''The Sky Raider'' is a 1925 American silent

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 ...

directed by T. Hayes Hunter and starring Charles Nungesser,

Jacqueline Logan Jacqueline Medura Logan (November 30, 1902 – April 4, 1983) was an American actress and silent film star. Logan was a WAMPAS Baby Star of 1922. Early life Logan was born in Corsicana, Texas, on November 30, 1902, the only child to Charles A. ...

and Gladys Walton. With the interest in the aviators of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, producer Gilbert E. Gable and Arcadia Productions, were able to showcase the talents of Nungesser, a genuine hero, who had 43 aerial victories, as the third-highest French

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

. ''The Sky Raider'' was based on the short story, "The Great Air Mail Robbery" by

Jack Lait Jack Lait (March 13, 1883 – April 1, 1954) was an American journalist, author and playwright. During a 50-year career he wrote prolifically and became renowned as one of the leading newspapermen of the first half of the 20th century. He is ...

Plot

A mechanic with the French Air Force, Gregg Vanesse (

Lawford Davidson Lawford Davidson (1 January 1890 –1964) was a British film actor.Lawford Davidson
at BFI He was born Cha ...

) sabotages the aircraft of Capt. Charles Nungesser (Charles Nungesser), France's "Flying Fiend", by stuffing the flying insignia from Paul Willard ( Walter Miller) in the intake manifold. Paul is arrested, put on trial and sentenced to 20 years in a military prison. Six years later, the Willards, a wealthy American family, arrive in France, searching for Paul, who had run away to war. Vanesse tells them that Paul died like a hero in the war. The Willards then meet Nungesser, who falls in love with Lucille (

), Paul's sister, and resolves to arrange for Paul's pardon. Nungesser has Paul freed, and then goes to the United States to find Vanesse and discover the truth behind Paul's crime. When Nungesser discovers that Vanesse is planning to rob the air mail flight, with Paul's help, he captures Vanesse in a daring mid-air arrest and recovers the money. Vanesse dies in an aircraft crash while Paul is cleared of all charges and marries his former sweetheart, Marie ( Gladys Walton). Nungesser and Lucille also find true happiness.

Cast

* Charles Nungesser as Captain Charles Nungesser *

as Lucille Ward * Gladys Walton as Marie * Walter Miller as Paul Willard *

Lawford Davidson Lawford Davidson (1 January 1890 –1964) was a British film actor.Lawford Davidson
at BFI He was born Cha ...

as Gregg Vanesse * Theodore Babcock as Sen. Willard *

Ida Darling Ida Darling (February 23, 1880 – June 5, 1936) was an American actress of the stage and in silent motion pictures. Biography Darling was born in New York City. She performed on the New York stage for 40 years. During the 10 years she re ...

as Mrs. Willard *

Wilton Lackaye Wilton Lackaye (September 30, 1862 – August 22, 1932) was an American stage and film actor, who originated the role of Svengali (from the 1895 novel ''Trilby'') in both stage and film. Early life William Andrew Lackey was born in Loudoun Count ...

as Prison Commandant * Edouard Durand as Forot

Production

In 1924, Charles Nungesser had come to the United States as part of a

barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in ...

"flying circus". Arcadia Productions was quick to capitalize on his fame and signed him to star in ''The Sky Raider'', which had scenes of air fighting in Europe as well as Nungesser thwarting an air mail robbery. Principal photography took place from December 1924 until mid-January 1925 at Glendale Studios, Long Island, New York."Details: 'The Sky Raider'."
''AFI'', 2019. Retrieved: July 25, 2019. Nungesser flew the Hanriot HD.1 he had brought over, and with his partner Louie Meier, also flew Thomas Morse S4Cs painted as German fighter aircraft. After the film's initial run, Nungesser sold the HD.1 to Jim Granger at Clover Field, California, who used it in local air shows.Wynne 1987, p. 38.

Reception

''The Sky Raider'' was popular with audiences and featured the flamboyant Nungesser not only making personal appearances but he would stunt fly over the theaters where the film was shown. The film was shown extensively from 1927-1929, and after Nungesser on 8 May 1927 disappeared while attempting a

transatlantic flight A transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe, Africa, South Asia, or the Middle East to North America, Central America, or South America, or ''vice versa''. Such flights have been made by fixed-wing air ...

, was often being advertised as starring the "late flying ace.""History: 'The Sky Raider'."
''AFI'', 2019. Retrieved: July 25, 2019.

Preservation

With no prints of ''The Sky Raider'' located in any film archives,
/ref> it is a

lost film A lost film is a feature Feature may refer to: Computing * Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch * Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob * Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing char ...

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Farmer, James H. ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation''. Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: Tab Books Inc., 1984. . * Munden, Kenneth White. ''The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1''. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1997. . * Paris, Michael. ''From the Wright Brothers to Top Gun: Aviation, Nationalism, and Popular Cinema''. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1995. . * 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 Raider 1925 films 1925 drama films American aviation films Silent American drama films Films directed by T. Hayes Hunter American silent feature films 1920s English-language films American black-and-white films Films based on short fiction Films shot in New York City Associated Exhibitors films 1920s American films