Customer Reviews

A Guy Named Joe [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A Guy Named Joe is THE classic movie about a cracked up WWII bomber pilot (Spencer Tracy) sent back from Heaven as a ghost to provide guidance, like a guardian angel, to a new pilot trainee who turns out to fall in love with the ghost's girlfriend (Irene Dunne). I think this is the only movie in which Spencer Tracy played opposite Irene Dunne, who was one of the classiest leading ladies of her time (The Awful Truth, Penny Serenade, Life With Father, I Remember Mama, Anna and the King of Siam, The Mudlark, etc.).

The stellar supporting cast includes Van Johnson (Brigadoon, The Pied Piper of Hamlin), James Gleason (Here Comes Mr. Jordan, The Bishop's Wife), Lionel Barrymore (On Borrowed Time, It's A Wonderful Life), Ward Bond (Sgt. York, The Searchers), Don Defore (The Human Comedy, Ramrod), Barry Nelson (Airport, The Shining), and Esther Williams, soon to become a star in a class of her own (Bathing Beauty, Take Me Out To The Ball Game). Unfortunately remade as "Always" - nothing against Richard Dreyfuss, but he's no Spencer Tracy, and ditto the rest of the respective casts.

In addition to well-acted fantastic romance, there are some great air combat scenes, some of the best of its time. (Van Johnson also appeared with Spencer Tracy in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo the same year.)

If you like fantasies like Heaven Can Wait, That's The Spirit, The Dust Factory, Beyond Tomorrow, etc., you must see this one. If you're a fan of Spencer Tracy or a movie buff who likes a lot of character actors, you must see this movie. If you're interested in old World War II movies with combat action, you shouldn't miss this one!

"A guy named Joe" (AGNJ) should not be compared to Spielberg's "Always", because they are different pictures. AGNJ in the first half is about flying and Spencer Tracy's love for IT, not so much Irene Dunne. Its highly amusing to see him die by crashing into a German aircraft carrier when the Germans never put one into service. In Always, you really do sense that Richard Dreyfuss loves Holly Hunter. Its Irene Dunne's character that is stuck on Joe, and its wonderful to see her in the movie maintaing her professional poise as a ferry pilot while Van Johnson is hitting on her. In fact, I know a young woman who reminds me exactly of her, who holds a deep loss in her heart but maintains a professional bearing.

Its Van Johnson who makes her want to live again, and in the best scene of the movie, she realizes he ain't gonna make it when he's assigned a suicide attack mission in his P-38. What's amazing is this in the 1940s, but Irene Dunne jumps into his P-38 and flies the mission INCLUDING dropping bombs and firing machine guns at the enemy. Its startling to see and you don't see any feminists rushing to praise this picture. Its because she's a professional, a sexy woman AND a warrior, not a bitter man-hater. Like I suspect many from "America's greatest generation" she knew the enemy had to be defeated or else tyranny would rule the earth and instead of complaining pitched in and helped. Her goal was to help not be a female version of a male "Top Gun" egotist. Ahhh, that we had more women like her today!

Great story, great movie but this dvd version is not a major studio release. There are no extras except that the on screen menu consists of chapter search, only. There is no info on the cover other than screen credits. The sound is good but the picture is a little fuzzy especially on facial close ups.

Yellow Airplane Book, Video, and Toy Review: If you would like to see some great flying scenes showing the AT-6 Texan or the P-38 Lightning combined with a beautiful human interest story, you will love this film. C. Jeff Dyrek

This movie is sort of like the flying-ace version of Angels on My Shoulder. It's unusual for a Spencer Tracy film in that he dies in the first half of the movie, goes to heaven, comes back to earth to help rookie pilots, and doesn't get his girl. Instead, Van Johnson, the young flyer he's sent to shepherd, gets her and they live happily ever after, presumably.

