Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

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Passed
2h 18min
Drama, History
Nov 1944 (USA)
Movie

7.2 (6,454)

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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.

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Dalton Trumbo, Ted W. Lawson, Bob Considine

Stars:

Awards:

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.
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Reviews:

Photos and Videos

Still of Van Johnson (I) in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

Still of Spencer Tracy (I) in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

Still of Spencer Tracy (I) and Van Johnson (I) in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

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122 photos | 1 video

Cast verified as complete

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	Van Johnson	...	Ted Lawson
	Robert Walker	...	David Thatcher
	Tim Murdock	...	Dean Davenport
	Don DeFore	...	Charles McClure
	Herbert Gunn	...	Bob Clever (as Gordon McDonald)
	Phyllis Thaxter	...	Ellen Lawson
	Stephen McNally	...	'Doc' White (as Horace McNally)
	Spencer Tracy	...	Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle
	John R. Reilly	...	'Shorty' Manch
	Robert Mitchum	...	Bob Gray
	Scott McKay	...	Davey Jones
	Donald Curtis	...	Lieut. Randall
	Louis Jean Heydt	...	Lieut. Miller
	William 'Bill' Phillips	...	Don Smith (as Wm. 'Bill' Phillips)
	Douglas Cowan	...	'Brick' Holstrom
	Paul Langton	...	Captain 'Ski' York
	Leon Ames	...	Lieut. Jurika
	Bill Williams	...	Bud Felton
	Robert Bice	...	'Jig' White
	Hsin Kung	...	Dr. Chung (as Dr. Hsin Kung)
	Benson Fong	...	Young Dr. Chung
	Ching Wah Lee	...	Guerilla Charlie
	Alan Napier	...	Mr. Parker
	Ann Shoemaker	...	Mrs. Parker
	Dorothy Morris	...	Jane (as Dorothy Ruth Morris)
	Jacqueline White	...	Emmy York
	Selena Royle	...	Mrs. Reynolds
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
	Dick Addison	...	Lieutenant (uncredited)
	Morris Ankrum	...	Adm. William F. Halsey - Captain of the 'Hornet' (uncredited)
	Jack Arkin	...	Jitterbugger (uncredited)
	Tom Avera	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Steve Barclay	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Carlyle Blackwell Jr.	...	Pilot Singer (uncredited)
	Karin Booth	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Steve Brodie	...	MP Corporal (uncredited)
	Ralph Brooke	...	Sailor (uncredited)
	Hazel Brooks	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Lucille Casey	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Wally Cassell	...	Sailor (uncredited)
	Luke Chan	...	Chinese Runner (uncredited)
	Mary Chan	...	School Teacher (uncredited)
	Spencer Chan	...	Townsman (uncredited)
	Keye Chang	...	Chinese Officer (uncredited)
	Lyle Clark	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Eleanor Counts	...	Jitterbug (uncredited)
	Elizabeth Dailey	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	John Dehner	...	Lieutenant Commander (uncredited)
	Myrna Dell	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Hal Derwin	...	Singer in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Natalie Draper	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Johnny Duncan	...	Jitterbugger (uncredited)
	Blake Edwards	...	Lt. Smith's Crewman (uncredited)
	Harold Fong	...	Captain of Patrol Boat (uncredited)
	John Gannon	...	Lt. Smith's Crewman (uncredited)
	Leatrice Joy Gilbert	...	Girl (uncredited)
	Charles Gordon	...	Sgt. Williams (uncredited)
	Genevieve Grazis	...	Jitterbugger (uncredited)
	Eddie Hall	...	Joe (uncredited)
	William O. Harbach	...	Man (uncredited)
	Harry Hayden	...	Judge (uncredited)
	Bill Healy	...	Eglin Captain (uncredited)
	Shirlee Howard	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	John James	...	Lt. Smith's Crewman (uncredited)
	Virgil Johansen	...	Eglin Colonel (uncredited)
	John Kellogg	...	C-47 Transport Pilot (uncredited)
	Mike Killian	...	Sailor (uncredited)
	Charles King Jr.	...	Sailor (uncredited)
	Michael Knudsen	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Michael Kostrick	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Joan Lawrence	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Edith Leach	...	Girl (uncredited)
	Martin Lowell	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Ann Lundeen	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Bob MacLean	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Peggy Maley	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Maurice Marks	...	Pilot (uncredited)
	Jack McClendon	...	Dick Joyce (uncredited)
	Beryl McCutcheon	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Bob McCutchin	...	Co-Pilot (uncredited)
	Sybil Merritt	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Harlan Miller	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Lorraine Miller	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Charles Mitchell	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	William Moss	...	Ship's Clerk (uncredited)
	Noreen Nash	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Frances E. Neal	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Jay Norris	...	Hallmark (uncredited)
	Moroni Olsen	...	General (uncredited)
	Erin Selwyn	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Elaine Shepard	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Arthur Space	...	Deck Officer (uncredited)
	Harold Sworland	...	Lieutenant (uncredited)
	Bob Thom	...	Lieutenant Commander (uncredited)
	Eugenia B. Thompson	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Brad Towne	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Gordon Trigg	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
	H.T. Tsiang	...	Wang Tsung (uncredited)
	Joy Vahl	...	Jitterbugger (uncredited)
	Peter Varney	...	Spike Henderson (uncredited)
	Will Walls	...	Hoss Wyler (uncredited)
	Richard Wang	...	Chinese Officer (uncredited)
	Eve Whitney	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Kay Williams	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
	Wah Yee	...	Foo Ling (uncredited)

