''Flight'' is a 1929 American
pre-Code
Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...
adventure
An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme ...
and
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 a ...
film directed by
Frank Capra. The film stars
Jack Holt,
Lila Lee
Lila Lee (born Augusta Wilhelmena Fredericka Appel; July 25, 1905 – November 13, 1973) was a prominent screen actress, primarily a leading lady, of the silent film and early sound film eras.
Early life
The daughter of Augusta Fredericka Appe ...
and
Ralph Graves
Ralph Graves (born Ralph Horsburgh; January 23, 1900 – February 18, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director and actor who appeared in more than 90 films between 1918 and 1949.
Biography
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Graves had alre ...
, who also came up with the story, for which Capra wrote the dialogue. Dedicated to the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
, the production was greatly aided by their full cooperation.
Plot
College football player Lefty Phelps (
Ralph Graves
Ralph Graves (born Ralph Horsburgh; January 23, 1900 – February 18, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director and actor who appeared in more than 90 films between 1918 and 1949.
Biography
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Graves had alre ...
) causes his school to lose the big game when he gets disoriented after a tackle and
runs the wrong way. After being treated decently by gruff
U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant "Panama" Williams (
Jack Holt), a spectator, Phelps decides to enlist in the Marines himself. He is selected to attend pilot training school at
Naval Air Station Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...
, where Williams is a flying instructor. When Williams finally recognizes Lefty, he befriends him and takes him under his wing.
On his first attempt at solo flight, however, Lefty is taunted about the football game by fellow recruit Steve Roberts (
Harold Goodwin), and cannot take off, resulting in a crash. Panama rescues Lefty from the burning aircraft, suffering burns to his hands. Lefty is "washed out" by his squadron commander, Major Rowell (
Alan Roscoe).
Lefty is taken to the base hospital, where he falls for Navy nurse Elinor Murray (
Lila Lee
Lila Lee (born Augusta Wilhelmena Fredericka Appel; July 25, 1905 – November 13, 1973) was a prominent screen actress, primarily a leading lady, of the silent film and early sound film eras.
Early life
The daughter of Augusta Fredericka Appe ...
). When the "Flying Devils" squadron is sent to quell bandit attacks by the notorious General Lobo in
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...
, Panama arranges for Lefty to accompany him as his mechanic. Panama shows Lefty a photograph of Elinor, the love of his life, not knowing Lefty is in love with her too. When Elinor is sent to Nicaragua, she does not understand the guilt-stricken Lefty's cool reception. When the girl-shy Panama asks Lefty to propose to Elinor on his behalf, Elinor confesses her love for him instead, after which Panama accuses Lefty of betrayal.
An urgent call for help by a Marine outpost under bandit attack stops any confrontation. Lefty flies as gunner for Steve Roberts, who makes fun of him about shooting in the right direction. During the mission, their aircraft is shot down in a swamp. Unwilling to join in the rescue, Panama reports in sick, but once Elinor convinces him that Lefty never betrayed him, he flies his own solo rescue mission. At the crash site, Roberts dies of his injuries and is cremated by Lefty using their aircraft as a funeral pyre. Panama finds Lefty but is wounded by bandits led by General Lobo, after his landing. Lefty kills the attacking bandits, takes off, and brings the pair back, putting on an impressive flying display over the base that includes safely landing the aircraft after it loses a wheel. Sometime later, Lefty has won his wings and is now an instructor at the school, married to Elinor. When his wife arrives in their new car, Lefty accidentally pulls away in reverse.
Cast
*
Jack Holt as Gunnery Sergeant "Panama" Williams
*
Lila Lee
Lila Lee (born Augusta Wilhelmena Fredericka Appel; July 25, 1905 – November 13, 1973) was a prominent screen actress, primarily a leading lady, of the silent film and early sound film eras.
Early life
The daughter of Augusta Fredericka Appe ...
as Elinor Murray
*
Ralph Graves
Ralph Graves (born Ralph Horsburgh; January 23, 1900 – February 18, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director and actor who appeared in more than 90 films between 1918 and 1949.
Biography
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Graves had alre ...
as Corporal "Lefty" Phelps
*
Eddy Chandler
Eddy Chandler (March 12, 1894 – March 23, 1948) was an American actor who appeared, mostly uncredited, in more than 350 films. Three of these films won the Academy Award for Best Picture: ''It Happened One Night'' (1934), '' You Can't ...
* as Marine Sergeant, Panama's buddy
*
Edgar Dearing
Edgar Dearing (May 4, 1893 – August 17, 1974) was an American actor who became heavily type cast as a motorcycle cop in Hollywood films.
Biography
Born in 1893, Dearing started in silent comedy shorts for Hal Roach, including several with La ...
* as Football Coach
*Jimmy De La Cruze* as "Lobo" Sandino, the bandit leader
*
Harold Goodwin* as Corporal Steve Roberts
*
George Irving* as Marine Colonel in Nicaragua
*
Alan Roscoe* as Major James D. Rowell
* ''uncredited''
Production
At the time of production, Jack Holt's career with Columbia Pictures was as a leading man. Capra specifically asked for him to star as the laconic pilot and with the acquiescence of studio head
Harry Cohn, his role in Flight was emblematic of the studio's reliance on the popular and profitable action film.
Receiving full cooperation from the Marine Corps, including the use of facilities and personnel at
Naval Base San Diego and
NAS North Island
Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (N ...
, provided the authentic settings Capra required.
