Customer Reviews for
A Guy Named Joe
"Girl clothes! From London! You bought me girl clothes!"
A GUY NAMED JOE is a wonderful, old-fashioned, patriotic film made in 1944 during WWII. Starring Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne, Van Johnson, Ward Bond, and Lionel Barrymore, A GUY NAMED JOE is the story of Pete (Tracy), a hot shot bomber pilot, who dies when he purposefully crashes his disabled plane into a German aircraft carrier. Dorinda (Dunne), Pete's girl friend and a pilot with the Women's Air Ferrying Corps, is devastated, especially since she has just convinced Pete to take a safer assignment stateside teaching new recruits how to fly. In Heaven, which looks remarkably like an Army airfield only with soft, fluffy, white clouds on the ground, "The Commanding General" (Barrymore) makes Pete a guardian angel to Ted Randall (Johnson), a young, unsure Army pilot. Pete invisibly helps Ted through flight training and combat. Ted eventually picks of some of Pete's quirks and style, becoming quite a hot shot pilot himself. Of course, he eventually meets and falls in love with Dorinda, making Pete very jealous. Dorinda is still devoted to Pete's memory, but she, too, eventually falls for Ted. In the end, however, Pete lets Dorinda go, saving Dorinda, Ted, and even his own soul.
This sweet, sentimental film combines the war genre with romantic fantasy. Directed by Victor Fleming and written by Dalton Trumbo, the script is wry and witty with both Spence Tracy and Irene Dunne delivering some great lines (hence the title of this review). Tracy, Dunne, and Johnson are all believable in their respective roles as well as what you expect them to be as actors. Barrymore is classic as "The Commanding General," and I loved Ward Bond as Pete and Dorinda's best friend. Considering this was filmed in 1944, the special effects are admirable and what you would expect from that era. Apparently, there are several inaccuracies in this film (e.g. there weren't any German aircraft carriers in WWII), but I simply did not care.
A GUY NAME JOE is a terrific choice for a pleasant, sappy, nostalgic evening at home. You may need a hanky in a few spots. But watching this classic film, both my husband and I found smiles on our faces for most of the evening.
Side notes: There is no character named Joe in this film. At the beginning some hero-worshipping kids explain that pilots in the Army Air Corps call any "right fellow" Joe. Also, A GUY NAMED JOE was remade in 1989 by Steven Spielberg as the movie ALWAYS.
A Guy Named Joe
This movie was made for 1943, not 1989
Trying to directly compare this movie, made in 1943, with "Always", made in 1989, is not really fair. In 1943 we were at war and movies were often designed to support our war efforts, as well as entertain. Both are love stories, but written and directed for different times and different audiences. For those of us around in 1943, it is easy to understand and appreciate movies from that era, while also enjoying pictures of a more recent making, from the perspective the time they are made. My advice to younger viewers, is to think of "A Guy Named Joe" as a well acted and emotional, love and war story, as well as an insight into entertainment during the war yearsA Guy Named Joe
What airplae stuff
I thought the P-38s were great. I know the special effects were not up to current par, but the moview was made ove sixty years ago. I thought the acting was very good.A Guy Named Joe
I Prefer the Remake, Which I Usually Don't!
I'm not the type of movie viewer to enjoy the remake of a film more than the orignal. But in this case, I'm going to make an exception.
I'm also no great lover of all of Steven Spielberg's films (although I do enjoy many of them), but Mr. Spielberg (director of the remake of this film, re-titled "Always", staring Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, and John Goodman) seemed to have a better grasp of the relationship between Pete -- the main protagonist -- and Dorinda -- the main protagonist's love interest -- than did the director of "A Guy Named Joe", Victor Fleming.
And let's face it, their relationship is what the story is all about. A cocky fly-boy who strives to maintain his independence but is deeply in love with another woman who also happens to love flying. Spencer Tracy plays Pete Sandidge, a gruff but extremely able pilot, fighting the good fight against the Germans during WW II. His only vice is his affection toward Dorinda Durston (Irene Dunne), a beautiful lady in the Womens Air Corp. But when Pete dies bombing a German carrier (which, by the way, is historically false since Germany never made one before the end of the war), Dorinda turns inward, choosing a life of loneliness and despair, until she meets Ted Randall (Van Johnson). Little does Dorinda and Ted, and Pete for that matter, realize that their lives will be inexplicably intertwined during their flight and ground time during the end of the war.
Pete returns as a sort of spirit to the pilots and aids Ted in becoming the best flyer in the army. But Ted also falls in love with Dorinda, Pete's old flame, and Pete has to choose between letting Dorinda go, or holding onto her and watching her whither into a shell of aloneness.
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My biggest issue with this film was that I didn't feel the connection that Pete felt for Dorinda. He just seemed off-ish and brusque. While in "Always", Richard Dreyfuss' character really made me aware of how strongly Pete felt for Dorinda.
I also didn't care for "Heaven" -- or whatever it was supposed to represent when Spencer Tracy died -- being a military style place. In "Always", Audrey Hepburn plays Richard Dreyfuss' Heaven and Earth go-between with no ties to anything military or government related. A nice adjustment and screenplay alteration.
There was also a lot more subtle humor in "Always" that made me feel more connected with the characters than in "A Guy Named Joe."
This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy "A Guy Named Joe." I did. It's just, surprisingly, I liked the remake more.A Guy Named Joe
The classic movie about a cracked up bomber pilot's ghost
A Guy Named Joe is THE classic movie about a cracked up WWII bomber pilot (Spencer Tracy) sent back from Heaven as a ghost to provide guidance, like a guardian angel, to a new pilot trainee who turns out to fall in love with the ghost's girlfriend (Irene Dunne). I think this is the only movie in which Spencer Tracy played opposite Irene Dunne, who was one of the classiest leading ladies of her time (The Awful Truth, Penny Serenade, Life With Father, I Remember Mama, Anna and the King of Siam, The Mudlark, etc.).
The stellar supporting cast includes Van Johnson (Brigadoon, The Pied Piper of Hamlin), James Gleason (Here Comes Mr. Jordan, The Bishop's Wife), Lionel Barrymore (On Borrowed Time, It's A Wonderful Life), Ward Bond (Sgt. York, The Searchers), Don Defore (The Human Comedy, Ramrod), Barry Nelson (Airport, The Shining), and Esther Williams, soon to become a star in a class of her own (Bathing Beauty, Take Me Out To The Ball Game). Unfortunately remade as "Always" - nothing against Richard Dreyfuss, but he's no Spencer Tracy, and ditto the rest of the respective casts.
In addition to well-acted fantastic romance, there are some great air combat scenes, some of the best of its time. (Van Johnson also appeared with Spencer Tracy in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo the same year.)
If you like fantasies like Heaven Can Wait, That's The Spirit, The Dust Factory, Beyond Tomorrow, etc., you must see this one. If you're a fan of Spencer Tracy or a movie buff who likes a lot of character actors, you must see this movie. If you're interested in old World War II movies with combat action, you shouldn't miss this one!A Guy Named Joe
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