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Sterling Hayden (Johnny Guitar) plays the steel-nerved Commander Dan Collier who trains Navy Carrier Pilots during the Second World War while battling the kind Lieutenant, Joe Rodgers (Richard Carlson, Retreat, Hell!), who is more concerned with being popular with his men than being their actual leader. In the tradition of Henry King's Twelve O'Clock High - Flat Top deals with various psychological and personal conflicts that pilots face as they move toward the thick of the battle. The film employed actual newsreel footage and the effective usage added realism to the picture. This action-packed WWII classic was directed by Lesley Selander (Fighter Attack) and features wonderful performances by William Phipps, John Bromfield, Keith Larson and William Schallert as the young pilots. Editor William Austin (Wichita) received an Academy Awardr nomination for Best Film Editing.