Lila ployardt

Minnie wead cause of death
Frank wead wife
Frank Wilber "Spig" Wead was a US Navy aviator turned screenwriter who helped promote United States Naval aviation from its inception through World War II.

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Frank ‘Spig’ Wead was a pioneering navy pilot whose determination to advance the cause of U.S. Naval aviation through race victories and record setting made him oblivious to the needs of his family. After an accident at home left him paralysed, he took up writing, giving him the chance to once more promote naval aviation through screenplays. This biopic is typical John Wayne fare, complete with knockabout humour, bar-room brawls and depiction of camaraderie among men. But it shows signs that it could have been so much more.

These are scenes in The Wings of Eagles which feature some of the Duke’s finest acting, and his on-screen chemistry with Maureen O’Hara enhances their domestic scenes. Yet it is here that director John Ford’s friendship with Wead inhibits the movie. There is a suggestion that alcohol abuse played a significant part in the disintegration of the couple’s marriage. Children are left to fend for themselves while their mother goes out for the night, and Spig confides to director John Dodge (read Ford) that he too use

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Introduction

During the recently completed centennial of naval aviation (2011), there were many and varied tributes to the factual history of naval aviation. Nevertheless, we cannot forget that public perception of the armed forces is also a strong historical consideration. In Sailing on the Silver Screen: Hollywood and the U.S. Navy, Lawrence Suid has observed that “for most of the past ninety years the American film industry and the U.S. Navy have worked together to their mutual benefit. Hollywood used the Navy to obtain—at little or no cost—personnel, equipment, and locations for movies filled with adventure, romance, and drama. In turn, the Navy obtained—at little or no cost—a positive public image that boosted both its recruiting efforts and its relations with Congress.” This is especially true if we consider how the careers of two pioneers of Hollywood and the U.S. Navy—director John Ford and screenwriter Frank W. “Spig” Wead became intertwined during the Golden Era of filmmaking and how Ford paid tribute to his friend and colleague in The Wings of Eagles (1957

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Frank Wead

American screenwriter

Frank Wilbur^{[N 1]} "Spig" Wead (24 October 1895 – 15 November 1947) was a U.S. Navyaviator who helped promote United States Naval aviation from its inception through World War II. Commander Wead was a recognized authority on early aviation. Following a crippling spinal injury in 1926, Wead was placed on the retired list. In the 1930s, he became a screenwriter, becoming involved in more than 30 movies. He also published several books, short stories and magazine articles. During World War II, he returned to active duty. He initially worked in a planning role, but later undertook sea duty in the Pacific, where he saw action against the Japanese in 1943–44 before being placed on the retired list in mid-1945.

Early life

Frank Wilbur Wead was born to Samuel De Forest Wead and Grace (Bestor) Wead on 24 October 1895, in Ward No. 5 of Peoria Township, Peoria, Illinois.^[1] Frank graduated from Peoria High School.^[2]

The Wead family had a strong background of service to the American nation. The Weads of Massachus