''Devil's Squadron'' is a 1936 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Erle C. Kenton Erle C. Kenton (August 1, 1896 – January 28, 1980) was an American film director. Kenton was director of B films, with his most famous film being ''Island of Lost Souls (1932 film), Island of Lost Souls'' starring Charles Laughton. Biogr ...

and starring

Richard Dix Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

Karen Morley Karen Morley (born Mildred Linton; December 12, 1909 – March 8, 2003) was an American film actress. Life and career Born Mildred Linton in Ottumwa, Iowa, Morley lived there until she was 13 years old. When she moved to Hollywood, she atten ...

and

Lloyd Nolan Lloyd Benedict Nolan (August 11, 1902 – September 27, 1985) was an American film and television actor. Among his many roles, Nolan is remembered for originating the role of private investigator Michael Shayne in a series of 1940s B movies. Bi ...

. The following written prologue appears after the opening credits: "This picture is dedicated to the test pilots....those men who knowingly face death every time they leave the ground in an untried airplane. We never hear of these men, yet on their courage depends the future of aviation." "Notes: 'Devil's Squadron'."
''TCM'', 2019. Retrieved: June 30, 2019.

Plot

Test pilot Paul Redmond (

) was dishonorably discharged from the United States Marines, and needed a second chance. When he encounters Martha Dawson (

), the daughter of an aircraft manufacturer, by chance on an airliner, he also meets Martha's father, Colonel E. J. Dawson (

Boyd Irwin Boyd Irwin (12 March 1880 – 22 January 1957) was an English stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1915 and 1948, both silent and "talkies", including a starring role in Australian film ''For Australia'' in 1915. ...

) and her fiancé, Dana Kirk (

). Colonel Dawson owns Dawson Aircraft Corporation, building aircraft for the

U.S. Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

. Dana and Paul are old friends and, subsequently Dana hires his friend as a new test pilot for Dawson Aircraft. During a test flight, Paul establishes a new speed record, but crash-lands. When her father dies, Martha and her brother, Ritchie (William Stelling), who is also a test pilot, take over the company operations. During continuing test flights, many of the company's pilots are killed or injured. Ritchie is emotionally affected by the crashes, and, on the eve of his test flight, he commits suicide. Paul covers up Ritchie's suicide by flying the body in a test aircraft, setting the aircraft on fire, and parachuting out. The investigation into the first accident that Paul caused, reveals he was discharged from the Marines for bailing out on a student flyer. The company test pilots suspect Paul did the same thing to Ritchie. Martha wants to close the company but one last test flight can still save Dawson Aircraft Corporation. Later, Paul learns that Dana is scheduled to perform a dangerous flight test and trying to vindicate himself, Paul knocks him unconscious and performs the test himself. Watched by Army Major T. L. Metcalf (

Thurston Hall Ernest Thurston Hall (May 10, 1882 – February 20, 1958) was an American film, stage and television actor.Aylesworth, Thomas G. and Bowman, John S. (1987). ''The World Almanac Who's Who of Film''. World Almanac. . Pp. 186-187. Career Stag ...

), Paul wins the Air Corps contract with his flying. Test pilot Jim Barlow (

Gene Morgan Gene Morgan (March 12, 1893 – August 13, 1940) was an American actor. He appeared in 111 films between 1926 and 1941. He was born in Racine, Wisconsin, United States, and died in Santa Monica, California. Selected filmography * ''Rogu ...

) tells Dana how Paul covered up Ritchie's suicide. Martha learns that Paul had flown the tests that won the Army contract. With the truth revealed, Barlow unites Martha and Paul by skywriting, "Paul, come back to Marty!"

