User reviews

In World War II, several B25 pilots and their crew volunteers for a secret mission, including the recently married Lt. Ted Lawson (Van Johnson), under the command of Gen. James Doolittle (Spencer Tracy). When the mission is disclosed, they are informed that they will bomb military facilities in Japan. After successfully accomplishing the bombing and returning to the base in China, the airplane of Lawson crashes on the Chinese coast, and his men and he are rescued by the Chinese soldiers.

"Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" is a good war movie, but also a clear American propaganda in times of war. There is a shallow and corny romance in the lead story; the pilots and crew are great friends like a brotherhood and their wives and girl-friends are silly and naive; when Lawson loses his leg, Doolittle says that the army can not lose an experienced man like him; all the allied Chinese are cooperative, submissive and friends; there are lots of nationalism, like for example, the Chinese scouts singing the American hymn. Anyway the story entertains, the special effects and the cinematography are excellent and I liked this film. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "30 Segundos Sobre Tóquio" ("30 Seconds Over Tokyo")

THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO has men training for a dangerous mission, led by Col. Doolittle (Spencer Tracy) who leads them into an adventure that begins with fully loaded bombers making their ascent into the wild blue yonder aboard Naval aircraft carriers. The cooperative team efforts between the Navy and the Air Force is demonstrated throughout and the result is a film that looks almost documentary in its approach to the subject matter.

But you have to get beyond some sentimental interludes for romance and that's where the story weakens somewhat, despite the sincerity of the moments depicted between VAN JOHNSON (as Lt. Dawson) and his loving wife (PHYLLIS THAXTER). Nevertheless, by the time the story reaches its powerful conclusion, you'll be rooting for the reunion of the husband (a wounded war hero who has lost one leg) and his wife who is expecting a baby.

Sterling performances help put the movie over. Never for a moment is the acting less than exceptional--and that includes VAN JOHNSON in the leading role, ably supported by SPENCER TRACY, ROBERT WALKER, ROBERT MITCHUM, DON DeFORE, SCOTT McKAY, STEPHEN McNALLY (billed as Horace McNally) and, in an unbilled small role, BILL WILLIAMS. All give natural portrayals that are as compelling as the events of the bombing over Tokyo, the crash landing in China and the many events that follow. Relationships between Americans and the Chinese make for the most touching elements in the crash scene and the hospitalization.

A fine tribute to the war effort, it's among the best of the service films produced by any of the major studios during WWII.

Mervyn LeRoy directs this outstanding war drama. What makes it so damn good? Very good acting, realism and filmed in black & white. I can't imagine this story conveying the absolute truth of the famous "Doolittle Raid" without some filler; this is a great movie period and amazing it is based on truth. Van Johnson leads this very talented cast that also features Robert Walker, Phyllis Thaxter, Robert Mitchum and Don DeFore. Bombs over Tokyo! This one is easy to watch again and again. Try it if you haven't. A true classic.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is the most accurate portrayal of the Doolittle Raid on Japan during World War II. Whenever a movie is made from a book, there are usually changes made for "dramatic effect". However, there does not seem to be any such changes in this movie, as there is plenty of drama in the original story. Most of the dialogue was taken directly from the book by the same name. There are some scenes that may seem to be "propaganda" or "corny", but one must remember that in 1943, the atmosphere was different in the United States and the rest of the world. All of the characters in the movie were real life people from the Doolittle Raid and from accounts in the book and other sources, they are accurately portrayed by the actors in the movie. The main character, Ted Lawson, was the original technical advisor, but he was replaced by Dean Davenport (Lawson's co-pilot) after Lawson was re-called to active duty. Most of the flying scenes were done with actual B-25's accurately marked and even the take-off, which was done on a sound stage, used real aircraft on an aircraft carrier mock-up. The scenes that used miniatures were also well done for the time period (before digital effects). The movie "Pearl Harbor" also has an account of the Doolittle Raid, but it is very, very inaccurate. This movie is worth watching for everyone who has a desire to see historical events and is a must for all aviation and military buffs.

I am a retired professional pilot with thirty-eight years experience and I can tell you what the Doolittle Raiders did took more raw courage than you can possibly imagine if you are not a pilot yourself. Simply taking off from an aircraft carrier is dangerous enough for a naval aircraft. Now do it with a heavily loaded bomber not designed for the task flown by pilots who had never even been on a carrier before. Okay, that's scary enough, now I'll try to explain the technical difficulties. Simply stated, to take off a multi engine aircraft at very low airspeed (Necessary for the short length of the deck) is to invite disaster. This is because if you lose an engine as you lift off, the torque from the good engine would roll the aircraft over on its back and into the sea. Now if you survive those rigors you still have to fly to Japan, brave the anti-aircraft fire and fighters, unload your bombs, try to make to China (Low on fuel) find some primitive landing strip at night, which may have fallen into enemy hands by the time you arrive. This movie is but a small tribute to these brave heroes, so please forgive any perceptions of WWII propaganda. Supreme courage? You bet!

