Flat Top I American Drama Film 1952 I Sterling Hayden, Richard Carlson, William Phipps

[@robertcheslock9636]

Great movie, never saw it before. Keep digging these gems out of the archives..

[@johnacres4666]

I was one year old when they made this movie and this one i have never seen before! Watched it and really very realistic and fun to see! Great to see the old propeller fighters from world war 2 era that are very rare to find now in the years 2024/2025!

[@paul-u2y9y]

i thought Phil Hartman was really good as the 2nd squad leader. way before saturday night live.

[@bw3446]

Of course realistic, they threw actual combat footage into the movie.

[@DerGlaetze]

Sterling Hayden was an underrated stud.

[@StephenKiely-y3j]

Can't believe ive never seen this movie from 52 year i entered this world

[@mikemcclure9983]

December 1952

[@stanleyharmon1103]

May 1952

[@johnnowakowski4062]

Great movie... Thanks!

[@JamesFrazier-s1h]

I served on the USSPrinceton the film that this movie is about, she never saw action in WW2, but she did see action in Korea. She was converted to an LPH and saw action during the Vietnam war as LPH 5 !

[@richardc7721]

The Princeton used in the movie wasn't but the Princeton of WW2 sure did and was sunk by the Japanese.

[@johnclawed]

LPH?

[@malleygz3991]

LPH (Landing Platform Helicopter) The (CV-37) USS Princeton was indeed converted to an LPH (Amphibious Assault Ship) however as stated it was not built from the hull up as this type. The first LPH of this class that was actually planned, built, and launched as a true "Amphib" was the USS Iwo Jima, LPH-2. Seven ships of this type were built. LPH-2 Iwo Jima LPH-3 Okinawa LPH-7 Guadalcanal LPH-9 Guam LPH-10 Tripoli LPH-11 New Orleans LPH-12 Inchon I served on the Guadalcanal aka "Guad" from 1989 - 1993 as an MS (Mess Specialist aka cook) now known as CS (Culinary Specialist).

[@daleallen7634]

in World War II: The USS Princeton was originally built as the USS Tallahassee (CL-61), but was converted into a carrier and renamed CV-23 before launching. It was commissioned in February 1943 and participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the invasion of Saipan, and the conquest of the Marshall Islands.

[@johnellacott878]

Sterling Hayden, a bloody fine all round man.

[@bobsakamanos4469]

He only drinks pure rain water, or grain alcohol. "Do you realise that fluoridation is the most monstrously-conceived and dangerous Communist plot we have ever had to face?"

[@jinniyamciver-mq3np]

Thank you for sharing this terrific film💖.

[@juanmanuelparadacontreras9565]

Una grata sorpresa toparse con estos filmes clásicos del género bélico. Saludos y bendiciones a todos los cinéfilos de corazón desde Venezuela.

[@ladamyre1]

"Inform Ensign Mallory he's just been grounded." Perfect ending.

[@trevorgale1176]

I just love how in these movies, a F4-U Corsair can strafe, turn into a Curtiss SB2 Helldiver drop a bomb, pull up and turn back into a Corsair. And then miss with a bomb attack turn into a Curtiss XBT2C and drop a torpedo.

[@curtisc6768]

And also how they never run out of ammo. Max payload was 2400 rounds for 6 .50 cal guns

[@goldensilver793]

Remember this movie from when I was 12 and cruising channels...I watched and read tons of navy war movies and books...one day I realized I became what I read when I was taking readings between the main engines of the sub I was serving on...

[@theophilosmantzanas9203]

Great and inspiring film. Sterling Hayden and Richard Carlson were great actors who were also human beings unlike some of the actors we have tolerate these days.

[@fifthbusiness1678]

There’s always at least a dozen of such comments, harkening back “for the good old days.” Lol It’s a ridiculous piece of propaganda, but it’s entertaining and features some great aircraft carrier landings and Thunderbolt vs Zero battles.

[@fifthbusiness1678]

The film is a a ridiculous piece of propaganda, but it’s entertaining, has a strong cast who turn in good performances, and features some great aircraft carrier landings and Thunderbolt vs Zero air battles (even if they are repeated ad nauseam). Thanks for making it available, Tala!

[@jamesborn-s6w]

Sterling Hayden cowardly caved and testified to McCarthy's un-American Activitied Committee.

[@bobsakamanos4469]

@@fifthbusiness1678 It seems you condone the current sick agendas and propaganda out of the studios.

