The Flying Missile
Encyclopedia
The Flying Missile is a 1950
black-and-white Cold War
era Columbia Pictures
film starring Glenn Ford
and Viveca Lindfors
. Made with the cooperation of the US Navy it tells a fictionalised story of the then recently revealed story of the US Navy's first mounting and firing submarine-launched cruise missiles such as the Loon
off the deck of submarines.
USS Midway (CV-41)
. The Midway is carrying some politicians to view the test firing on a V-2 rocket off its flight deck
. Sighting the carrier, the Bluefin attempts a simulated torpedo attack but is detected and "sunk" by a depth charge attack from a destroyer.
After viewing the successful launching of the V-2 from the surface, Talbot attempts to convince his commanding officer that if his submarine would have had a guided missile his attack on the carrier would have been successful. His commander relays the information that the Navy has been thinking of the same idea and sends the Bluefin to the Pacific Missile Test Center
at Naval Air Station Point Mugu
for a short period of training and familiarisation. On the way to the base the Bluefin ruins the fishing nets of Lars Hansen 's (John Qualen
) fleet who fish the area when the Navy is not testing their missiles.
The crew of the Bluefin are impatient with the training course they must do and attempt to speed things up and gather their own equipment through "midnight supply" (theft) but run foul of the tight security on the base. Talbot meets and unsuccessfully attempts to seduce the base commander's secretary Karin Hansen, a Danish emigre who is the daughter of the still furious Captain Lars. Talbot does obtain information from Karin
on the location of needed missile parts at an army base and obtains them for his boat.
The unorthodox procedures used so well in wartime cause tragedy to the couple; Karin losing her job as the Admiral's secretary for revealing information and Talbot's haste in launching a missile from his boat's deck causing him serious injury and the death of his friend Quartermaster "Fuss" Payne (Joe Sawyer
). Talbot's depression leads him to not desiring to walk without braces and is within a hare's breath of being medically discharged from the Navy.
Karin snaps Talbot out of his whining self pity to take command of his boat during manoeuvers for a submarine flotilla
to attack a surface fleet. Talbot gets the idea for the missile carrying submarines to launch their missiles but then have them successfully guided to the surface fleet by the nearer submarines originally earmarked for a torpedo attack.
1950 in film
The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
black-and-white Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
era Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
film starring Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades...
and Viveca Lindfors
Viveca Lindfors
Elsa Viveca Torstensdotter Lindfors , better known under her professional name of Viveca Lindfors, was a Swedish stage and film actress.-Life and career:...
. Made with the cooperation of the US Navy it tells a fictionalised story of the then recently revealed story of the US Navy's first mounting and firing submarine-launched cruise missiles such as the Loon
Republic-Ford JB-2
The Republic-Ford JB-2 Loon was a United States copy of the German V-1 flying bomb. Developed in 1944, and planned to be used in the United States invasion of Japan , the JB-2 was never used in combat. It was the most successful of the United States Army Air Forces Jet Bomb projects during...
off the deck of submarines.
Plot
Decorated submarine commander Commander William Talbot's (Glenn Ford) boat the USS Bluefin (actually the USS Cusk) is on manoeuvers with the goal of simulating sinking the aircraft carrierAircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
USS Midway (CV-41)
USS Midway (CV-41)
USS Midway was an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class, and the first to be commissioned after the end of World War II...
. The Midway is carrying some politicians to view the test firing on a V-2 rocket off its flight deck
Flight deck
The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface from which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters and other VTOL aircraft is also referred to as the...
. Sighting the carrier, the Bluefin attempts a simulated torpedo attack but is detected and "sunk" by a depth charge attack from a destroyer.
After viewing the successful launching of the V-2 from the surface, Talbot attempts to convince his commanding officer that if his submarine would have had a guided missile his attack on the carrier would have been successful. His commander relays the information that the Navy has been thinking of the same idea and sends the Bluefin to the Pacific Missile Test Center
Pacific Missile Test Center
Pacific Missile Test Center is the former name of the current Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division. The name of the center was the Naval Air Missile Test Center prior to PMTC. It is located at Naval Base Ventura County/Naval Air Station Point Mugu in Ventura County, California...
at Naval Air Station Point Mugu
Naval Air Station Point Mugu
Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu or NBVC Point Mugu is a military airbase located in Point Mugu, Ventura County, California, United States. Due to realignment actions which occurred in 2000, the base is now part of Naval Base Ventura County , a consolidated organization that also includes...
for a short period of training and familiarisation. On the way to the base the Bluefin ruins the fishing nets of Lars Hansen 's (John Qualen
John Qualen
John Qualen was a Canadian-American character actor of Norwegian heritage who specialized in Scandinavian roles....
) fleet who fish the area when the Navy is not testing their missiles.
The crew of the Bluefin are impatient with the training course they must do and attempt to speed things up and gather their own equipment through "midnight supply" (theft) but run foul of the tight security on the base. Talbot meets and unsuccessfully attempts to seduce the base commander's secretary Karin Hansen, a Danish emigre who is the daughter of the still furious Captain Lars. Talbot does obtain information from Karin
on the location of needed missile parts at an army base and obtains them for his boat.
The unorthodox procedures used so well in wartime cause tragedy to the couple; Karin losing her job as the Admiral's secretary for revealing information and Talbot's haste in launching a missile from his boat's deck causing him serious injury and the death of his friend Quartermaster "Fuss" Payne (Joe Sawyer
Joe Sawyer
Joe Sawyer was a Canadian film actor. He appeared in over 200 films between 1930 and 1962.He was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, and died in Ashland, Oregon from liver cancer....
). Talbot's depression leads him to not desiring to walk without braces and is within a hare's breath of being medically discharged from the Navy.
Karin snaps Talbot out of his whining self pity to take command of his boat during manoeuvers for a submarine flotilla
Flotilla
A flotilla , or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same class of warship, such as frigates, destroyers, torpedo boats, submarines, gunboats, or minesweepers...
to attack a surface fleet. Talbot gets the idea for the missile carrying submarines to launch their missiles but then have them successfully guided to the surface fleet by the nearer submarines originally earmarked for a torpedo attack.