''The Mysterious Pilot'' is a 15-episode 1937
Columbia movie serial based on the book by William Byron Mowery and starring the record-breaking aviator
Frank Hawks. This was the second serial produced by Columbia. In the serial, Hawks plays a flying
"mountie".
Plot
Carter Snowden (
Kenneth Harlan) about to marry Jean McNain (
Dorothy Sebastian), is accused of murder. When his accuser is killed, Jean flees the train she is on, and heads into the Canadian woods. Snowden sends a bodyguard to find Jean, who appeals to
RCMP
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
Captain Jim Down (Frank Hawks) for help. With his friend "Kansas" (
Rex Lease) and Indian Luke (
Yakima Canutt), Jim hides Jean.
Snowden tracks down Jean and tries to lure her to his aircraft by telling her that Jim is injured and needs her. As soon as they realize what has happened, Jim and Kansas take to the air and force Snowden's aircraft down. Jean is unhurt but Snowden dies in the crash. Trying to get down to Jean, Jim's parachute gets tangled in the trees and Jean ends up rescuing him.
Chapter titles
# The Howl of the Wolf
# The Web Tangles
# Enemies of the Air
# In the Hands of the Law
# The Crack-up
# The Dark Hour
# Wings of Destiny
# Battle in the Sky
# The Great Flight
# Whirlpool of Death
# The Haunted Mill
# The Lost Trail
# The Net Tightens
# Vengeance Rides the Airways
# Retribution
Source:
Cast
*
Frank Hawks as Captain Jim Down
*
Dorothy Sebastian as Jean McNain
*
Esther Ralston as Vivian McNain
*
Rex Lease as
RCAF Sergeant "Kansas" Eby
*
Guy Bates Post as "Papa" Bergelot
*
Kenneth Harlan as Carter Snowden
*
Yakima Canutt as Indian Luke
*
George Rosener as Fritz
*
Clara Kimball Young
Clara Kimball Young (born Edith Matilda Clara Kimball;
September 6, 1890 – October 15, 1960) was an American film actress who was popular in the early silent film era.
Early life
Edith Matilda Clara Kimball was born in Chicago on Septembe ...
as Martha, Fritz's Wife
*
Frank Lackteen
Frank Lackteen (born Mohammed Hassan Lackteen August 29, 1897 – July 8, 1968) was an American film actor best known for his antagonistic roles. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1915 and 1965, including several Three Stooges shorts. ...
as Yoroslaff, a henchman
*
Harry Harvey as "Soft Shoe" Cardigan, a henchman
*
Tom London
Tom London (born Leonard T. Clapman; August 24, 1889 – December 5, 1963) was an American actor who played frequently in B-Westerns. According to ''The Guinness Book of Movie Records'', London is credited with appearing in the most films in ...
as Kilgour, a henchman
*
Bob Walker as Boyer, a lumberjack henchman
*
Ted Adams as Carlson, a henchman
Production
''Mysterious Pilot'' was adapted from the novel "The Silver Hawk" by William Byron Mowery.
[Cline 1984, p. 11.] Frank Hawks was billed in ''Mysterious Pilot'' as the "Fastest airman in the world."
[Harmon and Glut 1973, p. 109.] After each episode, Hawks appeared to deliver a "flying lesson". A
Sikorsky S-39
The Sikorsky S-39 is an American light amphibious aircraft produced by Sikorsky Aircraft during the early 1930s. The S-39 was a smaller, single-engine version of the S-38.
Operational history Spirit of Africa
Filmmakers Martin and Osa Johnson us ...
amphibian was featured in the serial.
[Farmer 1984, p. 321.]
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
* Cline, William C. "In Search of Ammunition." ''In the Nick of Time''. New York: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1984. .
* Farmer, James H. ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation''. Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: Tab Books Inc., 1984. .
* Harmon, Jim and Donald F. Glut. "Real Life Heroes: Just Strangle the Lion in Your Usual Way". ''The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury''. New York: Routledge Publishing, 1973. .
* Pendo, Stephen. ''Aviation in the Cinema''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. .
* Weiss, Ken and Ed Goodgold. ''To be Continued ...: A Complete Guide to Motion Picture Serials''. New York: Bonanza Books, 1973. .
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mysterious Pilot, The
1937 films
American aviation films
Northern (genre) films
American black-and-white films
1930s English-language films
Columbia Pictures film serials
Films based on American novels
Films directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet
1937 adventure films
American adventure films
Royal Canadian Mounted Police in fiction
1930s American films