[2] Film critic and author James Agee wrote in 1944, "30 Seconds Over Tokyo is in some respects the pleasantest of current surprises: a big-studio film, free of artistic pretension, it is transformed by its not very imaginative but very dogged sincerity into something forceful, simple, and thoroughly sympathetic in spite of all its big-studio, big-scale habitsScript error: No such module "String".... The Chinese, nearly all of them amateur, are the best thing in the picture and the best Chinese in any American picture: I can only hope they make a great many people in Hollywood aware of the tremendous advantages of using non-actors in filmsScript error: No such module "String"...."[8]

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo was recognized as an inspirational, patriotic film with great value as a morale builder for wartime audiences. The New York Times in 1944 summed the production, "our first sensational raid on Japan in April 1942 is told with magnificent integrity and dramatic eloquence."[9] Variety focused on the human elements, "inspired casting ... the war becomes a highly personalized thing through the actions of these crew members...this pleasant little family."[10]

Later reviewers have considered Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo the finest aviation film of the period.[11] The film is now considered a "classic aviation and war film."[12] The actual Raiders considered it a worthy tribute.[13]

Template:Rotten Tomatoes prose Template:Metacritic film prose[14]

Box-office

According to MGM records, the film made $4,297,000 in the US and Canada and $1,950,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $1,382,000.[15]

Awards and honors

In the 1945 Academy Awards, the Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo team of A. Arnold Gillespie, Donald Jahraus and Warren Newcombe (photography), and Douglas Shearer (sound) won the Oscar for Best Special Effects. Robert Surtees, A.S.C. and Harold Rosson, A.S.C. were nominated in the category of Black and White Cinematography.[16][17]

In popular culture

Template:In popular culture

  • Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo star Van Johnson appeared in a 1970 commercial for Post Fortified Oat Flakes breakfast cereal on a set evoking an aircraft carrier flight deck with B-25s on board. He ended with the line that the cereal would "take me to Tokyo – and back!"[18]
  • Jefferson Airplane's second live album, Thirty Seconds Over Winterland (1973), and experimental rock band Pere Ubu's 1975 debut single, "30 Seconds Over Tokyo", are named after the film.[19][20]
  • The film The Purple Heart (1944) is a fictionalized account of the fates of American airmen from the Doolittle raid who are placed on trial in a Japanese court.
  • The film Pearl Harbor (2001) includes a fictionalized version of the raid.
  • The opening scene of the film Midway (1976) uses footage from Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo to launch the film's plot with the Doolittle Raid.
  • In the Seinfeld season-three episode "The Keys", Kramer mentions to Jerry that he is watching the film.
  • The title of "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo", an episode of The Simpsons, is a reference to Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.[21]
  • Part II of War And Remembrance uses the same footage as Midway.

References

Informational notes

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  1. ↑ MGM's studio 15 provided room for Script error: No such module "convert". of carrier deck. Three actual B-25s were used on the set and the remainder were matte paintings of the deck and B-25s integrated into the background.

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Citations

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  1. ↑ The short takeoff space was necessary because the bombers were too big to be stored below deck. As shown in the film, they were lashed to the carrier. The Official Website of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders
  2. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Title page, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, 1943 edition
  4. ↑ Copyright claim by Robert Considine and Ted Lawson for"In Collier's, June 12, 1943" at https://exhibits.stanford.edu/copyrightrenewals/catalog/R486008
  5. ↑ "Eglin in the Movies." Template:Webarchive video.onset.freedom.com. Retrieved: October 27, 2011.
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Orriss 1984, p. 93.
  8. ↑ Agee, James - Agee on Film Vol. 1 © 1958 by The James Agee Trust.
  9. ↑ Orriss 1984, p. 100.
  10. ↑ Staff (December 31, 1943) "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" Variety. Retrieved: November 22, 2011.
  11. ↑ Orriss 1984, pp. 93–94.
  12. ↑ Harwick and Schnepf 1989, pp. 13–14, 61–62.
  13. ↑ Aylworth, Roger H. "No secrets: Chicago Pilot's Wife Knew About 1942 Doolittle Raid." Template:Webarchive Chicago Enterprise-Record. Retrieved: November 22, 2011.
  14. ↑ Template:Cite Metacritic
  15. ↑ Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
  16. ↑ "The 17th Academy Awards (1945) Nominees and Winners.' oscars.org. Retrieved: June 23, 2013.
  17. ↑ "1945 Academy Awards: Awards and Winners." filmsite.org. Retrieved: November 22, 2011.
  18. ↑ "MacDonald & Associates' Television Commercials: Mixed Ads 61-70." Template:Webarchive MacDonald & Associates, 2002. Retrieved: October 27, 2011.
  19. ↑ Planer, Lindsay. "Thirty Seconds Over Winterland - Jefferson Airplane &#124." AllMusic, 2011. Retrieved: October 27, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Pere Ubu Biography". Template:Webarchive Pere Ubu, 2011. Retrieved: October 27, 2011.
  21. ↑ Meyer, George. "Commentary for 'Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo'." The Simpsons: The Complete Tenth Season [DVD], 20th Century Fox, 2007.

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Bibliography

  • Dolan, Edward F. Jr. Hollywood Goes to War. London: Bison Books, 1985. Template:ISBN.
  • Glines, Carroll V. The Doolittle Raid: America's Daring First Strike Against Japan. New York: Orion Books, 1988. Template:ISBN
  • Harwick, Jack and Ed Schnepf. "A Viewer's Guide to Aviation Movies". The Making of the Great Aviation Films, General Aviation Series, Volume 2, 1989.
  • Orriss, Bruce. When Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Aviation Film Classics of World War II. Hawthorne, California: Aero Associates Inc., 1984. Template:ISBN.

External links

Template:Sister project

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