MovieChat Forums > Dive Bomber (1941) Discussion > Brought to you by Philip Morris

Brought to you by Philip Morris

posted 19 years ago by oscarbreath
29 replies | jump to latest

OK OK I know people smoked a lot in the '30s and '40s, and perhaps especially in the armed forces. But I have never in my life seen a movie with so many people smoking so much of the time. Amazing, esp. since Errol is supposed to be a doctor! He's either flying, in surgery or smoking. One of the first scenes where he's in the ambulance, he lights up a ciggie for the crashed pilot who can barely puff it. Sure kids it's OK to smoke, take it from me - I'm a doctor!

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] fourcr 10 years ago

I can't believe no one else has made this point. Yes, smoking was a rite of passage back then and everyone did it. But in this movie, I think the film maker was pointing to the ills of smoking IN 1941! They used the "Scheider Index" to ground 2 pilots due to "Chronic Flight Fatigue," and both those guys, Griffin and Blake died as a result. But they were the 2 biggest smokers in one of the biggest smoking movies I ever saw. Remember the tap of the cigarette cases after Griffin said, "No thanks, I've got my own," before taking off for Seattle? Those cigarette cases were featured from very early in the film until the end. It wasn't about the cases, it was about the cigarettes.

Maybe not t he medical community or the military but I'm sure that there were those that linked smoking to ill health back then and I think this film gave a nod to that.

[–] joeparkson 10 years ago

In the 1960s when concerns about smoking first became mainstream, I remember representatives of cigarette companies showing up on high school campuses and handing out free 3 cigarette sample packs to high school students as school ended. I was in high school then and I would give mine to friends since I didn't smoke.

Isn't this how drug pushers get customers?

Anyone else old enough to remember getting these little sample packs of cigarettes?

Soy 'un hijo de la playa'

[–] detroit442 8 years ago

Try Fritz Lang's "M" for a smokey movie. It had more smoke than the movie "Smoke".

[–] ElKabong1940 (323) 4 years ago

When I was a Navy pilot, the rule was no smoking 50 ft. from the aircraft. I remember when they gave you a pack of four cigarettes along with your airline meal.