''Mariners of the Sky'' (also known as ''Navy Born'') is a 1936 American
comedy-
drama film directed and produced by
Nate Watt, in his directorial debut. The film stars
William Gargan
William Dennis Gargan (July 17, 1905February 17, 1979) was an American film, television and radio actor. He was the 5th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1967, and in 1941, was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...
,
Claire Dodd
Claire Dodd (born Dorothy Arlene Dodd; December 29, 1911 – November 23, 1973) was an American film actress.
Life and work
Dorothy Arlene Dodd was born on December 29, 1911, in Baxter, Iowa, to Walter Willard Dodd, a farmer whose family ...
and
Douglas Fowley
Douglas Fowley (born Daniel Vincent Fowley, May 30, 1911 – May 21, 1998) was an American movie and television actor in more than 240 films and dozens of television programs, He is probably best remembered for his role as the frustrated m ...
. Filmed with the cooperation of the U.S. Navy, it was a mild recruiting film in an era when the United States military was gearing up for a future war.
Plot
U.S. navy pilot Tex Jones (
Addison Randall) is stationed on an aircraft carrier and learns that he is a father. He shares the news with his best pals and fellow pilots, "Red" Furness (
William Gargan
William Dennis Gargan (July 17, 1905February 17, 1979) was an American film, television and radio actor. He was the 5th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1967, and in 1941, was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...
), Steve Bassett (
Douglas Fowley
Douglas Fowley (born Daniel Vincent Fowley, May 30, 1911 – May 21, 1998) was an American movie and television actor in more than 240 films and dozens of television programs, He is probably best remembered for his role as the frustrated m ...
) and Bill Lyons (
William Newell). On reaching
Naval Base San Diego
Naval Base San Diego, also known as 32nd Street Naval Station, is the second largest surface ship base of the United States Navy and is located in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, cons ...
, the squadron's home port, Tex learns his wife Mary had died. While overwhelmed with grief, Tex wants to look after his son as a navy child, but Mary's sister, Bernice Farrington (
Claire Dodd
Claire Dodd (born Dorothy Arlene Dodd; December 29, 1911 – November 23, 1973) was an American film actress.
Life and work
Dorothy Arlene Dodd was born on December 29, 1911, in Baxter, Iowa, to Walter Willard Dodd, a farmer whose family ...
) is intent on taking the baby away.
Tex asks Red to take care of "The Admiral", the name he and Red have tagged the boy, but, when he is driving to the hospital to say goodbye to his wife, he is in a serious car accident. With his dying breath, Tex pledges to his friend Red as the baby's guardian. While Red has cleverly hidden the baby in his bachelor quarters, Bernice, her mother (Claudia Coleman) and their attorney, Mr. Strickland (
Douglas Wood), visit Red's commanding officer, Admiral Kingston (
George Irving), and persuade him to take them to Red's quarters.
Alerted by Kingston, Red hides the evidence of the baby being there and Bill rushes out to find Aunt Minnie (
Georgia Caine
Georgiana Caine (October 30, 1876 – April 4, 1964) was an American actress who performed both on Broadway and in more than 80 films in her 51-year career.
Early career
Born in San Francisco, California in 1876, the daughter of two Shak ...
). While Steve passes the baby through the window to Aunt Minnie, Bernice senses she is out-maneuvered, but is undeterred. Even though she is a pilot, Bernice asks Red for flying lessons, and tries to use the flight as a means of getting information as to her nephew's whereabouts. She also elicits her friend, Daphne Roth (
Dorothy Tree) to also see Steve, and try to pump him for the baby's location.
Red and Bernice fight over the controls on her flight, and Red has to resort to knocking her out. Meanwhile, Daphne has come through, but Bernice learns why Red is so determined to raise Tex's son as a navy man, and now regrets her machinations. When the Farringtons recover the baby, an angry Red refuses to listen to Bernice's apologies.
A week later, as Red is about to ship out, he decides to see the little boy one last time but discovers the baby is in the hospital. Gangster Joe Vezie (
Paul Fix
Peter Paul Fix (March 13, 1901 – October 14, 1983) was an American film and television character actor who was best known for his work in Westerns. Fix appeared in more than 100 movies and dozens of television shows over a 56-year career be ...
