Product Details

• Actors: Alan Ladd, June Allyson, James Whitmore, Frank Faylen, Robert Ellis
• Directors: Gordon Douglas
• Writers: Sam Rolfe, Ted Sherdeman
• Producers: Henry Blanke
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: June 13, 1995
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301959973
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,922 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Fictional biography of a Korean war hero returned home who becomes a jet test pilot despite his wife's reservations.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story of the top USAF ace in the Korean War, October 8, 1999

By 

"jbett" (Kirkland, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The McConnell Story [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Joe McConnell was a man driven to become a top fighter pilot. This movie tells the story of Joe as he gets selected to become a navigator in a B-17 bomber in WWII. Unsatisfied in this role, he fights hard to become a pilot and even harder to get in to combat in the skies over Korea. He became the top scoring ace before he was done. The movie ends with the tragedy of his death while test flying new fighter jets.

The McConnell story showcases a period of time in America when the Cold War first turned bloody. It also shows the determination and courage of the American fighter pilots during the Korean War.

The flying scenes are exceptionally good, and very authentic in the aircraft, the lingo and the procedures. Any flying or military history buff would like the movie.

(Side note: I may be biased--my father,then Major Stephen Bettinger, piloted the aircraft "Joe" was flying in the F-86 scenes for the movie and was a jet ace in Korea himself...)

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars spectacular flying sequences, October 1, 2003

By 

richard lee (Detroit, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The McConnell Story [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This bio-pic has action and romance. Alan Ladd is a bit aloof as Joe McConnell, but June Allyson counterbalances this nicely with her usual exuberant enthusiasm. The plot is standard fare for the era, though the twist of transport pilots dreaming of glory as fighter aces is novel. Allyson's role as the loving wife who wants Ladd to stop flying and settle down is familiar, as she basically plays the same part with Jimmy Stewart as the pilot hubby in Strategic Air Command. What really sets the The McConnell Story apart from other cold war military dramas of the 1950s are the spectacular flying sequences. It is unclear whether Major Stephen Bittinger or Captain Pete Fernandez flew the F-86 that was supposed to be McConnell's plane during the filming; both were ace pilots in Korea, and Fernandez was also McConnell's best friend, going back to the transport pilot days. (Fernandez is the only airman listed in the film's credits, as technical advisor.)
So sail off into the clouds with the aces of Korea in this technicolor delight.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Passion Behind the Scenes, May 16, 2006

By 

Samantha Glasser "Maliejandra" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The McConnell Story [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The McConnell Story tells a true tale of an American fighter pilot who served during the Korean War. The man (Alan Ladd) had always been in love with airplanes and though he had a wife and children (June Allyson), he was able to pursue his dreams and make a name for himself in a plane.

The story itself is basic, but it surrounds subtle and endearing characters. They drive the story along. Perhaps one of the reasons that this film is so interesting is because of the chemistry between Ladd and Allyson. The two fell in love with each other during this film despite both being married. They used the story of the film to imagine what it would be like to be married to each other which is why they come to life in the roles. Although their romance ended with the completion of this film, their connection never died and this film serves as a reminder of that.