God Is My Co-Pilot

Here in Atlanta we mourn the death Monday, February 27th of General Robert L. Scott, ace and author of the book from which this classic movie was made. Scott owed $25,00 in back taxes after publishing his (most successful) book in the Summer of 1943 - during the height of WW II. His publisher advanced the tax money to him and gave him another assignment. The result: "Damned to Glory". Other books include "Runway to the Sun", Look of the Eagle", Tiger in the Sky and another classic IMHO: "Chennault of China". They don't make 'em - men and movies - like this any more. Scott to his last days was a fixture at the renowned Museum of Avation in Warner Robins, GA. He was always very helpful and full of stories with which to inform and regale the museum patrons. He will be sorely missed. Get the movie and the book and savor them like old wine.

Although "God is My Co-Pilot" was a prestige film from Warner Brothers and did well at the box office, it's really a very slight war film. Much of this is because instead of focusing on the real life of Colonel Robert Lee Scott, it often has cliches, such as the fictional character Tokyo Joe taunting the American pilots with dialog like this: "Ok you yankee doodle dandies....come and get us! ". Additionally, the notion of God in this film is very vague and seems mostly there to remind viewers that God love America and hates Japan. It's a shame, as Scott's life was pretty amazing...but here it's all too simplistic and filled with the usual B-movie jingoism. Now this isn't to say it's a bad film...no...but it was one that really could have been a lot better.

DENNIS MORGAN is one of those actors under contract to Warner Bros. who seldom got a chance to do anything but lightweight roles and occasionally given a fairly good musical such as the Technicolored MY WILD IRISH ROSE where he played Chauncey Olcott, songwriter.

But GOD IS MY CO-PILOT is a rarity in that he gets to fill most of the screen's running time as Col. Robert Lee Scott, one of the first Americans to join the "Flying Tigers" just before World War II. Scott went on to a distinctive wartime record and only recently died at a ripe old age, a hero of his hometown of Macon, Georgia.

The film is a typical Warner war film--cast with all of their most dependable stock company players--including RAYMOND MASSEY, ALAN HALE, CRAIG STEVENS, newcomer MARK STEVENS, ANDREA KING, DANE CLARK, JOHN RIDGELY and DONALD COOK. But as a film, it falls strictly into the Saturday afternoon adventure mold for kiddies, only occasionally rising to the occasion of being a good biography of the wartime hero.

Despite the rather plum role, Morgan is still a lightweight, leaving the heavier histrionics to Raymond Massey and Alan Hale--but his fans loved him in this, regardless. It's probably the film he's most remembered for during the '40s.

And incidentally, there was no political correctness going on in the '40s as far as America and the Japanese were concerned, for those taking affront at the slurs against "the Japs". That's the way they were regarded then. Even having dishes that bore "Made in Japan" on them, was enough for an American to consider throwing them out. That's how it was--deal with it.

In 1942 China, World War II "Flying Tiger" Dennis Morgan (as Robert Lee "Scotty" Scott) recalls his love for aviation and enlistment in the US military. At age 34, Mr. Morgan fears he may be too old to join the war effort, but this was not unheard of during the Second World War. He leaves a pretty wife to share aviation expertise and eventually pilots dangerous missions against the sneaky, murderous Japanese. Morgan receives support from superior officer Raymond Massey (as Claire Chennault), kindly priest Alan Hale (as "Big Mike" Harrigan) and God. As signaled by the title, the latter becomes overtly active in later scenes. Stranger are how US bombers chat with English-speaking enemies like Richard Loo (as "Tokyo Joe") during battle. Minus the banter between bombers, the exciting air battles are a highlight.

***** God Is My Co-Pilot (3/15/45) Robert Florey ~ Dennis Morgan, Raymond Massey, Alan Hale, Dane Clark

God is my Co-Pilot is one of the best War Movies ever made. This movie was not available on Video for a while, and it was after fans have been screaming for it to come out on Video that it was finally released. Dennis Morgan plays Col. Robert Lee Scott, an Army Pilot who was looking for combat duty in World War II. He ends up in China with The Flying Tigers and flies with them on numerous missions. Richard Loo as "Tokyo Joe", a big mouth, over confident Japanese Fighter Pilot who communicates with his enemies over the radio and welcomes any chance to clash with Scott. This movie may not be as accurate as the book but it still a great movie with great combat scenes with P-40s and T-6 Texans as Japanese Zeros.