Directed by

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Mervyn LeRoy

Written by

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Dalton Trumbo	...	(screen play)

Ted W. Lawson	...	(based on the book) (as Captain Ted W. Lawson) and
Bob Considine	...	(based on the book) (as Robert Considine)

Produced by

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Sam Zimbalist

...

producer

Music by

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Herbert Stothart

Cinematography by

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Harold Rosson	...	director of photography
Robert Surtees	...	director of photography

Editing by

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Frank Sullivan

...

film editor

Art Direction by

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Cedric Gibbons
Paul Groesse

Set Decoration by

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Edwin B. Willis

...

(set decorations)

Makeup Department

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Jack Dawn

...

makeup creator

Production Management

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William H. Cannon	...	unit manager (uncredited)
Walter Strong	...	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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William H. Cannon	...	second assistant director (uncredited)
Russ Haverick	...	second assistant director (uncredited)
Leo Pepin	...	second assistant director (uncredited)
Harold Rosson	...	second unit director (uncredited)
Wallace Worsley Jr.	...	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department

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Ralph S. Hurst	...	associate set decorator
George E. Lee	...	props (uncredited)
Jack Martin Smith	...	assistant art director (uncredited)
Frank Wesselhoff	...	painter (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Douglas Shearer	...	recording director
Standish J. Lambert	...	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
Frank McKenzie	...	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
Robert Shirley	...	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
Newell Sparks	...	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
William Steinkamp	...	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
Michael Steinore	...	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
John A. Williams	...	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by

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A. Arnold Gillespie	...	special effects
Donald Jahraus	...	special effects
Warren Newcombe	...	special effects
Donald Jahraus	...	model maker (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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A. Lindsley Lane	...	second camera (uncredited)
Robert Martin	...	second camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Kay Dean	...	associate costume supervisor
Irene	...	costume supervisor
Eugene Joseff	...	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department

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Murray Cutter	...	orchestrator (uncredited)
Wally Heglin	...	orchestrator (uncredited)
Frederick Herbert	...	music mixer (uncredited)
M.J. McLaughlin	...	music mixer (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

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Jimmy Garland	...	script clerk (uncredited)
Virginia Garland	...	script clerk (uncredited)

Additional Crew

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Dean Davenport	...	technical advisor: Army Air Force (uncredited)
H. Allen Fairbanks	...	technical advisor: Navy (uncredited)
Wei Fan Hsueh	...	technical advisor: Chinese sequence (uncredited)
Ted W. Lawson	...	technical advisor (uncredited)

Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated) (presents) (A Mervyn LeRoy Production)

Distributors

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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1944) (United States) (theatrical)
Regal Films (1944) (Canada) (theatrical) (as Regal Films, Ltd.)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1945) (Argentina) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1945) (France) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1945) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer A/B (1945) (Sweden) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1955) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release)
MGM Home Entertainment (1988) (United States) (VHS)
MGM Home Entertainment (1991) (United States) (VHS)
Warner Home Video (2007) (United States) (DVD)
The Criterion Channel (2021) (United States) (tv) (digital)
Státní Pujcovna Filmu (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
Warner Home Video (United States) (DVD) (as 'Warner WW2 Collection, Vol. 2')

