Pilot #5 is a 1943 propaganda

Propaganda

Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....

 war film starring Franchot Tone

Franchot Tone

Franchot Tone was an American stage, film, and television actor, star of Mutiny on the Bounty and many other films through the 1960s...

, Marsha Hunt

Marsha Hunt (actress)

Marsha Hunt is an American film, theater, and television actress who was blacklisted by Hollywood movie studio executives in the 1950s.-Career:...

, Gene Kelly

Gene Kelly

Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...

and Van Johnson

Van Johnson

Van Johnson was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II....

. It was directed by George Sidney

George Sidney

George Sidney was an American film director and film producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-Career:...

.

Cast

• Franchot Tone
  Franchot Tone
  Franchot Tone was an American stage, film, and television actor, star of Mutiny on the Bounty and many other films through the 1960s...
  
   as George Braynor Collins
• Marsha Hunt
  Marsha Hunt
  Marsha Hunt may refer to:* Marsha Hunt * Marsha Hunt...
  
   as Freddie Andrews
• Gene Kelly
  Gene Kelly
  Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
  
   as Vito S. Alessandro
• Van Johnson
  Van Johnson
  Van Johnson was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II....
  
   as Everett Arnold
• Alan Baxter as Winston Davis
• Dick Simmons as Henry Willoughby Claven
• Steven Geray
  Steven Geray
  Steven Geray, born Istvan Gyergyay on November 10, 1904 and died aged 69 on December 26, 1973 in Los Angeles, California. He was a film actor who appeared in over 100 films and dozens of television programs...
  
   as Major Eichel (as Steve Geray)
• Howard Freeman
  Howard Freeman
  Howard Freeman was an American stage actor of the early 20th century, and film and television actor of the 1940s through the 1960s....
  
   as Governor Hank Durban
• Frank Puglia
  Frank Puglia
  Frank Puglia was an Italian film actor. Puglia had small but memorable roles in films including Casablanca and 1942's The Jungle Book. Born in Sicily, the actor started his career as a teen on stage in Italian operas. He emigrated to the U.S...
  
   as Nikola Alessandro
• William Tannen as American Soldier

Casting included Peter Lawford

Peter Lawford

Peter Sydney Ernest Aylen , better known as Peter Lawford, was an English-American actor.He was a member of the "Rat Pack", and brother-in-law to US President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting...

 who had an uncredited role as a British soldier.

Plot

In 1942, a small group of Allied soldiers and airmen stationed on Java are being bombed by Japanese aircraft daily. With only one working fighter of their own, and five pilots who volunteer to fly a dangerous mission, the Dutch commander, Major Eichel (Steven Geray) chooses George Collins (Franchot Tone) to bomb the Japanese carrier lying offshore. As the flight progresses, Eichel asks the other pilots to tell him about George. As they recount his rise from brilliant law student, it is apparent that his involvement in a scandal with the state's Governor, has led to attempts to redeem himself, especially for Freddie (Marsh Hunt), his long-time love. With the promise that his mission is "for his country," Collins sacrifices himself in a final dive on the carrier.

Production

The facilities at Cal-Aero Aviation Training School, Riverside, California were used for the wartime sequence. A Republic P-43 Lancer was prominently featured as the sole remaining fighter aircraft in Java.

Although a relatively minor production, a great number of studio players who later achieved fame were used in the film but their scenes may have been lost in editing. Studio records and casting call lists indicate Hobart Cavanaugh

Hobart Cavanaugh

Hobart Cavanaugh was an American character actor in films and on stage.Born in Virginia City, Nevada, Cavanaugh made his film debut in San Francisco Nights...

, Jim Davis

Jim Davis (actor)

Jim Davis was an American actor, best known for his role as Jock Ewing in the CBS prime-time soap Dallas, a role which he held up until his death in April 1981.-Biography:...

, Marilyn Maxwell

Marilyn Maxwell

Marilyn Maxwell , born Marvel Marilyn Maxwell, was an American actress and entertainer.Noted for her blonde hair and sexually alluring persona, she appeared in several films and radio programs, and entertained the troops during World War II and the Korean War on USO tours with Bob Hope.-Career:She...

, Marie Windsor

Marie Windsor

Marie Windsor . Born as Emily Marie Bertelson in Marysvale, Piute County, Utah, Windsor was an actress known as "The Queen of the Bs" because she appeared in so many film noirs and B-movies like Cat-Women of the Moon...

 and Frances Rafferty

Frances Rafferty

Frances Rafferty was an American actress, dancer, World War II pin-up girl and MGM contract star.-Early life:Frances Anne Rafferty was born in Sioux City, Iowa, the daughter of Maxwell Lewis Rafftery, Snr...

 as cast members. Ava Gardner

Ava Gardner

Ava Lavinia Gardner was an American actress.She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers . She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day...

has been listed in a modern source as uncredited.

Reception

Pilot #5 was released under a variety of titles, including: Destination Tokyo, Skyway to Glory and
The Story of Number Five.