Cast

as Paul Redmond *

as Martha Dawson *

as Dana Kirk *

Shirley Ross Shirley Ross (born Bernice Maude Gaunt, January 7, 1913 – March 9, 1975) was an American actress and singer, notable for her duet with Bob Hope, " Thanks for the Memory" from ''The Big Broadcast of 1938''. She appeared in 25 feature films be ...

as Eunice *

Henry Mollison Evelyn Henry Mollison (21 February 1905 – 19 July 1985) was a British theatre and film actor. He was the brother of the actor Clifford Mollison. During World War II, he was held as a Prisoner of War for five years by the Nazis, after his ...

as Austin Forrester *

as Jim Barlow * Gordon Jones as Tex * William Stelling as Ritchie Dawson *

as Major Metcalf * Gertrude Green as Lulu *

as Col. Dawson * Bill Barrud as Butch *

Cora Sue Collins Cora Susan Collins (born April 19, 1927) is an American former child actress who appeared in numerous films during the Golden Years of Hollywood. Early life and career Cora Susan Collins was born on April 19, 1927, in Beckley, West Virginia. ...

as Mary

Production

According to a ''Motion Picture Herald'' story on ''Devil's Squadron'', writer

Dick Grace Richard Virgil Grace (October 1, 1898 – June 25, 1965), known as Dick Grace, was an American stunt pilot who specialized in crashing planes for films. Films that he appeared in include ''Sky Bride'', ''The Lost Squadron'', '' Lilac Time'', and '' ...

was a former noted movie stunt pilot. Principal photography on ''Devil's Squadron'' took place at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Airport and

Grand Central Air Terminal Grand Central Airport is a former airport in Glendale, California. Also known as Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT), the airport was an important facility for the growing Los Angeles suburb of Glendale in the 1920s and a key element in the devel ...

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

.Santoir, Christian
"Review: 'Devil's Squadron'."
''Aeromovies'', October 19, 2010. Retrieved: June 30, 2019. The shooting began on December 17, 1935, and continued until February 2, 1936, with the film's shooting schedule including a three-week hiatus during January 1936. ''Devil's Squadron'' was a

B movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

thriller that, nonetheless, featured an extensive number of aircraft, including: Northrop 5B Gamma,

Ryan ST The Ryan STs were a series of two seat, low-wing monoplane aircraft built in the United States by the Ryan Aeronautical Company. They were used as sport aircraft, as well as trainers by flying schools and the militaries of several countrie ...

, Fokker C-14,

Douglas DC-2 The Douglas DC-2 is a 14-passenger, twin-engined airliner that was produced by the American company Douglas Aircraft Company starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247. In 1935, Douglas produced a larger version called the DC-3, which b ...

Garland-Lincoln LF-1 The Garland-Lincoln LF-1 (Lincoln-Flagg-1) is a replica World War I Nieuport 28 aircraft used for movie stunts and reenactments.''Popular Aviation,'' June 1937. Design and development The LF-1 was built in Glendale, California specifically to re ...

, Brown B2 and

Fairchild 71 The Fairchild 71 was an American high-wing monoplane passenger and cargo aircraft built by Fairchild Aircraft and later built in Canada by Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) for both military and civilian use as a rugged bush plane. Design and ...

Reception

The contemporary film review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', noted, "That unsung hero of the airplane industry, the test pilot, has his somewhat grisly hour or so this week at the Globe Theatre in 'Devil's Squadron', a film distinguished by some excellent shots of stunt flying and an accompanying romance which does not run off at the deep end." Aviation film historian Stephen Pendo, in ''Aviation in the Cinema'' (1985) noted ''Devil's Squadron'' promoted "... the theory that these test pilots are merely human guinea pigs for designers' sometimes unsafe modifications.". Aviation film historian James Farmer in ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation'' (1984) considered ''Devil's Squadron'', a "... superior "second-bill" air thriller."Farmer 1984, p. 302.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Balio, Tino. ''Grand Design: Hollywood as a Modern Business Enterprise, 1930-1939''. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1995. . * Farmer, James H. ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation'' (1st ed.). Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: TAB Books 1984. . * Paris, Michael. ''From the Wright Brothers to Top Gun: Aviation, Nationalism, and Popular Cinema.'' Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1995. . * Pendo, Stephen. ''Aviation in the Cinema''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. .

External links

* * * {{Erle C. Kenton 1936 films 1936 drama films American aviation films American drama films Films directed by Erle C. Kenton Columbia Pictures films American black-and-white films Films produced by Robert North 1930s English-language films 1930s American films