Wings of a Warrior: the Jimmy Doolittle Story

Wings of a Warrior: the Jimmy Doolittle Story

Wings of a Warrior: the Jimmy Doolittle Story, Gardner Doolittle (filmmaker/host), ISBN 978-1-939517-08-1, 84 minutes + 10 minute bonus

Wings of a Warrior: the Jimmy Doolittle Story by Gardner Doolittle (filmmaker/host) on the Shelter Island label

Gardner Doolittle (who is a third cousin relation to Jimmy Doolittle) has a voice which is somewhere between gravelly and one that growls — usually not the best choice for a narrator — especially with predictable spoken euphemisms. The archival footage used in the production fits into the story well but a very small portion of this footage does not jive with the narration. These small errors have no effect regarding the accuracy of the story given and do serve to set the emotive forces at work back in the day so many decades ago.

The above small critiques if mistakenly focused upon, albeit factual, will have the viewer miss the point and substance of this DVD entirely. Gardner Doolittle met Jimmy Doolittle late in his life, by fortunate accident, and tells the story of this famous man in this production he both narrated and directed (along with the help of others in the family). There are times in the narration where his voice quavers a bit and the eyes take a few seconds to look upward like when a man is regaining his bearings during particularly powerful portions of this wonderfully told story. Photographs, excellent ones, are also used with a muted Ken Burns effect. This is not a documentary, this is a story told with passion (though a bit hidden but typical of his generation) and accuracy — the facts and stories are all correct — wanting to show the entire man, in Gardner’s words. Gardner Doolittle of course addresses the famous raid on Tokyo led by Jimmy Doolittle but addresses so much more so that we see the full measure of who can be argued to be this country’s greatest aviator.

Gardner’s motivation, in fact, was to have the world know that Jimmy Doolittle was so much more than the man who led that incredibly important and effective raid as well as daring air racer. Along the course of the journey Gardner leads the viewer on he smoothly explains Jimmy Doolittle’s:

• Historic trophy winning exploits which include the Bendix, Mackay, Schneider and Thompson
• The first to complete an outside loop as well as land after loss of a rudder (usually pilots bailed out of the aircraft at the time)
• We learn of his near misses including completion of a loop having the landing gear touch ground
• Earning his PhD in aeronautics from MIT — making him an experienced aviator as well as one who could work with engineers to develop new dimensions in aviation
• His approach to Shell Oil to which resulted in 100 octane aviation gasoline to yield more power and longer range from aircraft since World War II was looming just over the horizon
• Working with the famed Guggenheimer Flight Laboratory to develop blind instrument flying and becoming the first pilot to take off, fly and land entirely on instruments
• Leading the 8^th Air Force (among others) but being the first to release fighters from close bomber escort where they became more effective (an unpopular move at the time but Jimmy Doolittle as we see in the DVD was not a man who sought popularity over getting the job done). He also flew in twenty of those combat missions.
• His incredible career serving presidents of the United States as well as leading industry after his active military service concluded— including the historic Doolittle Report which reshaped the CIA after 1954 under the Eisenhower Administration.

Gardner also corrects the record:

• Explaining that it was Capt. Francis Low who first thought of the idea to use land based medium bombers to fly off carrier decks to attack Japan, not Jimmy Doolittle
• It was Admiral Halsey, not Doolittle, who ordered the early launch of those Mitchell bombers off the USS Wasp to raid Tokyo

Jimmy Doolittle also associated with many historical people and Gardner excels is describing stories about Jimmy and the likes of Hap Arnold and George Patton. His personal life is addressed including the tragic and early death of his eldest son as well as the loss of one of his most trusted comrades, Flight Chief Paul Leonard, during World War II — this is where the eyes and voice tell us how passionate Gardner is with regard to this history.

This is a DVD well worth the viewing where the viewer will learn of the vast breadth of history made by Jimmy Doolittle — including, but not limited to, the raid on Tokyo and his air racing exploits.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

As is the publishing business custom, Shelter Island Label provided a copy of this DVD for an objective review.