[@geraldturner9764]

Just finished day one. Yay! Great job Charlie and everyone.(Gerry, NC USA)

[@garyschultz7768]

Great action movie... its a classic so ive seen it a number of times ... actual combat footage is included.. ☆

[@stanspeight9638]

Great Movie

[@gordonwood1594]

Sterling Hayden ferried arms and agents in small sailing boats around the Aegean sea during WWII. A hero in every sense of the word.

[@Lawrence1203-f7s]

I never saw this movie before, Very enjoyable. Thanks viewed in San Diego, California USA

[@timothycarlson3663]

My dad was a "hot papa" on the Princeton in Korean War. They had squadrons of F9F and Corsairs. He also was stationed on the USS Philippine Sea. Good movie. Thanks to all our servicemen for your brave action and let us always remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice with their life. God Bless you all!🇺🇸🙏

[@sjefhendrickx2257]

Bla blabla….

[@brunodesamber5714]

Excellent. Classic war. Movie. 💣🔥💣 whit perfect. Script. And. Story. I. Miss. These. Top. Classic. Movies. Thy. Are. Tarific. To. Watch. Them. 🎉🎉🎉🎉 👌👏👏👌💣🔥💣

[@stuartlynn-q8q]

It's a good movie despite all the mistakes and all the criticism in the comments by people who weren't even born when it was made

[@paulbarthol8372]

The types of aircraft were known, even back then. Also, Iwo Jima didn't look like the Philippines. Technical advisor took money under false pretenses.

[@stuartlynn-q8q]

@ Ya but who really cares now Hollywood used all kinds of actual footage making movies back then. At least it's real The best part for me is still working and flying in those old warbirds Happy new year

[@larrybaker404]

The chiefs n petty offi ers were the true enemy

[@walterquick8649]

❤❤ caring is sharing😂🎉 shipmate? Ya grounded😅​@@stuartlynn-q8q

[@richardc7721]

Twice Hayden plays in a movie about Flat-tops. This one and 1952, The Eternal Sea.

[@bobsakamanos4469]

and one about B-52 bombers.... and fluoridation.

[@tbm3fan913]

Love when the squadron returns from their first flight and enter their quarters. They are then taking off their khaki uniform instead of a flight suit. I can't watch these anymore having restored a TBM Avenger and am still restoring a sister ship to the Princeton. Things stand out making me say wrong. However, if I saw this when 10 years old I would be captivated.

[@michaelpoyer]

@@tbm3fan913 serms no war movie can ever be consistent. Like when B17 are on a bombing mission at 35-40 thousand feet. One has not flight suit the next are all bundled up with oxygen masks.

[@paulbarthol8372]

The director either didn't know, or didn't have access to the file film, of the right kinds of aircraft for this story.

[@Baskerville22]

A great amount of actual WW2 battle footage

[@lloydryan7716]

Great movie, I thought I'd seen them all at 86. I guess bot.

[@paul-u2y9y]

I was a red shirt on a carrier, it used to denote ordinance, i don't know about way back then but 16:57 look at those guys just ho hum around all those whirling props, jeez !

[@bobsakamanos4469]

and no ear defenders.

[@paul-u2y9y]

@@bobsakamanos4469 mickey mouse ears.

[@timlabell]

Mr. Roger's 🤦 Henry Fonda . 🤔 did similar play and movie. Thank you for posting this movie. 😊

[@petercermak1910]

Look Everybody, It's Jimmy Olsen of the Daily Planet at time mark 55:45! He should have called for Superman's help! Great movie. Thanks for posting.

[@petersanders5321]

@petercermak1910 • Also Phyllis Coates who played the first Louis Lane from Superman. Both in this picture.

[@spikespa5208]

57:12 USS Longshaw . Lost to shore fire at Okinawa after grounding on a reef. May 1945.

[@Joybarnespima]

The series Superman started in 1952 so both Jack Larson and Phyllis Coates must have gone straight from this movie to the Superman studio.

[@brianw612]

CV37 in this movie was the Essex Class USS Princeton. She never served in WW2, commissioned late in 1945 after Japan's surrender. She was scrapped in 1971.

[@caseyjonessnr1200]

Excellent film with some fantastic flying sequences. Thank you. 1:25:02

[@mikearakelian6368]

Cant believe i missed this one...4.0

[@dennismckown4951]

the carrier protrayed in this movie is the USS Princeton CV-37

[@Geoffrey-FrankHorgan]

Very nice film to watch good action God Bless America

[@stanspeight9638]

Great Movie I Miss Movies Like This

[@brunodesamber5714]

I. Can. Understand. You. That is. The. True. 👌💣👌😉

[@bicwoolard494]

Kind of funny how they takeoff in one plane and then land in another ha ha Good show

[@Struwelpeter62]

And in the final battle, they arm the planes with 500 lb bombs and rockets and they take off with only drop tanks attached.