[Capra 1971, pp. 108–109.] The initial flying sequence depicts the landing and taxi of an
FB-1 fighter, with Holt stepping from the cockpit. {
The flight training sequences were staged using
Consolidated NY-1B trainers based at San Diego. Nine Marine Corps
Curtiss OC-2 aircraft from
Marine Attack Squadron 231 (VMA-231) were featured in the aerial combat sequences.
The squadron, along with VO-10M (Marine Observation Squadron 10), also prominently appeared in ''
Devil Dogs of the Air
''Devil Dogs of the Air'' (a.k.a. ''Flying Marines'') is a 1935 Warner Bros. film, directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring James Cagney and Pat O'Brien, playing similar roles as close friends after making their debut as a "buddy team" in '' Here C ...
'' (1935).
[McBride 1992, p. 205.]
A total of 28 aircraft were at Capra's disposal and with the benefit of using actual aircraft, Capra did not have to rely on "process shots" or special effects which was the standard of the day, although dangerous crash scenes and a mass night takeoff were staged using studio miniatures. Along with principal aerial photographer, Elmer Dyer, who filmed from a camera-equipped aircraft, Capra flew alongside in a director's aircraft to coordinate the aerial scenes. Jack Holt who was an accomplished pilot, flew in the film but crashed during one scene. Capra pushed for aerial close-ups and in one scene, wanted Holt to stand up in the cockpit but his parachute had deployed, and he remained seated, causing the scene to be abandoned. Noted Marine Corps exhibition pilots Lts. Bill Williams and Jerry Jerome were also involved in the production.
[Capra 1971, p. 109.]
Historical accuracy
Capra also shot on location in La Mesa and Fallbrook, California, used for the Nicaragua scenes. Although a fictional treatment, the military action depicted in Nicaragua was based on the
Battle of Ocotal
The Battle of Ocotal occurred in July 1927, during the American occupation of Nicaragua.
A large force of rebels loyal to Augusto César Sandino attacked the garrison of Ocotal, which was held by a small group of US Marines and Nicaraguan Natio ...
on July 16, 1927 when the Marines battled hundreds of
Sandinista
The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto Cà ...
rebels.
Importing
fire ant
Fire ants are several species of ants in the genus ''Solenopsis'', which includes over 200 species. ''Solenopsis'' are stinging ants, and most of their common names reflect this, for example, ginger ants and tropical fire ants. Many of the nam ...
s for the swamp scene became controversial as the ants were capable of biting through the actors' clothing.
The opening scene where the football star takes off in the wrong direction was based on Capra's recalling a notable incident he witnessed, along with
Columbia studio boss Harry Cohn, during the
1929 Rose Bowl
The 1929 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game and the 15th annual Rose Bowl Game. Played on January 1, 1929, the game saw the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (also known at the time as the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado) defeat the California Go ...
when
Roy Riegels
Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels (April 4, 1908 – March 26, 1993) played for the University of California, Berkeley football team from 1927 to 1929. His wrong-way run in the 1929 Rose Bowl is often cited as the worst blunder in the history of college foo ...
was tackled by his own team after picking up a fumble and running toward his own goal line. Footage from the actual game is used.
Reception
''Flight'' garnered a lukewarm response from critics and did well at the box office. Typical of the reviews was the one appearing 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 d ...
'': "During those all too brief moments when the producer skips away from melodramatic flubdub, tedious romantic passages and slapstick comedy and turns to scenes of airplanes in formation and flying stunts, 'Flight,' a talking film presented last night by Columbia Pictures Corporation at the George M. Cohan and dedicated to the United States Marines, is well worth watching."
[Hall, Mordaunt]
"Review: Flight."
''The New York Times,'' September 14, 1929. In a later day review, Alun Evans lumped the film in with similar
propaganda film
A propaganda film is a film that involves some form of propaganda. Propaganda films spread and promote certain ideas that are usually religious, political, or cultural in nature. A propaganda film is made with the intent that the viewer will ad ...
s of the silent era that depicted US involvement in Mexican and Latin American conflicts.
[Evans 2000, p. 71.]
Largely forgotten today, ''Flight'' is representative of Capra's early period and fits in well with the silent ''
Submarine'' (1928) and later ''
Dirigible'' (1931) as a trio of military-themed productions. Now available in home video, the film is rarely broadcast as it is considered a minor work in the Capra filmology.
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
* Blottner, Gene. ''Columbia Pictures Movie Series, 1926-1955: The Harry Cohn Years''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2011. .
* Capra, Frank. ''Frank Capra, The Name Above the Title: An Autobiography''. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1971. .
* Dick, Bernard F. ''Columbia Pictures: Portrait of a Studio''. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky, 1992. I.
* Dolan Edward F. Jr. ''Hollywood Goes to War''. London: Bison Books, 1985. .
* Evans, Alun. ''Brassey's Guide to War Films.'' Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books, 2000. .
* Harwick, Jack and Ed Schnepf. "A Viewer's Guide to Aviation Movies". ''The Making of the Great Aviation Films,'' General Aviation Series, Volume 2, 1989.
*
McBride, Joseph. ''Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success''. New York: Touchstone Books, 1992. .
* Scherle, Victor and William Levy. ''The Films of Frank Capra''. Secaucus, New Jersey: The Citadel Press, 1977. .
External links
*
*
*
''Flight''at Virtual History
{{Frank Capra
1929 films
1929 adventure films
American aviation films
American black-and-white films
Columbia Pictures films
Films directed by Frank Capra
Films about the United States Marine Corps
American adventure films
1920s English-language films
1920s American films