''Adventures of the Flying Cadets'' is a 13-episode 1943

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 t ...

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

directed by Ray Taylor and Lewis D. Collins.

Plot

Flying students Danny Collins (

Johnny Downs John Morey Downs (October 10, 1913 – June 6, 1994) was an American child actor, singer, and dancer. He began his career as a child actor, most notably playing Johnny in the ''Our Gang'' short series from 1923 to 1926. He remained active ...

), "Jinx" Roberts (Bobby Jordan), "Scrapper" McKay (Ward Wood) and "Zombie" Parker (William Benedict) are suspected of a series of murders perpetrated by engineer, Arthur Galt ( Robert Armstrong) operating as a Nazi agent known as the ''Black Hangman''. He has disposed of several people who accompanied him on an expedition which located lost helium deposits in Africa. Galt has also imprisoned the remaining members of the expedition, Professor Mason (

Selmer Jackson Selmer Adolf Jackson (May 7, 1888 – March 30, 1971) was an American stage film and television actor. He appeared in nearly 400 films between 1921 and 1963. His name was sometimes spelled Selmar Jackson. Jackson was born in Lake Mills, Iowa a ...

) and his daughter Andre (

Jennifer Holt Jennifer Holt (born Elizabeth Marshall Holt; November 10, 1920 – September 21, 1997) was an American actress. Early years She was born in Hollywood, California, to actor Jack Holt and his wife, Margaret Woods. She was the sister of wes ...

). Galt plans to sell the helium to Germany through a Gestapo ring headed by Kurt von Heiger (

Eduardo Ciannelli Eduardo Ciannelli (30 August 1888 – 8 October 1969), was an Italian baritone and character actor with a long career in American films, mostly playing gangsters and criminals. He was sometimes credited as Edward Ciannelli. Early life Ciannelli ...

). The four students, believing Galt to be an ally, fly with him to Africa as they hope to track down Von Heiger, thinking he is the Black Hangman, and clear their own names on the charges of murder. The four are pursued to Africa by U.S. Army Intelligence officer Captain Ralph Carson (

Regis Toomey John Francis Regis Toomey (August 13, 1898October 12, 1991) was an American film and television actor. Early life Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was one of four children of Francis X. and Mary Ellen Toomey, and attended Peabody High ...

). The boys survive a tailspin and upon landing, take Galt into custody but momentarily he convinces authorities that he is innocent. When he tries to contact other Nazi agents, he is revealed to be their ring leader. The cadets are vindicated and receive Air Force Wings as they prepare to join Allied pilots going off to war.

Chapter titles

# The Black Hangman Strikes # Menaced by Murderers # Into the Flames # The Door to Death # Crashed in a Crater # Rendezvous with Doom # Gestapo Execution # Masters of Treachery # Wings of Destruction # Caught in the Caves of An-Kar-Ban # Hostages for Treason # The Black Hangman Strikes Again # The Toll of Treason _Source:

Cast

as Cadet Danny Collins *

Bobby Jordan Robert G. Jordan (April 1, 1923 – September 10, 1965) was an American actor, most notable for being a member of the Dead End Kids, the East Side Kids, and The Bowery Boys. Early life and career Jordan was born in Harrison, New York, ...

as Cadet "Jinx" Roberts *

Ward Wood Ward Wood (August 8, 1924 – November 3, 2001), was an American actor and television writer. Wood was probably best known for his recurring role as police Lt. Art Malcolm in the TV series ''Mannix'' from 1968 to 1975. Wood was born in Grangev ...

as Cadet "Scrapper" McKay *

William Benedict William Benedict (April 16, 1917 – November 25, 1999), was an American actor, perhaps best known for playing "Whitey" in Monogram Pictures' The Bowery Boys series. Early years Benedict was born in Haskell, Oklahoma, After his father's dea ...

as Cadet "Zombie" Parker *

as Andre Mason *

as Kurt von Heiger, alias Corby *

as Captain Ralph Carson * Robert Armstrong as Arthur Galt/The Black Hangman *

Charles Trowbridge Charles Silas Richard Trowbridge (January 10, 1882 – October 30, 1967) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 230 films between 1915 and 1958. Biography Trowbridge was born in Veracruz, Mexico, where his father served in the ...

as Maj. William Elliott *

Joseph Crehan Joseph A. Creaghan (July 15, 1883 – April 15, 1966) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 300 films between 1916 and 1965, and notably played Ulysses S. Grant nine times between 1939 and 1958, most memorably in ''Union Paci ...

as Colonel George Bolton *

Addison Richards Addison Whittaker Richards, Jr. (October 20, 1902 – March 22, 1964) was an American actor of film and television. Richards appeared in more than three hundred films between 1933 and his death. Biography A native of Zanesville, Ohio, Rich ...

as A.J. "Jack" Hill *

Leyland Hodgson Leyland Hodgson (5 October 1892 – 16 March 1949), also known as Leland Hodgson, was an English-born American character actor of the 1930s and 1940s. Born in London on 5 October 1892, Hodgson entered the theater in 1898. In his early 20s, Ho ...

as Captain Hartley, British Army *

Ian Keith Ian Keith (born Keith Ross; February 27, 1899 – March 26, 1960) was an American actor. Early years Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Keith grew up in Chicago. He was educated at the Francis Parker School there and played Hamlet in a school p ...

as Colonel Lee *

Philip Van Zandt Philip Van Zandt (October 4, 1904 – February 15, 1958), sometimes billed as Phil Van Zandt, was a Dutch-American actor of stage, film, and television. He made nearly 250 film and television appearances between 1939 and 1958. Life and career ...

as Herman Klott/Jack Hargrove * Joan Blair as Frau Klott/Mrs. Hargrove *

as Professor Mason

Production

''Adventures of the Flying Cadets'' was Universal's last aviation serial. The first had been ''

The Airmail Mystery ''The Airmail Mystery'' is a 1932 Universal Pre-Code movie serial directed by Ray Taylor, written by Ella O'Neill, starring James Flavin and Wheeler Oakman, and featuring ( Al Wilson) doing the aerial stunts. ''The Airmail Mystery'' was Univers ...

'' in 1932.Cline 1984, pp. 30–31.

References

Notes Bibliography * Cline, William C. "3. The Six Faces of Adventure". ''In the Nick of Time''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1984. . * Cline, William C. "Filmography", ''In the Nick of Time''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1984. . * Farmer, James H. ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation''. Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: Tab Books Inc., 1984. . * Weiss, Ken and Ed Goodgold. ''To be Continued ...: A Complete Guide to Motion Picture Serials''. New York: Bonanza Books, 1973. .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures Of The Flying Cadets 1943 films 1943 adventure films American aviation films World War II aviation films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Universal Pictures film serials Films directed by Ray Taylor Films directed by Lewis D. Collins Films about the United States Army Air Forces American adventure films Films with screenplays by George H. Plympton 1940s American films