''Sky Patrol'' is a 1939 American film directed by Howard Bretherton and starring John Trent, along with

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. Jason Nelson Robards (December 31, 1892 – April 4, 1963) was an American stage and screen actor, and the father of Oscar-winning actor Jason Robards Jr. Robards appeared in many films, initially as a leading man, then in character roles an ...

The film also featured actor and comedian

Jackie Coogan John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films. Charlie Chaplin's film classic ''The Kid'' (1921) made him one of the first child stars in the ...

, who began his film career as a child actor in silent films. ''Sky Patrol'' is based on the comic strip ''

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 ...

'' 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 third 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 ...

, ''Sky Patrol''was released on September 12, 1939.

Plot

In the final flying test for Sky Patrol graduation, instructor Tailspin Tommy Thompson ( John Trent) flies with the son of flight commander Colonel Meade ( Boyd Irwin). Carter Meade (

) freezes during target practice but Tommy covers for him and he graduates. When Bainbridge (

Bryant Washburn Franklin Bryant Washburn III (April 28, 1889 – April 30, 1963) was an American film actor who appeared in more than 370 films between 1911 and 1947. Washburn's parents were Franklin Bryant Washburn II and Metha Catherine Johnson Washburn. He a ...

), a weapons smuggler, is aware that the Sky Patrol will disrupt his smuggling operations. Carter sees an unidentified amphibious aircraft but is unable to fire on it and is shot down by Bainbridge, who takes him prisoner. Carter is presumed dead but Tommy and Skeeter Milligan (

) locate a warehouse where the amphibious aircraft is hidden. Tracking the unknown aircraft to a ship rendezvous, Tommy and Skeeter try to get on board but are captured and locked up with Carter. Monitoring the Sky Patrol radio, the smugglers learn the colonel and the Sky Patrol are heading for the ship. Tommy manages to set up explosives in the hold, and when the three prisoners are about to jump ship, Carter shoots a smuggler, ensuring their escape. The Colonel soon overpowers the rest of Bainbridge's men. Tommy and Skeeter return to their commercial airline jobs, leaving Carter now in charge of the Sky Patrol.

Cast

* John Trent as

Tailspin Tommy Tomkins ''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 ...

as Betty Lou Barnes *

as Skeeter Milligan *

as Carter Meade *

as Paul Smith, Three Points Airfield Owner *

as Bainbridge * Boyd Irwin as Colonel Meade * LeRoy Mason as Mitch *

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' ...

as Jackson * John Daheim as Ryan * Dickie Jones as Bobbie

Production

Principal photography for ''Sky Patrol'' took place at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Airport, from July 24 to late September 1939. The aircraft used in ''Sky Patrol'' include: *

Douglas Dolphin The Douglas Dolphin is an American amphibious flying boat. While only 58 were built, they served a wide variety of roles including private air yacht, airliner, military transport, and search and rescue. Design and development The Dolphin origin ...

1 * Travel Air 2000 *

Travel Air 4000 The Travel Air 2000/3000/4000 (originally, the Model A, Model B and Model BH were open-cockpit biplane aircraft produced in the United States in the late 1920s by the Travel Air Manufacturing Company. During the period from 1924–1929, Tra ...

Waco GXE The Waco 10/GXE/Waco O series was a range of three-seat open-cockpit biplanes built by the Advance Aircraft Company, later the Waco Aircraft Company. Design and development The Waco 10 was a larger span development of the Waco 9, both single-engi ...

Reception

Aviation film historian Stephen Pendo in ''Aviation in the Cinema'' (1985) saw ''Sky Patrol'' delving into familiar territory of "flying police". Earlier, ''

Criminals of the Air ''Criminals of the Air'' (aka ''Guardians of the Air'' and ''Honeymoon Pilot'') is a 1937 American action film, directed by Charles C. Coleman. It stars Rosalind Keith, Charles Quigley and Rita Hayworth.Mavis 2011, p. 119. The film marked "Rita ...

'' (1937). ''Death in the Sky'' (also known as ''Pilot X'') (1937), '' Reported Missing'' (1937), ''Mysterious Pilot'' ( film serial) (1937 and ''

Secret Service of the Air ''Secret Service of the Air'' (also known as ''Murder Plane'') is a 1939 American adventure film directed by Noel M. Smith and starring Ronald Reagan. This film was the first in Warner Bros.' Secret Service series. The series consisted of fou ...

'' (1939) all dealt with similar scenarios of air police fighting criminals both on the ground and in the air.Pendo 1985, pp. 15–16.

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:Sky Patrol 1939 films 1939 adventure films American black-and-white films Monogram Pictures films American adventure films American aviation films Films directed by Howard Bretherton 1930s English-language films 1930s American films