''The Broken Wing'' is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, 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 censorshi ...

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

Lloyd Corrigan Lloyd Corrigan (October 16, 1900 – November 5, 1969) was an American film and television actor, producer, screenwriter, and director who began working in films in the 1920s. The son of actress Lillian Elliott, Corrigan directed films, usually ...

and written by

Grover Jones Grover Jones (November 15, 1893 – September 24, 1940) was an American screenwriter - often teamed with William Slavens McNutt - and film director. He wrote more than 100 films between 1920 and his death. He also was a film journal publish ...

and

William Slavens McNutt William Slavens McNutt (September 12, 1885 – January 25, 1938), was an American screenwriter. He wrote for 28 films between 1922 and 1939. He was nominated for an Academy Award on two occasions. At the 5th Academy Awards, he was nominate ...

, adapted from the play of the same name by

Paul Dickey Paul Dickey (12 May 1882 – 7 January 1933), was an American playwright and silent screen writer. He wrote 17 films between years 1914 in film, 1914 and 1953 in film, 1933. He was born in Chicago, Illinois and died in New York City, New Y ...

and

Charles W. Goddard Charles William Goddard (November 26, 1879 – January 11, 1951) was an American playwright and screenwriter. Goddard began writing Broadway theatre, Broadway plays before turning to film, adapting a number of his stage works to film. He wrote the ...

. The film stars

Lupe Vélez María Guadalupe Villalobos Vélez (July 18, 1908 – December 13, 1944), known professionally as Lupe Vélez, was a Mexican actress, singer and dancer during the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Vélez began her career as a performer in Mexican ...

Leo Carrillo Leopoldo Antonio Carrillo (; August 6, 1880 – September 10, 1961), known professionally as Leo Carrillo, was an American actor, vaudevillian, political cartoonist, and conservationist. He was best known for playing Pancho in the television ...

Melvyn Douglas Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor. Douglas came to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy ''Ninotchka ...

, George Barbier,

Willard Robertson Willard Robertson (January 1, 1886 – April 5, 1948) was an American actor and writer. He appeared in more than 140 films between 1924 and 1948. He was born in Runnels, Texas, and died in Hollywood, California. Biography Robertson first w ...

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 Arthur Stone. ''The Broken Wing'' was released on March 21, 1932, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

Plot

In a small Mexican town, Captain Innocencio (

) pursues the beautiful Lolita (

). Innocencio rules the town with an iron hand. Although he calls Lolita his "big love," her fortune teller assures her that another "king of hearts" awaits her, and will come in a storm. When pilot Philip "Phil" Marvin (

), during a storm, is forced to land in Lolita's garden, she is sure he is her true love. Suffering from amnesia, Philip falls in love with her. Seeing the initials on his underwear, Lolita calls him "BVD." when he sees him kissing Lolita, in a jealous rage, Innocencio arrests the pilot and even threatens to kill him. Lolita's American guardian, Luther Farley ( George Barbier), an old friend of Innocencio, threatens to call in government troops. Moments before the pilot's execution, an American engineer, Sylvester Cross (

), recognizes the pilot as Philip Marvin, a prominent resident of Los Angeles. Although it breaks Lolita's heart, to save Philip's life, Cross tells him he is married and produces his own wife claiming she is his wife. Philip, who for days, has been listening to the song of a whippoorwill suddenly recalls the opening bars of "Over There" and his time as a fighter pilot in the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

. With his memory back, he assures Lolita he is not married. Enraged, Innocencio draws his revolver on Philip but government troops arrive to arrest him. Lolita and Philip leave in an aircraft, but Innocencio escapes from prison, shouting that danger is more fun than love.

Cast

as Lolita *

as Capt. Innocencio *

as Philip "Phil" Marvin * George Barbier as Luther Farley *

as Sylvester Cross *

as Cecelia Cross * Arthur Stone as Justin Bailey * Soledad Jiménez as Maria *

Julian Rivero Julian Rivero (July 25, 1890 – February 24, 1976) was an American actor whose career spanned seven decades. He made his film debut in the 1923 silent melodrama, ''The Bright Shawl'', which starred Richard Barthelmess, Dorothy Gish, William Powe ...

as Bassilio * Pietro Sosso as Pancho *

Chris-Pin Martin Chris-Pin Martin (born Ysabel Ponciana Chris-Pin Martin Paiz, November 19, 1893 – June 27, 1953) was an American character actor whose specialty lay in portraying comical Mexicans, particularly sidekicks in ''The Cisco Kid'' film series. He ...

as Mexican Husband * Charles Stevens as Chicken Thief * Joe Dominguez as Captain

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 ''The Broken Wing'' was completed in mid-March 1932. While in production, the exterior sets were damaged in a rain storm, and the film reverted to interiors. The film was based on the earlier '' The Broken Wing'', a

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

based on the original stage play, ''The Broken Wing'' (1920) by

and

Reception

''The Broken Wing'' was critically reviewed by

Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934.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 ...

''. He praised the film with the comment: "Leo Carrillo gives an ingratiating portrayal as a good-natured Mexican killer in the pictorial version of the play, 'The Broken Wing,' which is the chief attraction at the Paramount. It may not be a new story, but it makes a highly amusing entertainment and it is splendidly staged and efficiently acted by the supporting cast, which includes the vivacious Lupe Velez."Hall, Mordaunt
"Movie Review: 'The Broken Wing'; Leo Carrillo appears as an ingratiating Mexican bad man in a film of an old play."
''The New York Times'', March 26, 1932. Retrieved: April 1, 2017. In July 1932, ''The Broken Wing'' was banned in Mexico City by the Federal District Government on the charge that the film "... slurred Mexico," and, subsequently, was also banned in Panama. While the film was being screened in

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

, the film was abruptly stopped when a request was received from the Mexican Minister.Pendo 1985, p. 274.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Pendo, Stephen. ''Aviation in the Cinema''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Broken Wing, The 1932 films American aviation films American drama films 1932 drama films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Lloyd Corrigan American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films