What makes it different from others?

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

In "Hollywood Canteen", a fictional soldier fell in love with a fictional version of Joan Leslie, a young rising leading lady who still lived at home, with mom. It's nine years later, and not looking a day older, she's starring in one of the rare films about the undeclared, but U.S. involved Korean war, aiding hospital helicopter pilots picking up the wounded. She's in love with the handsome Arthur Franz who gets a knock on the head with a pan when he sneaks up to surprise her.Reminding audiences only eight years after the end of what was supposed to be the last war that we're fighting for so much when wars are declared, this is a good natured mixture of romance and comedy as Leslie struggles with the realities of war and the real tragedy of war, which she explains is the children as they cannot fight back. Newsreel footage is seen over Leslie's narration, revealing the fear she undergoes when Franz is declared M.I.A. Sincere performances and a decent, believable script makes this a pleasing look at what women were doing in service to their country. Veteran actress Jeff Donnell plays Leslie's cheery pal, with Forrest Tucker the heroic pilot who gets into a few nail biting scrapes. This isn't much different than air missions for all those films that came out during World War II. This never gets too technical but does teach the viewer a few important facts about military life and how every cog in the wheel is necessary both in times of war and peace.

Although it runs no less than 90 minutes, this is a very disappointing grade "B" movie. Allan Dwan seems to have directed this one in his sleep – and who will blame him? The script is embarrassingly jejune and was obviously conceived on a level of naïve patriotism with flags flying in every line. Admittedly, a plane crash into the sea is not badly done, but any rational viewer will have switched channels long before that event. The acting, alas, is as bad as the script, and the photography as dull as the action. Maybe the 83 minutes version is slightly more entertaining, but I doubt it. Definitely not one of Republic's best movies!

This film brings back memories. I grew up in Fullerton, California, and most of the films I saw in the 1950s played our local Fox theater. I suspect that's where I saw "Flight Nurse." Haven't seen it since, but I do remember it. As I recall, it was the second film on a double bill."Flight Nurse" was a low budget effort, to be sure. As with many such productions, its low budget did not mean low quality. The cast was certainly competent and the script okay if not exceptional.One scene stands out in my mind, a bit of comic relief. As I recall, several of the film's characters found themselves next to a base ammo dump. One of them was doing something not considered safe practice, perhaps getting ready to throw away a lighted match. Anyway, one of the other characters criticizes the match-thrower and points to a sign posted next to a pile of bombs. The sign says "We want this ammo to explode, just not here!" The setting of this film, Korean War medical evacuations, is an interesting one. Your time won't be wasted if you watch this film, especially if you do not expect it to be another "Sands of Iwo Jima" or "Sgt. York."

Since there is only one comment about this move, I am posting this review from the NY Times from 1954!It sounds pretty awful, but the Library of Congress is showing it tomorrow for free, and there is a Thai restaurant down the street with free chicken wings, so . . . might see it!Well, I did see it, and it's not that bad! True, there is a lot of annoyingly mushy romantic stuff, but the film also shows the important and dangerous services this outfit performed. Also, she dumped the guy and stayed on as a flight nurse! N.Y. TIMES REVIEW 'Flight Nurse' Has Debut at Palace Print Save O. A. G. Published: January 30, 1954 The resolute humanity of military flight nurses and the courage of the Air Force personnel, whose job it is to transport the war wounded and injured in defenseless helicopters and planes to medical stations, are deserving of a better tribute than they receive in Republic's "Flight Nurse," which opened at the Palace yesterday.In this vapid maundering in the love life of a flight nurse in Korea we see Joan Leslie carry on a catch-as-catch-can romance with a helicopter pilot, Arthur Franz, while Forrest Tucker, an aerial ambulance driver, contends for her affections. Using every cinematic cliché in a script by Alan LeMay that included rhymed streams of consciousness, Allan Dwan, the director, chose to depict truly heroic actions with mediocrity.Mr. Dwan's concept of a flight nurse is typified in a close-up of Miss Leslie sweetly contemplating the sky while a funereal voice chants her medical credo."Flight Nurse," is concocted so that the dominant theme of Grade A, irradiated love obscures the war with its attendant medical devotion and dedication to the relief of suffering.The film is revealed for what it is when spliced-in authentic footage is occasionally shown. The supporting cast of Jeff Donnell, Ben Cooper and James Holden is adequate, acting as it was directed.A bill of eight acts of vaudeville accompanies the film.