Jet Pilot

The Duke hits the skies in a rousing adventure

John Wayne (Academy Award winner for True Grit) and Janet Leigh (nominated for Psycho) star in this airborne adventure produced by Howard Hughes, whose Hell's Angels set the standard for aerial action. Col. James Shannon (Wayne) is surprised when his men force down a Russian jet and find it piloted by a delectable defector, Lieut. Anna Marladovna (Leigh), with whom he develops a lively, love-hate relationship. After marrying Anna to keep her from being deported, he's even more surprised when Gen. Black (Jay C. Flippen) reveals she's a spy - and decides to defect to Russia himself. Famed pilot Chuck Yeager did some of the impressive stunt flying for this Cold War romance from Jules Furthman and Josef von Sternberg, the screenwriter and Oscar nominated director of Shanghai Express.