), convinced that the Admiral is his son, has taken him away, heading for the Canadian border. Red takes off in a Navy aircraft in pursuit, and even though Admiral Kingston has to consider him
AWOL, he orders six fighter aircraft to follow Red.
When he catches up with Vezie, Red persuades the gangster that he has the wrong baby. Coming back to base, everyone assembles in Admiral Kingston's office, where he agrees to not punish Red. Since he was "Navy born", Bernice and Red decide to marry and raise the Admiral together, keeping with Tex's final wishes.
Cast
*
William Gargan
William Dennis Gargan (July 17, 1905February 17, 1979) was an American film, television and radio actor. He was the 5th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1967, and in 1941, was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...
as Lt. "Red" Furness
*
Claire Dodd
Claire Dodd (born Dorothy Arlene Dodd; December 29, 1911 – November 23, 1973) was an American film actress.
Life and work
Dorothy Arlene Dodd was born on December 29, 1911, in Baxter, Iowa, to Walter Willard Dodd, a farmer whose family ...
as Bernice Farrington
*
Douglas Fowley
Douglas Fowley (born Daniel Vincent Fowley, May 30, 1911 – May 21, 1998) was an American movie and television actor in more than 240 films and dozens of television programs, He is probably best remembered for his role as the frustrated m ...
as Lt. Steve Bassett
*
George Irving as Adm. Kingston
*
Dorothy Tree as Daphne Roth
*
William Newell as Lt. Bill Lyons
*
Addison Randall as Lt. Tex Jones
*
Georgia Caine
Georgiana Caine (October 30, 1876 – April 4, 1964) was an American actress who performed both on Broadway and in more than 80 films in her 51-year career.
Early career
Born in San Francisco, California in 1876, the daughter of two Shak ...
as Aunt Minnie
* Claudia Coleman as Mrs. Farrington
*
Douglas Wood as Mr. Strickland
*
Paul Fix
Peter Paul Fix (March 13, 1901 – October 14, 1983) was an American film and television character actor who was best known for his work in Westerns. Fix appeared in more than 100 movies and dozens of television shows over a 56-year career be ...
as Joe Vezie
*
Hooper Atchley as Seeley
Production
The
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
that appeared at the start of ''Mariners of the Sky'' is the and "heavy cruiser" , shown during a naval exercise. The aircraft carrier, however. is identified as the . Principal photography was completed in April 1936.
The pilots of VF-1 flying
Boeing F4B
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...
fighter aircraft were featured in the film. Navy cooperation was necessary for the flying sequences although the navy ships at sea came from stock footage. A
Monocoupe 90
The Monocoupe 90 was a two-seat, light cabin airplane built by Donald A. Luscombe for Monocoupe Aircraft.Eden and Moeng 2002 p. 993 The first Monocoupe (Model 5) was built in an abandoned church in Davenport, Iowa, and first flew on April 1, 192 ...
(NC192K) is also used as a training aircraft in the film.
[Santoir, Christian]
"Review: 'Mariners of the Sky'."
''Aeromovies''. Retrieved: January 22, 2017.
Paul Gustine employed by the Navy Office, was assigned to ''Mariners of the Sky''.
Reception
''Mariners of the Sky'' premiered at the Fairfax Theater in Los Angeles on May 27, 1936, to generally favorable reviews. The review in ''
Variety'' noted that the film was "... a pleasing little comedy drama against a Navy air corps background."
[Orriss 2015, p, 65.]
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
* Orriss, Bruce W. ''When Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Years Between the Wars 1920–1941.'' Los Angeles: Aero Associates, 2015. .
* Wynne, H. Hugh. ''The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies''. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1987. .
External links
*
*
* {{Internet Archive film, id=mariners_of_the_sky, name=Mariners of the Sky
1936 films
American aviation films
United States naval aviation
1936 romantic drama films
American black-and-white films
Films shot in California
Republic Pictures films
American romantic drama films
Films produced by Nat Levine
Films directed by Nate Watt
1930s English-language films
1930s American films