Talk:The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell

Plot summary

I could write one? The Wurdulak (talk) 22:52, 13 April 2009 (UTC)

Absolutely! See WP:FILMPLOT for some guidelines. In addition, Wikipedia frowns on only plot summaries, so I encourage you to find some reliable sources about the production, reception, and themes of this film. If you need help with this, let me know! —Erik (talk • contrib) 14:17, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

• There must be a lot written about it. I'll write the plot summary first and then look through some books. The Wurdulak (talk) 15:16, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

• I found one book and will look for others. The Wurdulak (talk) 00:33, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

Nice job with the summary; it is a good start. What book did you find? —Erik (talk • contrib) 16:15, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

• • I've found several but I'm having trouble locating them in a library. I'll continue sifting through google books. The Wurdalak (talk) 16:27, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

Citations to use

"The historical genre also favors stories that place these common folk in struggles against some terrible injustice affecting them or their family or friends. Cinematic history often portrays its heroes in noble fights against oppression, exploitation, or prejudice. There is an uplifting quality in this kind of historical drama. Audiences sense early in these stories that the heroic characters are right in their beliefs, but people in positions of authority will not listen to them or respect their ideas. In The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955), for instance, the aviator (played by Gary Cooper) warns military leaders that aircraft carriers will be essential in the next war; he predicts a future conflict with Japan and calls for a separate air force group within the U.S. military. But leaders of the armed forces find him annoying; they demote Mitchell and dismiss him as a dreamer." From: Toplin, Robert Brent. "Cinematic History as Genre". Reel History: In Defense of Hollywood. University Press of Kansas. p. 34. ISBN 0700612009.

Passage that could be used. —Erik (talk • contrib) 16:25, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

Another reference that has more detail: Biskind, Peter. "At War with the Army: The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell". Seeing Is Believing: How Hollywood Taught Us to Stop Worrying and Love the Fifties. Holt Paperbacks. pp. 86–91. ISBN 0805065636. —Erik (talk • contrib) 16:28, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

• I've managed to get this book from my local library. It refers mutliple times to Billy Mitchell. The Wurdalak (talk) 22:15, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

Awesome. Have you cited a book before? I can help format the Wikipedia article for proper referencing as well as with citing specific pages. —Erik (talk • contrib) 22:33, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

• I sort of know MLA but I have to brush up on it. The Wurdalak (talk) 22:36, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

  • It's an amazing film. The Wurdalak (talk) 22:52, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

• • It says in Seeing is Believing that the film is "right-wing." Good stuff. As well there is talk about the portrayal of the press in the film... favorably. The Wurdalak (talk) 03:32, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

• One thing. Seeing is Believing writes it as "The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell"... there's no dash. The Wurdalak (talk) 15:45, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Maybe you can add an "Analysis" section and reference the book. We should add some contemporary reviews, too. As for the dash, I don't think it's that big of a deal... we can see from the title card in the article that a dash exists. In addition, The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell redirects here, so there won't be any readers unable to find this article. —Erik (talk • contrib) 15:50, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

What is a title card? For my name the title card was "The Wurdulak" but the episode is actually referred to as "The Wurdalak". The Wurdalak (talk) 16:33, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

This image is a title card. We may want to see if a poster exists to use in the infobox instead; the general practice is to have a poster image whenever possible. When do you plan to add information from the book? If you want to see how the book can be cited, see how I have cited books at Apt Pupil (film). —Erik (talk • contrib) 16:36, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

I found the poster here! I will add it to the article a little later. It should be a better illustration since it shows the protagonist. —Erik (talk • contrib) 16:38, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

I will have to keep researching. I don't yet know enough to write much more yet. I'll have to get a few more books too. The Wurdalak (talk) 16:46, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

References to use

Please add to the list references that can be used for the film article.

• Aquino, John T. (2005). "Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1925) / Film: The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)". Truth and Lives on Film: The Legal Problems of Depicting Real Persons and Events in a Fictional Medium. McFarland. pp. 118–122. ISBN 0786420448.—Preceding unsigned comment added by Erik II (talk • contribs) 16:03, 3 November 2010 (UTC)

MacArthur hagiography

Watched this film the other afternoon, for the first time in years. They picked an actor who resembled, or was made up to resemble, Douglas MacArthur, and we are shown a scene, presumably entirely fictitious, of the judges deliberating in private and MacArthur insisting that Mitchell is entitled to put his case and receive a fair hearing.

The film was made in the mid 1950s, when MacArthur was a national hero, for WW2, if not necessarily for Korea where his record was a bit more controversial. We'd need a source for that kind of commentary, though.Paulturtle (talk) 01:22, 20 February 2021 (UTC)

According to the relevant article, MacArthur did later claim that he found the order to serve on the court martial "distasteful" and that he voted to acquit. But that was in his ghosted memoirs, which didn't come out until 1964, almost a decade after this film! So we'd need to consult a detailed biography to see what is known of what MacArthur actually said or wrote at the time.Paulturtle (talk) 01:27, 20 February 2021 (UTC)