Clark Gable (Brig. Gen. K.C. Dennis), Walter Pidgeon (Maj. Gen. 'Woody' Kane), Van Johnson (T/Sgt. Immanuel T. Evans), Brian Donlevy (Brig. Gen. Clifton Garnett), Charles Bickford (Elmer Brockhurst), John Hodiak (Col. Edward Martin), Edward Arnold (Congressman Arthur Malcolm)
"Whose idea was that?"
"Sir, we never would have gotten rid of them without photographers."
Originally a novel by William Wister Haines, who eventually turned it into a successful Broadway play (Paul Kelly and James Whitmore would win Tony Awards for their roles. Also in the cast were Paul Ford and John Randolph.), Command Decision saw its origin as a motion picture as a film when Gable got wind of it and requested that MGM purchase the rights. The studio paid Haines $100,000 with the offer going to $300,000 should the book become a play.
Wood decided to use the choreography of the play, shooting all the scenes at ground level. Additionally, there are literally no action scenes, as Command Decision deals with the men planning the missions, not the ones flying them. The only active crew members to have ample screen time are Jenks and Ted.
Kane's a necessity of modern warfare. He knows how to handle the people in Washington who not only don't know warfare or flying--they don't care. Kane cares for the men lost on the bombing runs as the man understands what combat's like, and to get the necessary funding for equipment, he has to butter up the money men and their spouses. And he hates himself for it. He's looked at as more as a politician himself than a general, but at heart the man is Army Air Corps through and through. He's pure flier.
Dennis has a mission to fulfill, and knows what it'll take to get it done. Unfortunately, in order to complete this particular mission, a mood amount of men must be sacrificed. In the first several stages of Operation: Stitch, the men--with the exceptions of Martin, who understands the importance of the job, think their leader's either gone made or is simply hungry for glory. Yet all Dennis wants is to get this job done, as in the long run, what they're doing will save untold numbers of lives and help bring about the end of the war.
As with Martin, Dennis is one of the last warriors. The general personally counts the planes as the return from each mission as each man lost is a notch on his soul. Yet no matter the cost, the man knows what has to be done. The crews might not realize the importance of what they are doing at the moment, but they will with time's passing. And it will eventually dawn on them how great a commanding officer they had.
Over the course of time, Command Decision has been considered a box office and critical failure, both of which are false. Reviewers praised the picture, which was a success where ticket sales were concerned.
The following year 20th Century Fox released Twelve O'Clock High, which had a somewhat similar tale and film historians have chosen to remember. A successful television series based on the latter film helped to keep its name around.
The entire cast is marvelous to watch, but Gable and Pidgeon are downright electrifying, both giving the performances of their careers. Definitely the finest postwar role Gable had, Command Decision is a motion picture for anyone who's interested in viewing excellent acting and a fine dramatic plot.
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