Trinta Segundos Sobre Tóquio

I am a retired professional pilot with thirty-eight years experience and I can tell you what the Doolittle Raiders did took more raw courage than you can possibly imagine if you are not a pilot yourself. Simply taking off from an aircraft carrier is dangerous enough for a naval aircraft. Now do it with a heavily loaded bomber not designed for the task flown by pilots who had never even been on a carrier before. Okay, that's scary enough, now I'll try to explain the technical difficulties. Simply stated, to take off a multi engine aircraft at very low airspeed (Necessary for the short length of the deck) is to invite disaster. This is because if you lose an engine as you lift off, the torque from the good engine would roll the aircraft over on its back and into the sea. Now if you survive those rigors you still have to fly to Japan, brave the anti-aircraft fire and fighters, unload your bombs, try to make to China (Low on fuel) find some primitive landing strip at night, which may have fallen into enemy hands by the time you arrive. This movie is but a small tribute to these brave heroes, so please forgive any perceptions of WWII propaganda. Supreme courage? You bet!

Forget the schlocky fictions of Bruckheimer and Bay's PEARL HARBOR with its footnoted version of the Doolittle raid. If you want to see a more detailed, realistic, historical as well as romanticized version of the Pearl Harbor "pay back," see this one. It is the classic MGM treatment with a skilled cast including Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson.

If you do see PEARL HARBOR, rent this one too so you can see how to tell a real romance set against a historical event. And if you want the full picture of how the Doolittle raid was made possible, see DESTINATION TOKYO, the film telling the story of the submarine that snuck into Tokyo bay to help guide the bombers over the city.

I think this film is one of the best WWII films (if not the best) made during the war. The principal reason is that it's true and based on the famous Doolittle Raid on Japan on April 18, 1942. The movie follows the lives of a few of the members of that raid and focuses specifically on the experiences of Lt. Ted Lawson, who wrote the book. While a few of the stateside scenes are a bit corny and mushy, it nicely weaves in the story of one flyer and his wife and the way they handle their impending separation due to the upcoming mission. One needs to remember the need to portray and establish patriotism and an "apple pie and mom" sense during a difficult wartime environment when the film was released in 1944. In fact, just as the Doolittle Raid was carried out to bolster flagging US morale after Pearl Harbor (Dec 7, 1941)and a series of US and allied losses in the Pacific war in early 1942, this movie of the raid again plays the role of morale booster for the home front in 1944. The flying scenes, as well as the special effects, are pretty good for the 1940's movie making era and perfect for most WWII aviation buffs. This Hollywood movie version of the book of the same name written by Lt. Ted Lawson and edited by Robert Considine is fairly true to the book, with very minor changes for story continuity and some levity. Spencer Tracy does a good job as Lt. Col. Jimmie Doolittle and adds the needed seriousness to the early part of the film. Van Johnson's role of Lt. Ted Lawson was perfectly played and Phyllis Thaxter as his wife is charming. The story of the early part of their marriage adds the right tone to this movie and sort of personifies all of these types of marriages and relationships that were "put on hold" because of a war. The movie turns quite serious, of course, once the raid begins. The underlying story is quite serious and relates the story of a group of flyers who volunteered for an extremely dangerous mission without even knowing what the mission is. I think this is one of the main attractions of this movie for me...that someone is willing to sacrifice their life for their country when asked to possibly do just that. It is selfish acts like this that we in the US should continue to recognize and to be eternally grateful to those of the WWII generation such as those who took part in this famous and unique event in US aviation history.

Mervyn LeRoy directs this outstanding war drama. What makes it so damn good? Very good acting, realism and filmed in black & white. I can't imagine this story conveying the absolute truth of the famous "Doolittle Raid" without some filler; this is a great movie period and amazing it is based on truth. Van Johnson leads this very talented cast that also features Robert Walker, Phyllis Thaxter, Robert Mitchum and Don DeFore. Bombs over Tokyo! This one is easy to watch again and again. Try it if you haven't. A true classic.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is the most accurate portrayal of the Doolittle Raid on Japan during World War II. Whenever a movie is made from a book, there are usually changes made for "dramatic effect". However, there does not seem to be any such changes in this movie, as there is plenty of drama in the original story. Most of the dialogue was taken directly from the book by the same name. There are some scenes that may seem to be "propaganda" or "corny", but one must remember that in 1943, the atmosphere was different in the United States and the rest of the world. All of the characters in the movie were real life people from the Doolittle Raid and from accounts in the book and other sources, they are accurately portrayed by the actors in the movie. The main character, Ted Lawson, was the original technical advisor, but he was replaced by Dean Davenport (Lawson's co-pilot) after Lawson was re-called to active duty. Most of the flying scenes were done with actual B-25's accurately marked and even the take-off, which was done on a sound stage, used real aircraft on an aircraft carrier mock-up. The scenes that used miniatures were also well done for the time period (before digital effects). The movie "Pearl Harbor" also has an account of the Doolittle Raid, but it is very, very inaccurate. This movie is worth watching for everyone who has a desire to see historical events and is a must for all aviation and military buffs.