This film is based on the life and war career of Joseph "Mac" McConnell, as played by Alan Ladd, and June Allyson plays his wife, of whom he nicknamed "Butch." "Mac" was a much-decorated jet fighter of the Korean War. But the facts don't make the film and are not the crux (focused on) here. Even from the very beginning we are drawn in, as Mac is on the run from and wanted by the MPs, because he went flying during his Army tour. Immediately, we see the man, as Alan Ladd shows him to be a dreamer and a man of action. On his flight from them, he is given a ride by a stranger and tries to go out his kitchen window, when cornered by them, only to have June Allyson catching sight of him at the window. She of course think he's crazy and proceeds to turn him in with the MPs, only to find him gone when she returns to the kitchen. The obvious happens: he is taken by her and she succumbs to his charm. While we see him evolve into the jet pilot and fighter he will become, we are brought into their inner circle of love. Because she loves him, she tries to get him out of the line of fire and at a desk job, but like usual, a wife's attempt to change her husband doesn't pan out. Because she loves him, she worries about him, not only when he flies, but when he's gone to the store, when he's crossing the street, because that's what you do when you love someone. The love and warmth and feelings shared here are almost greater, than in any true-to-life movie she made with Jimmy Stewart. By the end of the film, we have felt much for these people, as we know them very well. "The McConnell Story" has become obviously one of my favorite Alan Ladd and/or June Allyson films. The life and war service of Joseph McConnell is depicted here, but the love he and his wife shared is what we remember from this film - one of the best biography-pictures (bio-pics) you're ever likely to see - "The McConnell Story."