[@paul-u2y9y]

phil hartman did a fine job in this role,

[@DevilDogRob]

Semper Fi Sterling Hayden!

[@robertnagel337]

He wasn’t a marine. He was, however a hero.

[@DevilDogRob]

@@robertnagel337 According to several different sources, Sterling Hayden joined the Marine Corps after breaking his ankle in a parachute incident in the US Army. After graduating boot camp, he went to Officer Candidate School and worked intelligence (OSS) in the European Theater. The Central Intelligence Agency documents this on their official government website.

[@robertnagel337]

@ I didn’t see that in the source I used. We can stand by the “bad ass” description though.

[@craig4867]

BATTLE TAXI Starring Sterling Hayden Great Korean War Movie 1955

[@stevennader2720]

As a former Navy Boatswains mate second class that served in the eighties I love these old Navy movies, I was never on a carrier but I had a buddy that left the frigate we were on and went to a carrier. He said it was a nightmare. Too many people and BS. However when I left the frigate i ended up on the 3rd fleet flagship USS Coronado AGF-11 with the admiral and his staff which was a bigger nightmare. It was like going from McHales Navy to the real Navy too much spit and polish and strict uniform of the day rules and staff officers that were Annapolis A-holes condescending arrogant and had attitudes like they had a cactus up their ass.

[@johnclawed]

But how was the chow?

[@mr.mcintosh]

I know the type. They're the reason I didn't make it a career!

[@cowboy104]

some things never change ...like whining swabbies ....man your brooms

[@stevennader2720]

@@johnclawed I think on the flagship it was a tad bit better than the frigate. Honestly, I don’t really recall too much about it. It was just kind of mundane run of the mill food. The best chow I ever had in the Navy was when we would walk over to the submarine base being stationed at Pearl Harbor. We would dock near there and when we had the time we would walk over there and get lunch since we were not submariners or assigned to the submarine base we had to pay $.50 to eat there, but it was so worth it. It was the best chow I ever had in the Navy. When I was on the frigate which was my first ship, I broke my foot and had six months light duty assigned to the submarine museum at the submarine base and that’s when I would eat at the submarine base chow hall every day. On the frigate, we had a lot of Filipino cooks so we would eat a lot of Filipino and Asian style food, which was really good but then when they were trying to cook some traditional American food, they couldn’t get it quite right cause it just wasn’t their thing I remember one Thanksgiving on the frigate. I was eating mashed potatoes, cause I was on duty that day and in my mashed potatoes I pulled out a piece of paper that was the directions for the dehydrated potatoeswhich was kind of disappointing. They weren’t even serving us real potatoes on Thanksgiving.

[@toddadams57]

I was aboard CV43 serving as a radioman for Commander Carrier Group 3 during Iranian hostage crisis (Jan-June 1980). My experience serving on a flag staff was quite the opposite. Perhaps no one was sweating the small stuff given the current events and our proximity to them, or it was simply good leadership and good staff. There was no friction that I observed from my narrow point of view even while underway for 102 consecutive days and no real days off. While the outcome of the mission hangs heavy, I do have fond memories COMCARGRU3 and CV43. Big boat, good food.

[@muslimindaenglalo6133]

Balang riverside watching

[@TigerDominic-uh1dv]

Great Action War Movie 🎬, The Kind I Like 👍 😊

[@paulgithens635]

Go NAVY and bless the USMC!

[@bobsakamanos4469]

Navy pilots - where every landing is a spot landing on a rolling deck after navigating back to a carrier that's moved since launch.

[@glennbrymer4065]

Ever notice that there are very few overweight actors in the old days. Nor overweight soldier's or sailors.

[@bobsakamanos4469]

Those were the days. When I was a kid, there were no fat ones. Everyone spent time outside doing chores or playing football & had six packs.

[@CindyTeague-x6p]

Kinda reminds me of the John Wayne movie with Robert Ryan as his ecxecutive in the flying leathernecks

[@davidluck1678]

above average recruiting vid, good performances by Hayden et al. despite phoney Hollywood-scriptwriter yakking. Lotsa nice air/carrier footage.....some of it from 1944 attacks on Japanese shipping in Caroline Islands, Iwo Jima landing, etc. . Actual WW2 "USS Princeton" wasn't a heavy Essex-class carrier as depicted here in flashback, but a light Independence-class carrier....sunk during the Leyte Gulf air-sea battle, 24 October 1944. Next commissioned (1945) USS Princeton, CV 37, served in Korean and Vietnam wars.