An officer falls in love and marries, his wife gets pregnant and he has to go on this secret mission to Tokyo. The officer gets wounded in action and is helped by a Chinese doctor. He has one of his legs amputated and wants to get an orthopedic leg before he meets his wife again. But his commander gets in touch with his loving wife who welcomes him with open arms, full of love. This movie won as Oscar for special effects, obviously the genius of special effects George Lucas was not around those days, but naturally the special effects were outstanding for the time it was made to win an Oscar. A sweet love story is the underlying theme of this war movie! It is a sweet love story.It is a classic for your movie library!

I think this film is one of the best WWII films (if not the best) made during the war. The principal reason is that it's true and based on the famous Doolittle Raid on Japan on April 18, 1942. The movie follows the lives of a few of the members of that raid and focuses specifically on the experiences of Lt. Ted Lawson, who wrote the book. While a few of the stateside scenes are a bit corny and mushy, it nicely weaves in the story of one flyer and his wife and the way they handle their impending separation due to the upcoming mission. One needs to remember the need to portray and establish patriotism and an "apple pie and mom" sense during a difficult wartime environment when the film was released in 1944. In fact, just as the Doolittle Raid was carried out to bolster flagging US morale after Pearl Harbor (Dec 7, 1941)and a series of US and allied losses in the Pacific war in early 1942, this movie of the raid again plays the role of morale booster for the home front in 1944. The flying scenes, as well as the special effects, are pretty good for the 1940's movie making era and perfect for most WWII aviation buffs. This Hollywood movie version of the book of the same name written by Lt. Ted Lawson and edited by Robert Considine is fairly true to the book, with very minor changes for story continuity and some levity. Spencer Tracy does a good job as Lt. Col. Jimmie Doolittle and adds the needed seriousness to the early part of the film. Van Johnson's role of Lt. Ted Lawson was perfectly played and Phyllis Thaxter as his wife is charming. The story of the early part of their marriage adds the right tone to this movie and sort of personifies all of these types of marriages and relationships that were "put on hold" because of a war. The movie turns quite serious, of course, once the raid begins. The underlying story is quite serious and relates the story of a group of flyers who volunteered for an extremely dangerous mission without even knowing what the mission is. I think this is one of the main attractions of this movie for me...that someone is willing to sacrifice their life for their country when asked to possibly do just that. It is selfish acts like this that we in the US should continue to recognize and to be eternally grateful to those of the WWII generation such as those who took part in this famous and unique event in US aviation history.

I was born in July, 1945, and viewed the film in 2009 as research for my memoir about growing up in a Texas orphanage. I was searching for clues about my mother's life, the era into which I was born. She would likely have viewed the film. I was struck by a line spoken by Ted's young wife Ellen and repeated in his mind at key emotional moments of the film.

Ellen says (in effect), "This baby is what tells me you will come back to me." In the mind of an insecure young woman in a rocky marriage (as my mother was), the powerfully delivered message seemed to say: get pregnant to keep your man. It didn't work out that way. Right after my father left for duty in Germany, she divorced him. I was eight months old.

I read the book when I was ten and enjoyed it immensely. I liked how the film portrayed wartime American culture, though I'm sure it was idealized for the propaganda effect.

The buffoonery about singing "The Eyes of Texas" was painful because the abuse at the Texas orphanage was horrific.

It's ironic that I live in Alameda, where the Hornet is a tourist attraction as a museum.

"Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" is one of the best movies made during the war years. While the typical war film made during WWII avoided realism in favor of jingoism and propaganda, this one excels because it tried to get the facts right and plays almost like a documentary merged with a typical Hollywood drama. When you read about the efforts that MGM went to make the film, you realize it was a real labor of love and the movie holds up remarkably well today.

This film is about the famous Doolittle Raid on Japan which occurred in 1942. While the actual physical impact of the bombing raid was not especially great, it was a bit public relations victory-- bolstering American morale and reducing the Japanese sense of invulnerability which had been prevalent.

The movie begins shortly before the men were recruited for the raid and follows them through training, the actual raid and the fate of a bomber crew. Incidentally, all the planes were lost in the raid...it was intended as a one-way mission.