There are some unusual aspects to the plot. Tracy is assigned to assist Van Johnson during training, but Johnson isn't the sort of guy Tracy would normally hang out with or even like. For example, we're told he's rich and just inherited 4 million dollars. When Johnson gets sent to New Guinea to fly in the south Pacific, he meets Irene Dunne, Tracy's former love, and Johnson starts putting moves on her, another reason for Tracy to dislike his assigned pilot.

But Johnson turns out to be a better guy for Irene than Tracy was, and Tracy even seems to sense or realize that, and at the end of the film, he finally lets her go.

There are some nicely done battle scenes in the movie, and the one where Dunne takes up the P38 and successfully completes a solo suicide mission Van Johnson was sent to do is notable in that this was a long time before women's lib. Dunne shows that she can fly as well as any man, and along with the scene where Tracy goes down taking out the German aircraft carrier (which the Germans never had), is one of the two most climactic battle scenes in the movie. Dunne shows she can be as good as any man, but still feminine, a role contemporary feminists don't seem to approve of.

All in all a decent movie with some interesting aspects to the characters and plot. Big Steve says go see it (or in this case, buy it) and don't Bogart the popcorn.

Please, can we stop comparing "ALWAYS" to "A GUY NAMED JOE"? They are two different movies!
"A Guy Named Joe" was made while we were at war, fighting for our freedom and our lives. No other war quite like it before or since. Thousands upon thousands of men died in that war, many in one battle. The families of that day knew loss on a massive scale (suggest you watch "The Fighting Sullivans").
I think most people who watch older films already know the storyline of the Spencer Tracy film - and as I watched it for the umpteenth time a few days ago, I realized for the first time what that film must have meant to the viewing audience when it was first released. It is a magnificent film and no one could have done it better than Tracy. Van Johnson was just beginning a great career, and if you are not familiar with him, try watching "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" or "Miracle in the Rain". "Joe" deals with life and death, as we all must at one time or another. For me, it took away some of the fear, as I hope it did for all those who lost sons, husbands, lovers and brothers in WWII.
This is a classic film for all time. Anyone who loves film should see it and own it. It can be watched over and over and it never gets stale.
And how could I forget to comment on Irene Dunne?! Amazing actress who
made one miraculous film after the other in the 30's and 40's. She was a queen of the box office. There's no one like any of these stars around today - and the stars of "Always" were adequate, but I would guess they would agree, it would be tough to find better actors than Tracy and Dunne today. They are a gift and their films should be seen again and again. After all - they set the standard for those who followed.

This film has not been issued on DVD. This listing was created by a bootlegger, selling home-made copies.

Trying to directly compare this movie, made in 1943, with "Always", made in 1989, is not really fair. In 1943 we were at war and movies were often designed to support our war efforts, as well as entertain. Both are love stories, but written and directed for different times and different audiences. For those of us around in 1943, it is easy to understand and appreciate movies from that era, while also enjoying pictures of a more recent making, from the perspective the time they are made. My advice to younger viewers, is to think of "A Guy Named Joe" as a well acted and emotional, love and war story, as well as an insight into entertainment during the war years

I thought the P-38s were great. I know the special effects were not up to current par, but the moview was made ove sixty years ago. I thought the acting was very good.

This is one of those old-fashioned, nice stories with generally nice people, some good lessons to be learned and some touching scenes. You just have to go with the fantasy-type theologies, in this story dead people coming back as angels-you-can see.

Irene Dunne never looked better, although the soft-focus lens helped her looks. She isn't beautiful but she's wholesomely pretty, and thus appealing. Spencer Tracy gives his normal strong performance but I liked supporting actor Ward Bond in here better. Tracy gives an excellent short speech at the end of this film.

The special-effects in the aviator-war scenes were not good but, hey, this film was made over 65 years ago. You could tell the planes were model airplanes on several shots.

Note: this film was re-made by Steven Spielberg 40 years later under the title "Always." That was a nice film, too, but I think I'd still take this version. I just wish someone would put it out on a Region 1 DVD.