''Won in the Clouds'' is a 1928 American silent film directed by Bruce M. Mitchell and starring Al Wilson. Like many actors in the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, 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) ...

era, Wilson did not survive the transition to "

talkies A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

", with ''Won in the Clouds'', one of his last films.

Plot

A family diamond mine in South Africa causes great problems to owners Dr. Cecil James (

George B. French George B. French (April 14, 1883 – June 9, 1961) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between the mid-1910s and early 1940s. Selected filmography * '' Wanted: A Leading Lady'' (1915) * ''Tarzan of the Apes'' (191 ...

) and his daughter, Grace ( Helen Foster). Accompanied by her maid, Mira (Myrtis Crinley), Grace and her father decide to go to Africa to investigate. They arrange to meet Jack Woods (Joseph Bennett), manager of the Consolidated Diamond Mining Co., who has used the excuse of a native plague to close the mine and hold up shipments. Being advised by his men of the doctor's visit, Woods has the party waylaid by Swahili warriors. The two girls flee and Wood "rescues" them, taking them to the a building at the mine site. Fearing for their safety, back home, Sir Henry Blake sends his son, Art ( Al Wilson), after them, and he succeeds in eluding the gang at the mine. Art sneaks into the Swahili village and frees the doctor but is himself captured and thrown in a lions' den, from which, however, he escapes. Woods forces Grace to accompany him in a getaway by air. Art pursues in another aircraft and in an air battle, subdues the villain, who falls to his death.

Cast

* Al Wilson as Art Blake * Helen Foster as Grace James * Frank Rice as Percy Hogan *

as Dr. Cecil James (credited as George French) * Joseph Bennett as Portuguese Jack Woods (credited as Joe Bennett) *

Albert Prisco Albert Prisco (January 28, 1890 – ?) was an American actor born in Naples, Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of ...

as Bangula * Myrtis Crinley as Mira * Frank Tomick as Henchman * Roy Wilson as Henchman * Ivan Unger as Henchman (credited as Evan Unger) * Red Sly as Henchman * Art Goebel as Sam Highflyer

Production

Al Wilson was not only the star of ''Won in the Clouds'' but also flew as a "stunt pilot" in the film. After becoming a flying instructor and a short period as manager of the Mercury Aviation Company, founded by one of his students,

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

, Wilson became more and more skilled in performing stunts, including wing-walking, and left the company to become a professional stunt pilot, specializing in Hollywood

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...

films. Wilson worked together with stuntmen like Frank Clarke and Wally Timm and also for film companies, including

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

. After numerous appearances in stunt roles, he started his career as an actor in 1923 with the serial ''

The Eagle's Talons ''The Eagle's Talons'' is a 1923 American film serial directed by Duke Worne. The film is considered to be lost. Cast * Fred Thomson - Jack Alden * Ann Little - Enid Markham * Al Wilson - Charles Dean * Herbert Fortier - Gregory Markham * J ...

''. Wilson produced his own movies until 1927, when he went back to work with Universal.

Reception

Aviation film historian Stephen Pendo, in ''Aviation in the Cinema'' (1985) said ''Won in the Clouds'' was only one of a long list of aviation films that showcased Wilson's talents. He alternately wrote, acted and flew in a career that "spanned more than 10 years, and he acted in more films than any other professional pilot." In ''Won in the Clouds'' , Pendo noted the aerial stunts were essentially repeated from those in his earlier films.Pendo 1985, p. 7. Aviation film historian Michael Paris in ''From the Wright Brothers to Top Gun: Aviation, Nationalism, and Popular Cinema'' (1995) agreed that ''Won in the Clouds'', "merely repeated the formula."

Preservation status

''Won in the Clouds'' is preserved by the

UCLA Film & Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the archiv ...

."Archive: 'Won In The Clouds'."
''Memory.loc.gov'', 2019. Retrieved: June 17, 2019.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* 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

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Won In The Clouds 1928 films 1928 adventure films American black-and-white films American aviation films American silent feature films Silent American adventure films 1920s English-language films Films directed by Bruce M. Mitchell 1920s American films English-language adventure films