What makes the film strong is not just the emphasis on realism but the acting and direction. Van Johnson was sort of an 'everyman' for the audience to love and root for...and MGM did a great job ladling on the sentimentality but not laying it on too thick. Having supporting actors like Spencer Tracy, Robert Walker and Robert Mitchum sure didn't hurt, either! All in all, a great film and an excellent tribute to these crazy but very brave men who did what their country asked. As for the best scene in the movie, it's a little one with no dialog...as you see a Chinese woman crying silently as some of the injured Americans are being taken to safety. Stunning.

By the way, an excellent but over-the-top film about crew captured by the Japanese following the Doolittle Raid is also portrayed in Twentieth Century Fox's "The Purple Heart". It's an excellent film but occasionally lapses into propaganda mode a few times too often to be taken as seriously as "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo".

I know Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is a famous classic, but it doesn't really stand the test of time. Back in 1944, when WWII wasn't over yet and morale films were still being cranked out, I could understand how this movie resonated with audiences.

Van Johnson stars as a pilot who, among his fellow soldiers, trains for combat immediately following Pearl Harbor. There's Dan DeFore, Robert Mitchum, and Robert Walker, but besides Van, no one is really given any background to his character. Van is married to Phyllis Thaxter, and they're expecting a baby, but he and his friends volunteer for a very dangerous flying mission to Tokyo. Spencer Tracy guest stars as the commanding officer, and as expected, the flight mission isn't problem-free. In this two-and-a-half hour movie, there's really only one good scene, and my commitment to avoiding spoilers prevents me from sharing it. When there's a hitch in the mission, the boys are put in danger, and the scene is quite suspenseful. Besides that, the scenes between Van and his wife are extremely cheesy, and there are enough "buy the farm" scenes to last five more movies.

Forget the schlocky fictions of Bruckheimer and Bay's PEARL HARBOR with its footnoted version of the Doolittle raid. If you want to see a more detailed, realistic, historical as well as romanticized version of the Pearl Harbor "pay back," see this one. It is the classic MGM treatment with a skilled cast including Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson.

If you do see PEARL HARBOR, rent this one too so you can see how to tell a real romance set against a historical event. And if you want the full picture of how the Doolittle raid was made possible, see DESTINATION TOKYO, the film telling the story of the submarine that snuck into Tokyo bay to help guide the bombers over the city.

Mervyn Leroy directed this true story set in WWII about the plan by Lt. Col. James Doolittle(played by Spencer Tracy) to launch 16 fully-loaded B-25s from an aircraft carrier into the heart of Japan, for a "hedge hopping" mission which will see a low-level bombing sweep, in order to take the Pacific war to them for a change, and also as a morale booster for an American public sick of defeats. The mission is told from the perspective of pilot Ted Lawson(played by Van Johnson) who misses his wife(played by Phyllis Thaxter) but must undertake this vital mission, even as he is shot down over China, and must make a perilous trek to safety. Long but engrossing film with good script and acting, and a detailed account of this important part of WWII history.

I know it's a World War Two propaganda movie. And I know that Hollywood treatments of historical subjects must be taken with a huge boulder-size grain of salt. That being said, this is a credible movie that is worth watching. The fact is that the Doolittle Raid DID happen, that in early 1942 the outcome of the war against Japan was at best uncertain, and that Japanese aggression post Pearl Harbor posed a clear and imminent threat to the United States. It's hard to believe that Japan was THAT powerful, but it was. Japan occupied or controlled about one-quarter of the surface of the world, including most of eastern China, all of Manchuria, the ENTIRE Korean peninsula, ALL of southeast Asia, including ALL of Indonesia and Singapore, the Philippines, and the entire western Pacific Ocean. And Japan accomplished this ALL BY ITSELF. So the Doolittle Raid was a truly momentous event, as the movie aptly shows. The Doolittle Raid marked the beginning of the end for Japan, because it blew away the myth of Japanese invincibility and proved to the world that it was just a matter of time before a fleet of sixteen B-25 Mitchell bombers would be followed by huge air armadas of B-29s that would crush Japanese militarism for all time and eventually convert Japan from an implacable enemy to an allie and a friend.

