Otto Preminger's drama, based on a true story, stars Gary Cooper as the eponymous Colonel Billy Mitchell. Mitchell, a WWI flying hero, is convinced America's security lies not with the navy but with a strong, separate air force. The hidebound traditionalists of the navy and army ignore him but, when one of Michell's friends is killed flying an ill-maintained plane, Mitchell's public outbursts leave them no choice but to court-martial him.
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell is a Film programme that first aired in 1955 and has been classified a U certificate.
