''Death in the Air'' (aka ''Pilot X'' and ''The Mysterious Bombardier'') is a 1937 American film directed by

Elmer Clifton Elmer Clifton (March 14, 1890 – October 15, 1949) was an American writer, director and actor from the early silent days. A collaborator of D.W. Griffith, he appeared in ''The Birth of a Nation'' (1915) and ''Intolerance'' (1916) before giving ...

and stars

Lona Andre Lona Andre (born Launa Anderson; March 2, 1915 – September 18, 1992) was an American film actress, golfer, and businesswoman. Biography Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Andre attracted attention with her first films in Hollywood and was named ...

John Carroll John Carroll may refer to: People Academia and science *Sir John Carroll (astronomer) (1899–1974), British astronomer *John Alexander Carroll (died 2000), American history professor *John Bissell Carroll (1916–2003), American cognitive sci ...

Leon Ames Leon Ames (born Harry L. Wycoff;U.S. Federal Census for 1910 for Fowler, Center Township, Benton County, State of Indiana, access via Ancestry.com January 20, 1902 – October 12, 1993) was an American film and television actor. He is best rememb ...

and Henry Hall. The film is also known as ''Murder in the Air'' in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and as ''The Mysterious Bombardier'' (American reissue title). The film was Fanchon Royer's first production for her new company, Fanchon Royer Features, Inc. ''Film Daily'' reported that noted "G-Man"

Melvin Purvis Melvin Horace Purvis II (October 24, 1903 – February 29, 1960) was an American law enforcement official and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent. Given the nickname "Little Mel" because of his short, frame, Purvis became noted for leadi ...

was offered a role in this film, but turned it down. The story concerns commercial aircraft being shot down by a large black fighter aircraft with a large "X" painted on the wing. The chief suspects may be the very pilots that have been gathered together to solve the mystery, and are invited for the weekend to an old dark mansion.

Plot

Inspector Gallagher (Willard Kent) of the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bu ...

views a number of crashes and disappearances of Goering-Gage Aviation Corporation aircraft as suspicious. With United States Army Reserve test pilot Jerry Blackwood (

), Gallagher visits the Goering-Gage company. Jerry test flies Goering-Gage aircraft but finds nothing wrong. When a severely injured passenger from a crash claims a mystery aircraft attacked them, the owner, Henry Goering (Henry Hall), hires psychiatrist Dr. Norris (John Elliott) to question the man. Dr. Norris believes a psychotic ex-World War I flying ace, whom he dubs "Pilot X," may be behind the attacks. With the help of Blackwood, Goering and Norris assemble a group of five ex-flying aces living in the area who may have a connection with the mysterious Pilot X. He recruits German Lieutenant Baron von Guttard (

Hans Joby Hans Joby (3 August 1884 – 30 April 1943) was an Austrian film actor. He appeared in 63 films between 1920 and 1944. He was also billed as "Captain John Peters", and often played aristocratic Prussian-types, memorably in Laurel and Hardy ...

), French Lieutenant Rene Le Rue (

Gaston Glass Gaston Glass (born Jacques Gaston Oscar Glass; December 31, 1899 – November 11, 1965) was a French-American actor and film producer. He was the father of the composer Paul Glass (born 1934). Selected filmography * ''The Corsican Broth ...

), British Captain Roland Saunders (Pat Somerset), Canadian Lieutenant Douglas Thompson (

Wheeler Oakman Wheeler Oakman (born Vivian Eichelberger; February 21, 1890 – March 19, 1949) was an American film actor. Early years Oakman was born as Vivian Eichelberger in Washington, D.C., and educated in that city's schools. He grew up in Fairfax, Virg ...

), and American Lieutenant John Ives (

Reed Howes Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * R ...

). The group meets in a mansion to plan how to confront the mysterious Pilot X. One pilot, however, von Guttard comes under immediate suspicion when Goering is uneasy with son Carl (

), an ex-German prisoner of war. On their first patrol, Pilot X attacks, killing von Guttard. Later that day, Le Rue is killed by Pilot X and the next day, Saunders has a mental breakdown. Blackwood receives a note from Pilot X, asking him to meet him in the sky at six o'clock the next morning. Thompson, meanwhile, receives a similar note but Pilot X, who is on the airfield, paints an "X" on Thompson's aircraft. Blackwood mistakes Thompson for Pilot X, and kills the Canadian. When a paint can is found in Ives' locker, all accuse the American ace of being Pilot X. That night, Dr. Norris calls the elder Goering, telling him that he knows who is Pilot X, but is murdered. Gallagher believes Blackwood is Pilot X, and sends Ives and Saunders after him. Helen Gage (

), Henry's ward, however, first finds part of Saunders' goggles near Norris' dead body, then finds the other half in his aircraft. Crazed, Saunders takes off after Blackwood with Helen trapped on his aircraft. Once in the sky, Pilot X appears and attacks Saunders, wounding him. In a fierce dogfight, Pilot X attacks Blackwood but is shot down. In the wreckage of Pilot X's aircraft the body of Carl Goering is discovered along with a photograph of Carl in a German uniform. He was not a prisoner of war, but deserted and joined the German Air Force. With the mystery solved, Blackwood and Helen realize that they are attracted to one another and embrace.

Cast

as Helen Gage *

as Jerry Blackwood *

as Carl Goering * Henry Hall as Henry Goering *

as Lt. Baron von Guttard (Credited as John S. Peters) *

as Lt. Rene La Rue *

Pat Somerset Pat Somerset (28 February 1897 – 20 April 1974) was an English stage and film actor. Biography Born Patrick Holme-Sumner, after appearing in some British silent films early in his career, he moved to the United States. In 1922 he starred on ...

as Capt. Roland Saunders *

as Lt. Douglas Thompson *

as Lt. John Ives * Willard Kent as Inspector Gallagher * John Elliott as Dr. Norris

Production

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

on ''Death in the Air'' under the working title of ''Pilot X'' began June 25, 1936. A series of name changes took place with an affidavit filed on March 10, 1938 with the New York State censors to change the title to ''Pilot X'' (the title of the print viewed). On May 13, 1943, the production was re-titled and reissued as ''Mysterious Bombardier''."Notes: 'Death in the Air' (1937)."
''Turner Classic Movies''. Retrieved: April 1, 2017. The aircraft used in the film include: Waco INF, Pitcairn PA 7S "Mailwing Sport", Fleet 2 and Stinson SR 8B. Stock footage from '' Hell's Angels'' (1930) has scenes of a

Fokker D.VII The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qui ...

and the

Sikorsky S-29-A The Sikorsky S-29-A was a twin-engine sesquiplane airliner, first flown in 1924. It was the first aircraft that aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky designed and built after coming to the United States, hence the special "-A" suffix signifying "America ...

incorporated. In addition, sequences of

Boeing F2B The Boeing F2B was a biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy in the 1920s, familiar to aviation enthusiasts of the era as the craft of the Three Sea Hawks aerobatic flying team, famous for its tied-together formation flying.Swanborou ...

fighter aircraft filmed at air shows, were also used.

Reception

Aviation film historian Stephen Pendo in ''Aviation in the Cinema'', considered ''Death in the Air'' "a very bad, quickly made melodrama about a murder-bent ex-war pilot ...it used much stock footage."Pendo 1985, p. 15.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* 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

* * *
Review: Pilot X
{{DEFAULTSORT:Death In The Air American mystery films American aviation films 1930s English-language films American black-and-white films Films directed by Elmer Clifton 1937 mystery films 1937 films 1930s American films