Air Cadet

Rock Hudson certainly looks older than his age and has the maturity of someone at least in his 30's. There's no question about it, the man is tall, dark and handsome, and there's real depth to his emotions and facial expression. He does have a rich, silky voice.

If you love aviation, you'll appreciate all that Air Cadet offers. It's well acted, beautifully produced, and vastly more realistic than most military flying films.

The aircraft, flight instruction, and training facilities are all historically accurate and take place at the training bases actually named because this movie was produced with the full cooperation of the U. S. Air Force.

The plot is only minimally hokey as it largely sidesteps the Hollywood clichés that make so many films of the era unwatchable. The main characters have depth, complexity, and credible motivations. No spoilers here, but the protagonist isn't entirely good / right and his antagonist isn't entirely bad / wrong. In short, the film realistically represents the human element in flight training.

The Lockheed F-80 and T-33 are stars in their own right. Two versions of the same first-generation USAF jet, the former is the single-seat fighter version and the latter a two-seat trainer.

The greatest treat of all is the in-flight photography.

It's utterly superb and -- a rarity in aviation films -- is perfectly choreographed to match the storyline. A great deal of planning, coordination, and astonishingly precise flying creates a spectacular look at the USAF's "early blowtorch era."

I suspect this film's undeservedly the low IMDb rating reflects viewer expectations of over-the-top drama and cliché-ridden hyperbole rather than something relatively realistic. It truly deserves to stand alongside I Wanted Wings before it.

It's 53 years old, it's a B movie, it's unashamed propaganda for the USAF - and I loved it. This movie is in my opinion a minor classic and a real piece of history. There's no definite 'plot' to the film, but it's the story of a group of USAF cadets going through flying training in the (very) early years of the jet engine. I really enjoyed it & all the actors showed the enthusiasm of young men at the beginning of their careers. If I was 21 again and transported back to 1951 I couldn't think of a better choice. It was really interesting to see "museum piece" airplanes brand new and the subject of such awe from the cadets and the photography throughout was as crisp as if it'd been filmed yesterday. It was also one of Rock Hudson's earliest movies and, it's so obvious why he later became a star. 'Air Cadets' certainly didn't win any Oscars but it's MUCH more realistic than the ridiculous 'Top Gun' and well worth watching.

The plot is predictable, especially considering the film is, for all intents and purposes, a recruiting film. It's also a thinly veiled rework of the earlier Berne Lay script, "I Wanted Wings." As a matter of fact, the barracks interior scenes at Randolph AFB, early in the film, utilize the same sets used for the aforementioned 1941 classic. The neat thing is the combination of aircraft and "actors" - the T-33 two-seat jet trainers are some of the earliest models, prior to the installation of ejection seats. There is also a liberal sprinkling of single-seat F-80s used throughout as well. For the flight gear aficionado, the pilots wear the first production "hard hats," the P-1 helmet. Among the actors are actual USAF personnel. Future Mercury 7 astronaut Gus Grissom is mentioned in the IMDb listing as a cast member, but I'm going to have to watch it again to pick him out. More recognizable for me was Col. Leon Gray - he gives a speech to the new jet students about the sophistication of their aircraft, how it will "talk" to them. Gray was a highly decorated WWII veteran who flew photo reconnaissance P-38 Lightnings in the European theater. He went on to command one of the first P-80 squadrons at March Field, then took command of the first RF-80 (reconnaissance version of the Shoioting Star) wing in the USAF.

If you're an early jet nut, this movie is a "must have" in your collection.

In 1951 I went to the Premier of this movie in Houston Texas. I was an Aviation Cadet at the time. I have seen the movie on AMC several times. Although there are no legitimate tapes as far as I know I have obtained one from ebay. I would like to get an uncut 16mm or 35mm film for showing if they are available. I have collected peripherals such as posters,black and white stills and ads about this movie. The movie came out during the Korean War and was done using actual settings and real Air Force persona. In fact in the initial screening in Houston several of my classmates are shown. The movie as shown on AMC does not include that segment. It may have been cut out after the initial premier before being distributed. It was realistic as it showed the life of a cadet from start to his commission. It also showed the heartbreak of being "washed out" as a good many cadets were. It is truly a film of the early fifties and shows young men being prepared for war in the Korean skies.