[@backwardsman6166]

no one plays a hard ass as well as sterling hayden.

[@MichaelBeritich]

My father was a boilerman on the Princeton during the Korean war.

[@johnzajac9849]

At the start of the film, the jet fighters, which are landing on the carrier, are McDonnell F2H 'Banshees'.

[@lesliemacmillan9932]

With respect, I think they are Grumman F9F Panthers. Note the top of the vertical fin (where the red paint is), is rounded, not squared-off as in the (larger) F2H. The wing is different, too, but this is hard to appreciate head on. Some of the confusion comes from in the novel, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, the aircraft that Brubaker flies is described an an F2H but the film uses F9Fs, which the Navy was flying at the time it was made. The Panther would soon be replaced by the swept-wing Cougar, also called F9F but a different aircraft.

[@tacwa4255]

I googled the average ages of WW2 USN aviators and found that most started at age 19 to 2I yet most of the "just out of training" ensign pilots looked older! I know that in the 1940's early '5Os male hairstyles for teenagers/20 somethings looked like their fathers/uncles so I Googled through IDMB for this movie = made in 1952 - and found that most were 30 to 33 years old. Were the younger actors actually serving in Korea during filming or did Hollywood have reluctance to use 19 to 22 year olds? (Sterling Hayden & Richard Carlson as the Squadron Commander & Exec were at bit long in the tooth for the 1942 scenes - each at about 40 years old when the movie was made.

[@craig4867]

WATCHING FROM RUSSIA ⚔️🇷🇺⚔️🇷🇺⚔️🇷🇺⚔️🇷🇺⚔️ Fighter Pilots Good Movie

[@shadowwolf9503]

Hello Russia !

[@paulpfeifer2612]

I've always liked William Schallert.

[@tacwa4255]

At 45:00 where was the protective screen of smaller war ships - cruisers & destroyers etc?

[@colonial6452]

The cast moved on up in later years. Sterling Hayden to The Godfather, Richard Carlson to I Led Three Lives and Phyllis Coates to Superman. It is interesting to see these actors as youngsters. (Sort of)

[@michaelmchugh3987]

Why didn’t they have air cover?

[@starguy2718]

Because Maverick kept buzzing the tower, so the skipper put an end to that.

[@beth1966]

I love it twelve o’clock high on a boat…..if I want your opinion….I’ll give it to you

[@vanpearsall]

A commercial in the opening credits, that’s a new one enjoy your Couple of pennies

[@bullettube9863]

A sanitized, brief version of Princeton's service with film of planes that weren't in the squadron but the real story was about the pilots. The US Navy quickly trained thousands of pilots during WW2 from many different walks of civilian life and they turned out to be good pilots.

[@Joybarnespima]

Anybody recognize Jimmy Olsen, Cub reporter from the Superman series? Jack Larson played the mate that tells them they're going to see the whole third fleet the next day.

[@doolo.13]

15 mins that pheasant was only 600yrds away still missed..😢.. That's laughing matter..

[@pollydor07]

Thanks

[@SeniorChief604]

Good Movie except the WWII shipboard scenes show aircraft with a red stripe on the US roundrel. This wasn't added until 1946.

[@b4bluey]

Great Movie ? I feel I watched a Movie of a lot of Adverts with a little snip of the movie inbetween

[@kevincampbell643]

Different version of John Wayne's Flying Leathernecks.

[@davidluck1678]

only minus Big Jawn

[@Peter-od7op]

Great movie now we have trump back usa is back

[@bobsakamanos4469]

He'll need to undo the emasculation of the media and military.

[@bobsakamanos4469]

Sterling Hayden as Gen. Ripper: "Do you realise that fluoridation is the most monstrously-conceived and dangerous Communist plot we have ever had to face?"

[@starguy2718]

Purity of essence.

[@bobsakamanos4469]

@@starguy2718 Is that you, Mandrake? Your Commie has no regard for human life, not even his own..

[@bobsakamanos4469]

@@starguy2718 Is that you Mandrake? Listen to me carefully. Your Commie has no regard for human life, not even his own.

[@bobsakamanos4469]

@@starguy2718 I see that YT is intent on censoring derogatory comments about communism.

[@michaelpoyer]

Are we flying corsairs, hellcats or SBDs? I’m confused. Lol

[@shadowwolf9503]

😂 !

[@bobsakamanos4469]

It's good to see the variety so kids can practice a/c ident.