Dated but still enjoyable classic warlike flagwaver details the conception and execution of the first bombings raids on Tokyo and Yokohama in April 1942 , which took place 131 later the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour , the incident that brought the USA into World War II in December 1941 . In January 1942, when Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle (Spencer Tracy) as the leader of the mission calls for volunteers for a top-secret Army Air Force mission, pilot Lieut. Ted Lawson (Van Johnson) is one of many men to offer his services . Lawson and his B-25 crew, co-pilot Dean Davenport (Murdock) , gunner David Thatcher (Robert Walker) , bombardier Bob Clever (Herbert Gunn) and navigator Charles McClure (Don DeFore) , are sent for a perilous assignment . In the wake of Pearl Harbor, a young lieutenant leaves his expectant wife to volunteer for a secret bombing mission which will take the war to the Japanese homeland . Heart-Warming Romance . . . Stark, Sensational Drama! Thrills! Action! Adventure! ...Ripped From The Heart! . M-G-M's Great Thrill Romance . . Thrilling action ! Adventure !. The true story behind the biggest story of our time ! In the arms of Van Johnson is a girl you'll love, Phyllis Thaxter. He took off from Shangri-la! Her heart flew with him!

A block-buster based on a true story with full of thrills and romance , adding emotion , breathtaking aerial scenes and exciting raid over Japan . Quasi-documentary re-creation of the important happenings , being shot with tension and suspense enough . The story is based on the account of one of the survivors of the retaliatory American american bombing raid , Captain Ted W Lawson well played Van Johnson . This is a decent film, though relies heavily on the heart-warming and maudlin love story between Van Johnson and Phyllis Thaxter . Spencer Tracy is in top form , giving his ordinary exemplary acting as general Doolittle who led the first bombing attack on Tokyo during WWII . We follow Doolittle and his men as they train for the big trek , bomb Tokyo and make their way home on foot throughout China . Van Johnson , Phyllis Thaxter , Robert Walker ,Don DeFore, John Reilly, Stephen McNally, Donald Curtis give effective interpretations as air crew chiefs and other characters . And look for Steve Brodie as well as Blake Edwards in their first screen appearances , furthermore , look out for a young Robert Mitchum .

The motion picture was competently directed by Mervyn LeRoy . He was a typical Hollywood filmmaker who directed a lot of lavish and successful movies, such as : Gold Diggers 1933 , Little Caesar , I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang , Waterloo Bridge , Anthony Adverse , Devil at 4 O'Clock , Quo Vadis , Gypsy , Million Dollar Mermaid, Without Reservations , Little Women that won Academy Award : Oscar 1949 Art Direction/Set Decoration, and Thirty seconds over Tokyo . The picture will appeal to Spencer Tracy fans and WWII aficionados .

One of those made-during-the-war war movies that comes with the customary Frank Capra-like homeland security flag-waving and all of that but this is a good flick that stands the test of time.

Oh, it's cornball and the soldiers make like scouts at jamboree but there's an edge here--perhaps because the outcome of the WWII encounter was still in doubt at the time.

As a movie, though, "30 Seconds" has a lot going for it: romance (Van Johnson-Phyllis Thaxter), buddies (Johnson and a young Robert Mitchum), strong Army-Navy relations, strong American-Chinese relations--and plenty of great character parts played by people like Robert Walker, Spencer Tracy and Don DeFore, later to become George Baxter in TV's "Hazel."

There's nothing dated about the cinematography employed here. When the Ruptured Duck flies over Tokyo, you feel like you're right there in the cockpit and the crew's low-altitude escape to China is nothing less than harrowing.

It may not be a 20-20 account of the Doolittle mission to ramp up U.S. spirits after Pearl Harbor but it's a entertaining film with a lot of heavy hitters along for the ride, people like Dalton Trumbo (screenplay)and director Mervyn LeRoy.

Yes, it's one-part propaganda, one part-chin uplifter but there's a lot more to it and it makes my all-time top 10 war movie list.

During World War II, a young lieutenant enlists for a dangerous bombing mission over Tokyo, leaving his pregnant wife at home.

I'm not a particular fan of war films, but this is entertaining enough. Van Johnson is good in the lead, while Robert Walker does his naive soldier bit he'd did the year earlier in Bataan. Spencer Tracy plays Doolittle, while a young Robert Mitchum is another of the pilots.

The script is dull in places. It's overlong, and it's take well over an hour for the pilots to get on the aircraft arrive to Japan. The actual bombing raid on Tokyo is extremely well done, with spectacular Oscar winning special effects. Unfortunately it's all over in thirty seconds, but it's by far the most interesting part of the film. The rest of the film is forgettable stuff about the pilots escaping in China. Overall, an entertaining film, if nothing spectacular.

