The McConnell Story

The McConnell story showcases a period of time in America when the Cold War first turned bloody. It also shows the determination and courage of the American fighter pilots during the Korean War.

The flying scenes are exceptionally good, and very authentic in the aircraft, the lingo and the procedures. Any flying or military history buff would like the movie.

(Side note: I may be biased--my father,then Major Stephen Bettinger, piloted the aircraft "Joe" was flying in the F-86 scenes for the movie and was a jet ace in Korea himself...)


True story of America's triple-jet ace   August 28, 2003
Rottenberg's rotten book review (nyc)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

Alan Ladd is Joe "Mac" McConnell, who became a triple-jet ace in the Korean war and later died during a critical test flight. At the outset, Mac is a man who feels he's born to fly - while in army training, he sneaks off base for flying lessons. (The movie begins before the end of WWII, when the Air Force was just another branch of the US Army.) Unfortunately, Mac washes out of flight training, and spends the war over Europe as a bombardier-navigator - watching impotently as his plane is menaced by German fighters. Even though he survives the war and snags "Butch" Brown (June Allyson) as his bride, Mac returns home feeling painfully unfulfilled. With the help of "Dad" Whitman (James Whitmore), Mac gets a second chance to break into pilot training. Unfortunately, the advent of jets raises the stakes. Nevertheless, Mac manages to ace his check flight (in a single-seat Lockheed F-80). From there, Mac proceeds to the F-86, a jet fighter like the F-80, but in just about every other respect, an airplane completely unlike the F-80. Shipped off to Korea, Mac wipes the skies clean of MiG fighters, becoming an ace, then a triple ace. Returning home again, where Butch hopes he'll settle down, Mac continues flying. Only now, his skills are put to work in high-risk flight-test.

I don't know enough about the real McConnell to comment on this flick's accuracy. Though the story is great, it's better early on - before Mac achieves his dream of becoming a pilot. Like most movies about pilots, it's heard to get excited about guys who spend most of their time sitting down while a matte-sky "flies" past, and stock footage of enemy jets erupt into geysers of burning jet fuel. The cockpit sequences seem unnecessarily static - as if the producers were unwilling to put in the slightest imaginative effort to convince us that Alan Ladd was actually strapped to a real airplane. (In contrast, note how in "Firefox" the effects simulated movement by changing the apparent direction of sunlight playing off Clint Eastwood's face). Then there's McConnell himself - he's a much more appealing character and pilot when it's not clear that he'll be allowed to become a pilot. Once he gets his wings, he's more aloof, senseless to how much Butch and Dad fear for his life. (The script seems to follow the example - after emerging victorious from an early dogfight, Mac leads his triumphant wingmen in a smoothly flying formation while they all relax to a Waltz. Are we supposed to believe that the real McConnell felt no fear or self-doubt once he made his first kill?) Also, the script makes McConnel a virtual one-man air force, though air combat is mostly about team work (even "Top Gun" stressed that). The script has Dad Whitman leading the way for McConnel to become a combat pilot, but then has him do little more than warn McConnell not to work to hard once he's in combat (the script also gives Whitmore's character the unpleasant task of begging McConnell to fly a crucial yet extremely hazardous test flight). On the plus side - it's still a flick worth catching. For aviation fans, the film happily stages dogfights (as opposed to using stock footage), with Republic F-84's as convincing stand-ins for the infamous MiG-15 (F-84's flew in Korea, but only early models designed with primitive, un-swept wings; those that appear in this movie are a more advanced design using swept-wings, and had not begun entering USAF service until the armistice halted combat in Korea). For those mystified by military aviation, the flick uncannily manages to touch on the human element of hazardous test-flights so that even Butch can appreciate the sacrifices of her husband.


Passion Behind the Scenes   May 17, 2006
Samantha Kelley (USA)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful

The McConnell Story tells a true tale of an American fighter pilot who served during the Korean War. The man (Alan Ladd) had always been in love with airplanes and though he had a wife and children (June Allyson), he was able to pursue his dreams and make a name for himself in a plane.

The story itself is basic, but it surrounds subtle and endearing characters. They drive the story along. Perhaps one of the reasons that this film is so interesting is because of the chemistry between Ladd and Allyson. The two fell in love with each other during this film despite both being married. They used the story of the film to imagine what it would be like to be married to each other which is why they come to life in the roles. Although their romance ended with the completion of this film, their connection never died and this film serves as a reminder of that.


Such a great movie   March 19, 2002
Andrew Glatfelter (Cincinnati, OH USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

This movie tells the tragic story of America's first jet ace, and it does a pretty good job of it. I just thought it was easy to sit through and watch and I think everyone will enjoy watching it.


spectacular flying sequences   October 2, 2003
richard lee (Detroit, MI USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This bio-pic has action and romance. Alan Ladd is a bit aloof as Joe McConnell, but June Allyson counterbalances this nicely with her usual exuberant enthusiasm. The plot is standard fare for the era, though the twist of transport pilots dreaming of glory as fighter aces is novel. Allyson's role as the loving wife who wants Ladd to stop flying and settle down is familiar, as she basically plays the same part with Jimmy Stewart as the pilot hubby in Strategic Air Command. What really sets the The McConnell Story apart from other cold war military dramas of the 1950s are the spectacular flying sequences. It is unclear whether Major Stephen Bittinger or Captain Pete Fernandez flew the F-86 that was supposed to be McConnell's plane during the filming; both were ace pilots in Korea, and Fernandez was also McConnell's best friend, going back to the transport pilot days. (Fernandez is the only airman listed in the film's credits, as technical advisor.)
So sail off into the clouds with the aces of Korea in this technicolor delight.