Cambria man who lost his father in the Korean War sponsors showing of ‘Devotion’ movie
Gary Boyle feels that the title of the new Korean War film “Devotion” also applies to his 30-plus years of research into the conflict and what happened to his own pilot father who went missing in action when Boyle was just 3 years old.
That emotional connection, he said, is one reason why the 73-year-old Cambria resident is sponsoring a special screening of the 2.5-hour movie at 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, at the Bay Theater, 464 Morro Bay Blvd.
Tickets, sold at the door for $5 will help cover the cost of renting the theater and the film.
“Devotion” centers around the relationship between elite fighter pilots Jesse Brown and Tom Hudner, who reportedly became the U.S. Navy’s most celebrated wingmen during the Korean War.
Starring in the film are Jonathan Majors as Brown and Glen Powell as Hudner, with Christina Jackson, Joe Jonas, Nick Hargrove, Spencer Neville, and Thomas Sadoski in supporting roles.
The action drama also tells the story of Brown’s struggles as the first black Naval airman in U.S. history, and subsequently “the first black pilot to take off from an aircraft carrier,” Boyle said by phone.
The film was released Nov. 23 and was on the bill that day at some other Central Coast theaters.
What will make Boyle’s showing different will be after “Devotion” ends, he said, in his video presentations and a discussion period. They’ll explain what his extensive research has told him about the deadly conflict and the 8,000 fighters still missing from what’s often called “the forgotten war” that never really ended.
In Boyle’s search for information and understanding about the war, he also was hoping to find a connection to his missing pilot dad who was shot down over North Korea seven decades ago.
This story was originally published November 28, 2022 at 11:20 AM.
