| The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell | |
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1955 Theatrical Poster |
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| Directed by | Otto Preminger |
| Produced by | Milton Sperling |
| Written by | Emmet Lavery Milton Sperling |
| Starring | Gary Cooper |
| Music by | Dimitri Tiomkin |
| Cinematography | Sam Leavitt |
| Editing by | Folmar Blangsted |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 22, 1955 |
| Running time | 100 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell is a 1955 film directed by Otto Preminger. It stars Gary Cooper as Billy Mitchell, Charles Bickford, Ralph Bellamy, Rod Steiger and Elizabeth Montgomery in her film debut.
Brigadier General William Mitchell tries to prove the worth of the Air Service as an independent service by sinking a battleship but is held back by his superiors. He disobeys their orders and proves his aircraft can sink the ex-German World War I battleship, Ostfriesland, previously considered unsinkable. Politically vocal, he is demoted to colonel and sent to Texas. After two high-profile air disasters kill many, Mitchell calls a press conference in which he makes harsh criticisms of the Army. He is then court-martialed.
It goes slowly for Mitchell's attorney, who tries everything, until he subpoenas President Calvin Coolidge and the court decides to adjourn. Mitchell refuses to sign a paper his attorney has presented him in which he withdraws his criticisms. Margaret Lansdowne then tells her story to the press and appears in court. The previous barring of evidence demonstrating a justification for Mitchell's criticisms is repealed and many witnesses are then called forward to corroborate Mitchell's criticisms. Finally Mitchell testifies and is cross-examined by a prosecutor who ridicules his foresightedness, accurately describing, in 1923, both jet aircraft and the Attack on Pearl Harbor. The court finds Mitchell guilty but he has presented his case to the public, which is somewhat of a win considering he wanted to raise awareness about the state of the Air Service. As his pilots salute him Mitchell steps out and looks up and sees a squadron of four biplanes in flight, the biplanes are replaced with a squadron of jets, demonstrating what Billy Mitchell's actions will do to the future of the United States and its air force.
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