Best movie ever!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

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

If you are interested in the aviation history (in general) or naval aviation (in particular), you might find this movie interesting. Otherwise, as a movie plot, the story is very thin indeed. George Brent and John Payne play two naval brothers. Their father was a naval aviation hero, and Brent has followed in his footsteps as an aviator and instructor at the training station in Pensacola Florida. His younger brother, who has always looked up to him, wants to transfer from submarines to aviation after seeing his brother. Filmed at the naval aviation bases in Pensacola and San Diego, there are some interesting shots of training sessions in the film. De Havilland plays Brent's fiancée who falls in love with Payne. Frank McHugh adds some humur, with that characteristic laugh of his, as one of Payne's fellow trainees.Again, any plot here is overshadowed, for better or worse, by the aviation shots, thus making this more of a recruiting film than a movie with an interesting plot.

I watched 'Wings of the Navy' (1939) on TCM Today. I wouldn't say it was a great film, it was entertaining and fun to see a VERY young John Payne and Olivia de Havilland in action. Olivia de Havilland was quite a talented beauty. She was at her peak in those years (1930s through the 40s) IMO. John Payne looked even younger than his 27 years at the time. I notice a marked improvement in his performance 8 years later in 'Miracle on 34th Street' (1947). In this movie he did little more than wear a uniform well and deliver his lines appropriately. George Brent was good in it as John Payne's older brother. He always could do the dignified characters well. I'd rate this a 4 out of 10 stars. I was just reading this about the movie at the IMDb: " 'Lux Radio Theater' broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on October 7, 1940 with George Brent, John Payne and Olivia de Havilland reprising their film roles." I find it interesting how many old films had the original cast do radio versions too. BTW - I enjoyed the footage of the early flying boat aircraft...especially the larger two engine models.

Covering a lot of the same ground, but a year earlier than MGM's Flight Command, Wings Of The Navy is one of those military preparedness films that Hollywood was importuned to make by the powers that be in Washington, DC. Those folks knew that we would be in a shooting war and shortly and this was their way of getting America psychologically ready.George Brent and John Payne play a pair of brothers who are career Navy men, Annapolis graduates and sons of a late naval hero. Dad was an early Navy pilot and Brent has followed in his footsteps. Payne would like to do the same, but he's in the submarine service. Nevermind, Payne gets himself a transfer much to Brent's displeasure because Payne's a competitive sort and likely to get himself killed trying to out do big brother.The brothers are also rivals for Olivia DeHavilland who was once again in a thankless role of the girl who was the object. For someone of her talents, DeHavilland had precious little to do except look pretty. She was desperately trying to get roles of more substance. She would shortly in Gone With The Wind that same year of 1939.Wings Of The Navy is a real treat for aviation buffs with the various types of planes that were the latest thing in 1939 being shown. Also some even earlier types of planes were what the Navy was training with even then. We lagged far behind Germany and Japan and even Great Britain at this point.After World War II when President Truman decided to consolidate the services into one Department of Defense, the big sticking point was Naval Aviation. The Army was willing to let their Army Air Force become a separate Air Force service, the Navy insisted on controlling its planes that were taking off and landing from carriers. The compromise was reached and both the separate Air Force and the Navy controlling its aviation service was allowed. What we see here in Wings Of The Navy is a stage in the development of Naval aviation that helped win the Pacific War.And it is to those who were in that service in that war that this film review is respectfully dedicated.

While the training exercises are realistic enough in WINGS OF THE NAVY, filmed on location at actual training grounds in Pensacola and San Diego, its story is strictly formula stuff with a love triangle between two brothers (George Brent, John Payne) in love with the same girl (Olivia de Havilland) holding the action sequences together.This is almost like a B&W version of PEARL HARBOR--but lacking the punch of the PEARL HARBOR war scenes. It's a dated aviation drama, with a love story against the background of preparations for war. However, none of the characters have any real depth and there's the usual clumsy comedy attempts of Frank McHugh which become irritating after awhile.The chief players are pleasant enough and it's interesting to see how the sea planes operated in San Diego--but the script is strictly off the Warner assembly line. Olivia de Havilland is pretty as a picture as the heroine but given little to do while Brent and Payne share most of the spotlight. The training scenes give us an interesting look at the air force equipment of 1939--and I'm sure it encouraged many young men to enlist two years before World War II broke out.