Special Effects

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Other Companies

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MGM Home Entertainment (VHS package design)
Turner Entertainment (VHS package design)
U.S. Army (special thanks)

Storyline

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Plot Summary	The amazingly-detailed true story of "The Doolittle Raid" based on the personal account by Doolittle Raider Ted Lawson. Stunned by Pearl Harbor and a string of defeats, America needed a victory--badly. To that end, Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, a former air racer and stunt pilot, devises a plan for a daring raid on the heart of Japan itself. To do this, he must train army bomber pilots to do something no one ever dreamed possible--launch 16 fully-loaded bombers from an aircraft carrier. Remarkable in its accuracy, this movie even uses film footage from the actual raid. Written by KC Hunt Plot Summary Plot Synopsis
Plot Keywords	reference-to-billings-montana bomber-crew flying-over-the-ocean u.s.-military war-propaganda See All (74) »
Taglines	Heart-Warming Romance . . . Stark, Sensational Drama! Thrills! Action! Adventure! ...Ripped From The Heart! See more »
Genres	Drama History War
Parents Guide	View content advisory »
Certification	Argentina:13 Australia:PG Australia:G Canada:PG (video rating) Finland:S France:Tous publics Japan:G Netherlands:14 Norway:9 (recommended rating) Norway:Banned (cinema rating) Spain:A Sweden:15 United Kingdom:A United Kingdom:U (video) United States:Passed (National Board of Review) United States:Approved United States:TV-PG (TV rating)

Additional Details

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Also Known As	30 Seconds Over Tokyo (World-wide, English title) Trente Secondes sur Tokyo (France) 30 Secondes sur Tokio (France) Dreißig Sekunden über Tokio (Germany) Treinta segundos sobre Tokio (Spain) See more »
Runtime	138 min
Country	United States
Language	English Mandarin
Color	Black and White
Aspect Ratio	1.37 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix	Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Filming Locations	Eglin Air Force Base, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, USA See more »

Box Office

Budget

$2,900,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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Trivia	When Lawson's plane arrives in Tokyo and sees the fire and smoke from the previous bomber, Davy Jones, we are not looking at a special effect. During the making of the film, there was a fuel-oil fire in Oakland, near the filming location. The quick-thinking filmmakers scrambled to fly their camera plane and B-25 through the area, capturing some very real footage for the movie. See more »
Goofs	The injuries of the crew of the Ruptured Duck are not completely correct. Lawson was hurt the worse, as the movie tries to portray, but in fact his face was pushed in from going through the windscreen of his plane. All of his front teeth were loosened and fell out into his hand when he tried to straighten them. His lower lip was laid open to the cleft in his chin. In addition to his leg being gashed open, his left bicep was severed in half. McClure's injuries were accurately portrayed; both shoulders were broken from hitting the backs of Lawson and Davenports seats. Davenport was shown was being non-ambulatory in the movie and generally helpless; however, other than a bad cut on his forehead (he went through the windscreen too), he was able to move around and help his three more badly injured crew mates. Clever was as badly injured as the movie portrayed him. Thatcher was the least injured, although he had a bleeding bump on his head, which was not shown in the movie. Thatcher received commendation for his efforts to help the three badly-injured crew members. See more »
Movie Connections	Edited into Bridge to the Sun (1961). See more »
Soundtracks	The Army Air Corps Song See more »
Crazy Credits	Intro: "One-hundred and thirty-one days after December 7, 1941, a handful of young men, who had never dreamed of glory, struck the first blow at the heart of Japan. This is their true story we tell here." See more »
Quotes	Ted Lawson: Goodbye. Young Dr. Chung: I have one sorrow, Lieutenant. that we did not have the medicine to ease your pain. Ted Lawson: You saved my life, Doc. Young Dr. Chung: I hope that someday you'll come back to us. Ted Lawson: We'll be back. Maybe not us ourselves but a lotta guys like us, and I'd like to be with them. You're our kind of people. Young Dr. Chung: Thank you, sir. See more »

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