''Danger Flight'' (aka ''Scouts of the Air'') is a 1939 American film directed by

Howard Bretherton Howard Bretherton (13 February 1890, in Tacoma, Washington – 12 April 1969, in San Diego, California) was an American film director, film editor, and the father of film editor David Bretherton. Career He began his career as a propman and then ...

and starring John Trent as

Tailspin Tommy ''Tailspin Tommy'' was an air adventure comic strip about a youthful pilot, "Tailspin" Tommy Tomkins (sometimes spelled Tompkins). Originally illustrated by Hal Forrest and initially distributed by John Neville Wheeler's Bell Syndicate and the ...

Tompkins,

Marjorie Reynolds Marjorie Reynolds (née Goodspeed; August 12, 1917 – February 1, 1997) was an American film/television actress and dancer, who appeared in more than 50 films, including the 1942 musical ''Holiday Inn'', in which she and Bing Crosby introdu ...

Milburn Stone Hugh Milburn Stone (July 5, 1904 – June 12, 1980) was an American actor, best known for his role as "Doc" (Dr. Galen Adams) on the CBS Western series ''Gunsmoke''. Early life Stone was born in Burrton, Kansas, to Herbert Stone and the forme ...

and Jason Robards Sr. The film featured young aviation enthusiasts in a model club. ''Sky Patrol'' is based on the comic strip ''

'' by

Hal Forrest Hal Forrest (Philadelphia, July 22, 1895 - 1959) was an American comic strip artist best known for his work on ''Tailspin Tommy''. Biography When he was 16, he drew a comic strip, ''Percy the Boy Scout'', for the ''Philadelphia Telegraph'', and ...

and Glenn Chaffin. The final offering of four "

" films made by

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

, ''Danger Flight'', was released on November 1, 1939.

Plot

Ace flyer "Tailspin" Tommy Tomkins ( John Trent) starts a model flying club for young boys, to learn about aviation. When Mr. Brown (

Joseph E. Bernard Joseph E. Bernard (June 1, 1880 – October 18, 1958) was an American character actor of the 1930s and 1940s. Biography Bernard was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to James Alfred Bernard and Katherine Bernard (née Tuite). He had a younger bro ...

) receives a large payroll by aircraft, then by car, gangster Mike Lewis ( Dennis Moore) and two gang members try to hold him up. Tommy agrees to carry the next payroll by small aircraft and then helps Mike's little brother Whitey (Tommy Baker), a tough orphan, get a model aircraft and join the model club. On the night of a bad rain storm, Flight 14 (the payroll flight) is due to arrive with Brown's payroll, but an accident at a dam has Tommy flying to drop medical supplies. Tommy tries to land, but with zero visibility, he overshoots the field and crashes. While search parties look for Tommy east of the airfield, Whitey is sure he knows where Tommy crashed and sends the boys out to search. After Whitey finds Tommy's wrecked aircraft, he sends his model aircraft up into the sky. Tommy's friends, Skeeter (

) and Betty Lou (

), see Whitey's model aircraft and rescue Tommy. Headlines praise Whitey's heroism and Mike introduces him to gang boss Dawson (

Julius Tannen Julius Tannen (May 16, 1880 – January 3, 1965) was a monologist in vaudeville. He was known to stage audiences for his witty improvisations and creative word games. He had a successful career as a character actor in films, appearing in over ...

), a toy manufacturer who proposes a "Whitey Lewis" aircraft that features a secret code. Tommy helps Whitey invent a model aircraft to be used during emergencies that can sky-write using smoke signals. When Flight 14 finally arrives with the payroll, Tommy takes it on his plane with him. The gangsters pretend to have a car accident and Whitey, worried his brother is hurt, sends a smoke signal to Tommy, who lands and is held up. At first, Tommy believes Whitey is with the gangsters but then they are both taken hostage. In the basement of Dawson's cabin hideout, Tommy and Whitey repair Whitey's miniature model and send a smoke signal, spotted by a pilot overhead. The police find Whitey's model and search for the hideout, but Tommy sends Whitey upstairs to escape. Whitey is caught, and when Dawson hurts his brother, he slugs Dawson, who shoots him. The gang escapes by car but drives over a cliff. Tommy helps Whitey out of the cabin and later, Mr. Brown gives Whitey a scout uniform. The head of Whitey's school makes plans for an air scout troop that will soon become a national organization led by Tailspin Tommy.

Cast

* John Trent as

Tompkins *

as Betty Lou *

as Skeeter * Jason Robards Sr. as Paul Smith * Tommy Baker as Whitey Lewis * Dennis Moore as Mike Lewis *

as Dawson * Eddie Parker as Williams *

as Brown * Harry Harvey Jr. as Johnny * Walter Wills as Cap *

Forrest Taylor Edwin Forrest Taylor (December 29, 1883 – February 19, 1965) was an American character actor whose artistic career spanned six different decades, from silents through talkies to the advent of color films. Early years Taylor was born in Bl ...

appears uncredited as Police Radio Dispatcher.

Production

Principal photography for ''Danger Flight'' took place at the Alhambra, California, airport, and began in early September 1939. The aircraft used in ''Danger Flight'' include: * Ryan STA c/n 105, NC14912 *

Stinson A Stinson may refer to: *Stinson, Ontario *Stinson (surname) *Stinson Aircraft Company *Stinson Lake, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, in the town of Rumney *Stinson Municipal Airport, San Antonio, Texas *Stinson Theatres, a Canadian movie th ...

c/n 9107, NC15107 * Stinson SR

Reception

Aviation film historian Stephen Pendo in ''Aviation in the Cinema'' (1985) saw ''Danger Flight'' as an interesting concept with a young boy "becoming involved in model aircraft building".Pendo 1985, p. 19.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Farmer, James H. ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation''. Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: Tab Books Inc., 1984. . * Pendo, Stephen. ''Aviation in the Cinema''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. . * Wynne, H. Hugh. ''The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies''. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1987. .

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Danger Flight 1939 films 1939 adventure films American aviation films Monogram Pictures films American black-and-white films American adventure films Films directed by Howard Bretherton 1930s English-language films 1930s American films