Hell Divers (1931)

Directed by

George W. Hill

Genre

drama film, adventure film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 49m

Rated

NR

Rating

6.7 of 10 from 11 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Two chief petty officers in the early Navy aviation compete for status and recognition. Their rivalry plays out against the backdrop of aircraft carrier flight operations.

nostalgiclightheartedcompetitionadventurousmilitarybriskpatrioticmanly

What happens

Hell Divers is a 1932 American pre-Code black-and-white film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Wallace Beery and Clark Gable as a pair of competing chief petty officers in early naval aviation. The film, made with the cooperation of the United States Navy, features considerable footage of flight operations aboard the Navy's second aircraft carrier, the USS Saratoga, including dramatic shots of takeoffs and landings filmed from the Curtiss F8C-4 Helldiver dive bombers after which the movie was named. Nine months before Hell Divers was released, Gable had appeared in a supporting role in another Beery film, The Secret Six, in April 1931. For Gable, Hell Divers was not a pleasant experience since he was again billed beneath Beery, an actor he personally disliked. In 1935, Gable was billed over Beery in the lavish epic China Seas, one of only four films during the sound era in which Beery did not receive top billing. Other actors appearing include Conrad Nagel, Dorothy Jordan, Marjorie Rambeau, and Marie Prevost. An uncredited Robert Young appears near the end of the film in a speaking role as Graham, a pilot. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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