A Yank in The R.A.F. - Production

Production

With principal photography shot from April to July 1941, the film leaned heavily on the headline news of the Battle of Britain. The sequence of the Dunkirk evacuation filmed at Point Mugu, California, involved over 1,000 extras. The entire film was shot on Hollywood sound stages, Twentieth Century-Fox back lots and locations in California.

In order to stage some of the airfield scenes, the prop department turned out a group of accurate replica Spitfire and Messerschmitt fighters to go along with actual Lockheed Hudson bombers built in the nearby Lockheed factory at Burbank, California. All the flying sequences were under the direction of long-time Hollywood pilot, Paul Mantz, who used a team of stunt pilots including Frank Clarke.

With complete cooperation from the RAF, as well as extensive use of stock RAF footage, the studio was allowed to film actual aerial battles shot by a camera-equipped aircraft. In the original version of the film, the hero played by Power dies at Dunkirk, but after the RAF expressed concerns that morale would be jeopardized, the scene was re-shot with Baker surviving.

The screen credits show "Tyrone Power with Betty Grable." The pairing of Twentieth Century-Fox's two leading stars, as well as cashing into bankable star-power, was considered an opportunity to promote Grable in more serious roles, although A Yank in the R.A.F. was really a melange of light romantic musical and wartime drama. According to Robert Osborne, Power felt Grable's song-and-dance numbers were out of place in the film, but Grable, believing her popularity was based on her singing, dancing and bare legs, got her way.