This is the true story of Jimmy Doolittle's raid over Tokyo in April of 1942, which lead directly to the battle of Midway, the turning point of the war in the Pacific. It is told through the eyes of pilot Ted Lawson and his crew, and was based on his real life account of his experiences. Van Johnson does a fine job as Lawson, and he gets great support from the remainder of the cast. The scenes on board the USS Hornet, the carrier, and the bombing of Japan, are especially good and absorbing. Most of all, this excellent movie evokes 1942 and the war, at home behind the lines and over Tokyo itself, better than any movie of its era. And the emotional farewell of the pilots and their wives was particularly touching. See it.

I know, I know, pretty much any movie made during the war years had an obligation to serve double duty as entertainment and propaganda. I understand that and am able to watch films in context, but it can still make some movies from this time period very difficult to enjoy now.

"Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo," a dramatization of the famous Dolittle raid that saw American flyers bomb Tokyo as payback for Pearl Harbor, goes to some darker places in its later half, after the soldiers have crashed and are convalescing in a Chinese village. But before it gets there, there's a good hour or so of nothing but patriotic posturing about how amazing the air force is, how amazing the navy is, how amazing America is. There's literally a brief scene of a soldier sketching on his off time, and what is he sketching?....a grandmotherly lady leaning out of a window holding an apple pie. Yes, it's that kind of movie.

Spencer Tracy has what amounts to a series of cameos. The acting from the rest of the cast is all over the place. The film won the 1944 Oscar for Best Special Effects, presumably for the bombing scene, but that really takes up a very tiny portion of the film's running time. Indeed, the movie is way too long. It could have been a tense no-nonsense combat movie, but instead it feels padded.

Also nominated for Best B&W Cinematography.

Grade: B.

I was on the Air Force ROTC faculty at Cal Berkeley 1966 - 70 (the quiet years). In 1967 the Doolittle Raiders were having their 25th reunion at nearby Alameda Naval Air Station. Jimmy Doolittle was a Cal grad, so we invited him to present the "Doolittle Award" which we gave to our outstanding AFROTC cadet. He accepted on one condition - no prior publicity that he was to present the award. That was both a reflection of his humble nature and the realization that if the Cal hippies knew he was to appear they would turn out in droves to protest. Our offices were in the basement of Harmon Gym. Jimmy was very nostalgic about that location. While at Cal he was a wrestler and worked out in the gym. Jimmy shared a very humorous story with us. When the war broke out Jimmy was not young. He got a telegram from a compatriot about his age asking him how they could contribute to the war effort. At the time Jummy was training for the top secret operation. He sent a telegram back telling his buddy something like: "we have to leave the war to the younger generation." Shortly after the Doolittle raid, he got another telegram from his buddy. It read simply: "You SOB." Jimmy laughed as he told the story. For the reunion he invited me and one of our cadets to join the ceremony. That involved boarding the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, sailing out under the Bay Bridges and watching aircraft doing touch and go landings. Jimmay and his raiders were on board. One of the biggest disappointments of my life was that while in our office I had my picture taken next to Jimmy. Somehow the film was lost and I never got a copy for my scrapbook. Jimmy Doolittle was a genuine Greatest Generation hero. Courageous, humble, and patriotic. Those who were not around during World War II days cannot possibly imagine the unity that prevailed in our country. This movie captures much of that spirit. I highly recommend it, but wish they would make a movie of Jimmy's life.

When the movie starts, about 35 minutes in, the crew is landing in Florida for training info when I noticed a strange musical interlude. "Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plain..." No words, just the music, with just a few notes changed (to avoid copyright problems, I wonder?) but close enough to be unmistakable. Checking, I found this movie came out in 44 and Oklahoma had debuted on Broadway in 43. Coincidence? I wonder. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the plot that I can tell, does it? I couldn't tell whether this had something to do with the movie or just a catchie piece of music the composer may or may not have realized he had heard somewhere before...

I tried watching this on AMC today but just couldn't do it...I wanted to like it, but had to click off way before even half through.

I know older movies are heavy on the sentimental, mawkish stuff, sometimes to the point of being charming, but 30 Seconds Over Tokyo was just way too swell for me....gosh, it was swell.

All this absurd smiling and happiness that made WWII seem more like a senior prom than an actual war.

I tried watching this on AMC today but just couldn't do it...I wanted to like it, but had to click off way before even half through.

I know older movies are heavy on the sentimental, mawkish stuff, sometimes to the point of being charming, but 30 Seconds Over Tokyo was just way too swell for me....gosh, it was swell.

All this absurd smiling and happiness that made WWII seem more like a senior prom than an actual war.