[@docmallard2]

A carrier task force with NO CAP flying?

[@dlwaterloo2221]

On the way to the first battle they flew Corsairs. During the battle they were flying TBD’s and launching torpedoes. 🤷‍♂️

[@Jaxsolo]

Several years after leaving the Navy, the squadron CO would be shot in the forehead by Michael Corleone...

[@robertnagel337]

Bandits at four o’clock and they all look to one o’clock.

[@DanielMoreno-uc3vq]

Hola,sería muy bueno que puedan doblar esta película al español LATINO. Desde Argentina 🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷 saludos, buen año 2025

[@robertnagel337]

We’re loafers official service uniform.

[@MrKen-wy5dk]

This movie is only ruined by all the obnoxious YT ads.

[@paul-u2y9y]

17:40 i think those are Corsairs

[@larrybaker404]

Pilots were assholes to enlisted

[@dies1domini]

Another film about an harsh CO who is wright in the long run.

[@bobsakamanos4469]

Harsh only by today's emotionally frail standards.

[@ocsplc]

It’s ironic that both the Brit’s and US Marines had to beta test the F4U for the Navy in WW2. Wonder why.?

[@KyleCote-j8i]

So fine.

[@robertnagel337]

Why would a plane sent up to protect against enemy fighters have a heavy bomb attached?

[@docmallard2]

The continuity department seemed to have failed big time! One minute a Corsair the next a A1D, the next a Hellcat. Even seemed to have a formation of Japanese flying what appear to be "Lend Lease" SB2C's

[@stevebrauning9287]

Why do they show different aircraft in pretty much every scene? Different types, different markings, etc. It's ridiculous. They could just show the same aircraft.

[@spikespa5208]

Apparently not enough stock footage of F4Us in action. Producers do what they can.

[@stevebrauning9287]

@@spikespa5208 But do they think no one will notice or care? Especially when it's so obvious, showing totally different aircraft in the same sequence.

[@spikespa5208]

If the footage isn't available, *_it's not available_* . So maybe they should just not make the film? The film is about the people involved in the War. They most likely realized that military history fans would notice (they had 2 tech advisors), but they also assumed that military fans would know *why* the aircraft in the scenes are different.........and move on.

[@lesliemacmillan9932]

@@spikespa5208 That's a *really* good point. I even don't mind that most (not all) of the F4Us are in post-war livery with the red stripe in the star-and-bar. It helps us keep track of what was contemporary footage and what was war-time footage.

[@spikespa5208]

It was pushing it a bit to use a bad landing clip of a post-war A-1 Skyraider, a plane that never saw service during the War.

[@MikeClark-e5x]

brown loafers on the Air Boss?

[@JamesLangenberg-s8f]

In room but I need food

[@jeffharper9703]

With poovies and gallonder tae the skies daddy'o ☝

[@fredtheuberdriver]

Invasion of the Philippines, yet the actual footage is Iwo Jima

[@GeraldMiller-mp8fc]

What a bunch of whiners for pilots.

[@mykofreder1682]

They made the guy a jerk but all the jerk stuff was probably key points from the war, mostly he is not a good leader because he does not explain things until mistakes are made. You crash your airplane, you should expect to be disciplined. Radio discipline was a problem early on, I suspect it was covered in training, he yells about it but fails to explain what is important and what is BS. The diversion criticism should have been explained during the briefing, it would take a minute to say do this and not that and why.

[@bobsakamanos4469]

Only a jerk by today's emotionally frail standards.

[@j.sumner6999]

Lesley Selander not only direrctee Wersterns.

[@gizmo-td4vs8qo6e]

Gizmo..........01/1/25.......

[@GworxOz3953]

Ordinary video quality.

[@klingonhoney]

A wonderful propaganda movie , by the way it glorify war .

[@raywhitehead730]

Very poor film editing. Poor directing. Sad writing.

[@TheArby13]

I wanted to like this movie but hayden is a phony (not believable) hardass

[@bobsakamanos4469]

How do you think they behaved? Like school teachers?

[@Daveinstthomas5212]

Can tell its post Ww2 movie. The Corsairs are paint in 49 paint

[@sjefhendrickx2257]

Us propaganda movie 👎🏻

[@doolo.13]

396.likes 24801.views. The numbers never make sense does that mean all the others didn't like it? 😂.. All propaganda anyway.😮..

[@NZstylz-r7v]

I never like anything even my favourite movie only 25 or younger brother with likes etc...

[@triciaanddennisb9548]

Bad acting

[@stanspeight9638]

Great Movie