''Up in the Air'' is a 1940 American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...

directed by

Howard Bretherton Howard Bretherton (13 February 1890, in Tacoma, Washington – 12 April 1969, in San Diego, California) was an American film director, film editor, and the father of film editor David Bretherton. Career He began his career as a propman and then ...

and starring

Frankie Darro Frankie Darro (born Frank Johnson, Jr.; December 22, 1917 – December 25, 1976) was an American actor and later in his career a stuntman. He began his career as a child actor in silent films, progressed to lead roles and co-starring roles ...

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 ...

and

Mantan Moreland Mantan Moreland (September 3, 1902 – September 28, 1973) was an American actor and comedian most popular in the 1930s and 1940s. He starred in numerous films. His daughter Marcella Moreland appeared as a child actress in several films. E ...

. It was produced and released 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 ...

. It was remade in 1945 as ''

There Goes Kelly ''There Goes Kelly'' is a 1945 American comedy mystery film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Jackie Moran, Wanda McKay and Sidney Miller. It was produced and distributed by Monogram Pictures. It is a remake of the 1940 film '' Up in the Ai ...

''.

Plot summary

Frankie Ryan works as a page boy at a radio station in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. His friend Jeff works in the same place, but as a porter. Their dream is to perform as radio comedians on the air, with their own show. However, they have not yet convinced anyone of their great sense of humor. When they try to help the station receptionist Anne Mason by setting up a false audition for a singer, they are almost fired for their antics. The station has financial problems related to their current moody singer Rita Wilson and tries to get rid of her. Rita is shot and killed during a blackout when she is rehearsing for a broadcast. Police detectives Phillips and Delaney arrive at the scene, and despite not finding the murder weapon, they suspect wannabe cowboy singer Tex Barton, who tried to slip out the back door after the shooting. He was in the audience when Rita was rehearsing before the blackout. Station producer Bob Farrell is also afraid of being suspected, as he had an argument with Rita not long before the shooting. He asks Frankie, who overheard the discussion, to withhold the information from the police. In gratitude, Farrell promises to afford Anne a real audition as a singer to take Rita's place. Frankie soon finds the weapon used to shoot Rita hidden in a ventilator duct. The gun belongs to Tex and had been used in a prior shooting by a woman named Gladys Wharton. When Frankie and Jeff audition for a comedy spot on the air, with Frankie in

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

as a disguise, the police come looking for Tex. Later, Tex is found murdered in the office of the station owner. Frankie and Jeff investigate of their own and search Tex's room but find only a picture of Anne, suggesting that her real name is Gladys. Anne is therefore suspected of the murder and arrested by the police, but later makes bail and is released. Frankie discovers from a radio station in

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...

that Gladys was a blonde woman who was married to Tex and fell in love with one of her superiors. Because Anne is a true brunette, Frankie concludes that Rita, not Anne, could be Gladys. When the station executives are gathered in one room by the police, one of them named Van Martin draws a gun and confesses to both crimes. When Jeff enters the room unannounced, he accidentally knocks the gun out of Martin's hand and the police arrest Martin.

Cast

Soundtrack

*Lorna Gray - "Doin' the Conga" (Written by

Johnny Lange John George Lange (August 15, 1905 – January 6, 2006) was an American songwriter, working mostly in the motion picture industry. His chief musical collaborators were Archie Gottler and Jack Meskill. Biography Lange was born in Philadelphia ...

Lew Porter Lew Porter (February 4, 1892, New York City – January 29, 1956, Los Angeles) was an American composer and songwriter, contributing to the soundtracks of 72 films.Edward J. Kay Edward J. Kay (November 27, 1898 – December 22, 1973) was an American film composer and musical director, who worked on over 340 films from the 1930s into the 1960s, and was nominated on multiple occasions for an Academy Award for Academy Award f ...

) *Marjorie - "Doin' the Conga" (Written by Johnny Lange, Lew Porter and Edward J. Kay) *Marjorie Reynolds - "By the Looks of Things" (Written by

Harry Tobias Harry Tobias (September 11, 1895 – December 15, 1994) was an American lyricist. Like his younger brother Charles, he is an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Born in New York City, United States, but raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, ...

and Edward J. Kay) *Marjorie Reynolds - "Somehow or Other" (Written by Harry Tobias and Edward J. Kay) *Gordon Jones - " Oh, Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie"

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Up In The Air 1940 films 1940s comedy mystery films 1940s English-language films American black-and-white films Films about radio people Films set in Los Angeles Monogram Pictures films American comedy mystery films 1940 comedy films Films directed by Howard Bretherton 1940s American films