In most respects, 'God is My Co-Pilot' is your typical 1940s war film... decent but predictable story,
good cinematography, mostly mediocre acting, and a good bit of nauseatingly hoaky dialogue. Don't get me
wrong... I love this movie. It's simply a product of its time... a time when most films were overflowing
with Hollywood exaggeration and bushels upon bushels of corn. Sweet corn, to be sure, but corn nonetheless.

The story is based on Robert L. Scott's book, 'God is My Co-Pilot' which is half autobiography, one quarter
war documentary, and one quarter 'war stories'. The film touches on most of the essential aspects of the
book, if only briefly in some cases... which was necessary in a one-and-a-half-hour movie because, to do
full justice to Scott's writings, you'd have to stretch it to six hours. Or perhaps make a mini-series.

But this is not meant to be a review of the movie as a whole. We're here to talk airplanes! Specifically
the P-40. And there are lots of those in this flick, along with some B-25s, AT-6 'Zeros', and the odd
C-46, C-47, P-43, and PT-17, among others. Most of these types appear very briefly, with the first three
mentioned getting the most screen time. The true star is the P-40, of course.

Much of the film was shot out in Arizona, at one of Luke Field's auxiliary strips. At least fifteen
P-40s and a similar number of AT-6s from Luke were used, as were about a dozen B-25s from Mather
Field, California. Apparently at least two P-40 hulks were also used in the film, although I don't know if
these were actually real P-40s or just full-sized replicas. At least two replicas appear in the opening
sequences, and look like they were leftovers from 'Flying Tigers'. Johnny Petach's crash scene, one
of the film's gross inaccuracies, also appears to have been shot with one of these replicas.

Dennis Morgan played the part of Bob Scott for the film.


Project 914 Archives - Larger Image

Another view of Morgan, in the cockpit of a P-40.


Project 914 Archives - Larger Image

A screengrab from the opening sequence of the flick. Look HERE for more...

The following photos were taken during filming at Luke's auxiliary strip #7.


Project 914 Archives (S.Donacik collection) - Larger Image

Project 914 Archives (S.Donacik collection) - Larger Image

Project 914 Archives (S.Donacik collection) - Larger Image

I don't know who all these fellas are, though I'd venture a guess that the three with pith helmets are
some of the film folk. The fella second from right is Joe Marcoux, one of the pilots who flew in the film.


Project 914 Archives (S.Donacik collection) - Larger Image

Project 914 Archives (S.Donacik collection) - Larger Image

The following is written on the reverse of this next photo:
Cadet buddy Joe Marcoux, played in "God is my co-pilot" - UGH! Hot Pilot

Although the majority of the P-40s used for the film appear to be P-40Fs and maybe some
P-40Ls, at least one early-model was also used. It appears very briefly in the film and
is visible in the background of this photo.


C.Biza collection - Larger Image

More info about this flick can be found on this page of IMDb...

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