Dive Bomber (1941): Cast & Plot
Dive Bomber is a 1941 drama directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Louis Jean Heydt as Swede Larson, Fred MacMurray and Errol Flynn. It runs 2 hours 12 minutes.
- Release year
- Runtime
- 2h 12m (132 min)
- Director
- Michael Curtiz
- Genre
- Drama
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Dive Bomber About?
The premise of Dive Bomber without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A determined military surgeon joins forces with a senior Navy pilot to engineer a high‑altitude pressure suit designed to keep aviators conscious during extreme steep‑dive maneuvers. Their partnership drives a race against time to test the prototype, confronting technical setbacks and the inherent dangers of high‑speed flight.
Dive Bomber Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- pressurized cabin
- danger
- u.s. navy
- naval aviation
- flying in formation
- test pilot
- pilot training
- dive bomber
- romantic rivalry
- fainting
- jealousy
- marriage
+38 more Show fewer
- medicine
- naval officer
- fighter plane
- man in uniform
- curtiz and flynn
- flynn and a. smith
- a. smith and c. stevens
- flight surgeon
- altitude sickness
- aeromedical research
- aircrew
- student pilot
- spinal injury
- laboratory
- fractured skull
- flight school
- flight safety
- double talk
- divorcee
- co pilot
- airplane engine
- aeronautics
- aviator
- rivalry
- surgery
- aircraft carrier
- medical research
- heart disease
- friendship
- airplane accident
- oxygen
- pilot fatigue
- invention
- cigarette case
- doctor
- aviation
- pressurized suit
- instructor
Dive Bomber Cast & Characters
Louis Jean Heydt leads the cast as Swede Larson, with Fred MacMurray as Joe Blake and Errol Flynn as Douglas S. Lee. Directed by Michael Curtiz; 22 actors are credited in all.
-
Director Michael Curtiz
- Louis Jean Heydt as Swede Larson
-
Fred MacMurray as Joe Blake -
Errol Flynn as Douglas S. Lee -
Moroni Olsen as Senior Surgeon at San Diego
Also Starring in Dive Bomber
· 18 more- Alexis Smith Linda Fisher
- Ralph Bellamy Lance Rogers
- Regis Toomey Tim Griffin
- Gig Young Abbott - Guinea Pig 2 Experiment 32 (uncredited)
- Harold Miller Doctor (uncredited)
- Bert Moorhouse Doctor (uncredited)
- Addison Richards Surgeon (uncredited)
- Bert Stevens Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
- Russell Hicks Awards Speaker (uncredited)
- Ann Doran Joe's Blind Date (uncredited)
- Allen Jenkins Lucky James
- Howard Hickman Admiral (uncredited)
- Robert Armstrong Art Lyons
- Craig Stevens John Thomas Anthony III
- Charles Smith Bellboy (uncredited)
- Herbert Anderson Chubby Markham
Show all 22 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Cliff Nazarro Corps Man
- Dennie Moore Mrs. James
Dive Bomber Plot Summary
What happens in Dive Bomber from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Lt. “Swede” Larson, Louis Jean Heydt blacks out during a high-speed dive and crashes while a bombing squadron trains from a carrier off Hawaii. At the Honolulu base hospital, Joe Blake, Fred MacMurray is concerned that Larson may not pull through. Doug Lee, Errol Flynn, a U.S. Navy doctor, convinces his senior surgeon, Moroni Olsen, to operate, but the pilot dies on the operating table. After Blake blames Lee for rushing the procedure, the doctor decides to become a naval flight surgeon and winds up training at the U.S. Naval Air Station in San Diego under a cadre of instructors, including Blake. A subplot introduces Linda Fisher, Alexis Smith, a divorcee who becomes a love interest for the two rivals.
Full summary
The whole story of Dive Bomber, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know Dive Bomber?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Which actor portrays the naval doctor Doug Lee?
Cars in Dive Bomber
8 cars on screen, including the 1940 Buick Century and the 1930 Ford Model A.
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1940 Buick Century Minor role -
1930 Ford Model A Minor role -
1941 Packard Ambulance Minor role -
White unknown Minor role
Dive Bomber Also Known As
8 alternative titles, including “Bombarderos en picado” and “Bombardier en Piqué”.
- Also known as
-
- Bombarderos en picado
- Bombardier en Piqué
- Bombardieri in picchiata
- Пикирующий бомбардировщик
- Бомбардировач
- Escuadrón suicida
- Zuhanóbombázók
- Demônios do Céu
Seen Dive Bomber?
Movies Like Dive Bomber
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including A Diving Bomber Chronicle, The War Lover and We Dive at Dawn.
Dive Bomber FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Dive Bomber, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Dive Bomber?
Dive Bomber runs 2 hours 12 minutes (132 minutes).
When was Dive Bomber released?
Dive Bomber was released in 1941.
Who directed Dive Bomber?
Dive Bomber was directed by Michael Curtiz.
More films by Michael Curtiz Who is in the cast of Dive Bomber?
Dive Bomber stars Louis Jean Heydt as Swede Larson, Fred MacMurray as Joe Blake and Errol Flynn as Douglas S. Lee, among 22 credited actors.
Does Dive Bomber have a post-credit scene?
No. Dive Bomber has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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