''The Great Plane Robbery'' (aka ''The Great Plane Robber'') is a 1940 crime-adventure

B film A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

directed by Lewis D. Collins. Collins was more often associated with directing serials for

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

and

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

.Pendo 1985
p. 20
It stars Jack Holt, Stanley Fields and

Noel Madison Noel Madison (born Noel Nathaniel Moscovitch; April 30, 1897 – January 6, 1975) was an American character actor in the 1930s and 1940s and appeared in 75 films, often as a gangster. Born in New York City, Madison was the son of actor M ...

. Though typical of the melodramas that Holt made after transitioning from silent screen epics, western and adventure films were his forte. Reviewer Hal Erickson found it ironic that Holt, who in real life had a

fear of flying Fear of flying is a fear of being on an airplane, or other flying vehicle, such as a helicopter, while in flight. It is also referred to as flying anxiety, flying phobia, flight phobia, aviophobia, aerophobia, or pteromechanophobia (although a ...

, starred in so many aviation-oriented films. It was written by Albert DeMond from a story by Harold Greene.

Plot

Special agent Mike Henderson (Jack Holt) has been assigned by an insurance company to protect gangster Joe Colson (Noel Madison). Joe has recently been released from prison, just three months before his life insurance policy, worth half a million dollars, is due to expire. After Mike arrives at

Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,351. It is located on the west bank of t ...

, on the day of Colson's release, he discovers that two gangsters, Eddie ( Paul Fix) and Nick (

Harry Cording Hector William "Harry" Cording (26 April 1891 – 1 September 1954) was an English-American actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his roles in the films '' The Black Cat'' (1934) and ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938). Life and career ...

), are there as well, waiting to see Joe. They greet him and then take Joe aboard an aircraft, with Mike following closely behind. That night, Eddie and Nick storm the cockpit and force the pilot to land near a lodge where Frankie Toller (Stanley Fields), Joe's successor, awaits. When they arrive, Frankie divulges that he will hold Joe prisoner until Joe reveals where his fortune is stashed. Later, he sees Mike and inducts him into the gang, believing he is one of Joe's old friends. The aircraft's disappearance becomes a worldwide sensation. The next morning, the gang discovers that an insurance company detective was a passenger on the missing aircraft. The gang assumes it is salesman Homer Pringle (

Hobart Cavanaugh Hobart Cavanaugh (September 22, 1886 – April 26, 1950 ) was an American character actor in films and on stage. Biography He was born in Virginia City, Nevada on September 22, 1886. Cavanaugh attended the University of California. He worked i ...

). Mike, managing to convince Frankie that Joe is completely broke, proposes that they force Homer to call the insurance company with an offer to ransom Joe. Accordingly, Mike and two others go into town, where Mike stages the fake killing of Homer by shooting him with blanks. Mike and the gang members return to Frankie, while Homer telephones the police. As Frankie prepares to flee, the police arrive and arrest him and the rest of the gang. Afterward, the passengers board the aircraft and finally reach their destination. Meanwhile, Joe is taken into custody for a different offense, assuring Mike that he will outlive his policy.

Cast

* Jack Holt as Mike Henderson * Stanley Fields as Frankie Toller * Vicki Lester as Helen Carver * Noel Madison as Joe Colson * Granville Owen as Jim Day * Theodore Von Eltz as Rod Brothers *

as Homer Pringle *

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 ...

as Krebber * Paul Fix as Eddie Lindo * Harry Cording as Nick Harmon * John Hamilton as Dr. Jamison *

Doris Lloyd Hessy Doris Lloyd (3 July 1891 – 21 May 1968) was an English–American film and stage actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles in ''The Time Machine'' (1960) and ''The Sound of Music'' (1965). Lloyd appeared in two Academy Award w ...

as Mrs. Jamison * Lane Chandler as Bill Whitcomb

Production

Principal photography, under the working title of ''Keep Him Alive'', took place from April 14 to 24, 1940. Some filming took place at the

Monrovia Airport Roberts International Airport , informally also known as ''Robertsfield'', is an international airport in the West African nation of Liberia. Located near the town of Harbel in Margibi County, the single runway airport is about outside of ...

Monrovia, California Monrovia is a city in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 37,931 at the 2020 census. Monrovia has been used for filming TV shows, movies and co ...

Reception

''The Great Plane Robbery'' received negative reviews. In his book ''Aviation in the Cinema'', Stephen Pendo called ''The Great Plane Robbery'', a "poor Jack Holt adventure."

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

, in his review for ''

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 ...

'', wrote that "Holt has come up against a lot of dull, witless scripts, but it is doubtful that any was as colorless and static as ''The Great Plane Robbery'' ... this one is recommended only to Jack's most rabid admirers." In a later review, Hal Erickson commented, "The first half of the film is a mini-''Grand Hotel'', giving way to three climactic reels of nonstop action and suspense. (1937)."Erickson, Hal
"The Great Plane Robbery - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards."
''AllRovi''. Retrieved: September 20, 2014. A review in the book ''VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever'' gave ''The Great Plane Robbery'' one and a half stars.''VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever'' 2006
p. 370.
/ref>

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Pendo, Stephen. ''Aviation in the Cinema''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. . * Schaefer, Jack. ''The Movies and the People who Make Them, Volumes 2-3''. New Haven, Connecticut: Theatre Patrons, Inc., 1940.
''VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever''.
Chicago: Gale Group, 2006. .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Great Plane Robbery 1940 films 1940 adventure films 1940s crime films American crime films American aviation films Films directed by Lewis D. Collins Columbia Pictures films American black-and-white films 1940s American films