''Flying Devils'' (a.k.a. ''The Flying Circus'' or ''Flying Circus'') is a 1933 American

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

action film dealing with

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 air ...

. The film was directed by former Hollywood agent Russell Birdwell and photographed by

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

cinematographer

Nicholas Musuraca Nicholas Musuraca, A.S.C. (October 25, 1892 – September 3, 1975) was a motion-picture cinematographer best remembered for his work at RKO Pictures in the 1940s, including many of Val Lewton's series of B-picture horror films. Biography B ...

. The screenplay was written by Byron Morgan and Louis Stevens, based on an original story by Stevens. In an unusual move, Bruce Cabot was the star, with perennial "good guy"

Ralph Bellamy Ralph Rexford Bellamy (June 17, 1904 – November 29, 1991) was an American actor whose career spanned 65 years on stage, film, and television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as supporting roles, garnering acclaim and ...

playing the villain in a love triangle involving

Arline Judge Margaret Arline Judge (February 21, 1912 – February 7, 1974) was an American actress singer who worked mostly in low-budget B movies, but gained some fame for habitually marrying. Early years Arline Judge was born in Bridgeport, Connect ...

and

Eric Linden Eric Linden (September 15, 1909 – July 14, 1994) was an American actor, primarily active during the 1930s. Early years Eric Linden was born in New York City to Phillip and Elvira (née Lundborg) Linden, both of Swedish descent. His father ...

. Although considered a "B" feature, audiences enjoyed the aerial scenes, which helped elevate the feature to a minor box-office hit.

Plot

The "Black Cats", who are part of the Aerial Circus run by "Speed" Hardy (Ralph Bellamy), are a vagabond troupe of aerial performers in the 1930s. Speed takes on a new performer, former airmail pilot Ace Murray (Bruce Cabot). After performing a "double parachute" jump with his kid brother Bud (Eric Linden), who is also a pilot, Ace becomes aware that his brother is enamoured with Speed's young wife Ann (Arline Judge). Bud and Ann perform the dangerous double parachute jump together, becoming the show's main attraction, but Speed becomes jealous of the romance forming between them. After a flight together, Bud and Ann crash-land and spend a night in a deserted cabin, leading to the realization that Ann must seek a divorce. When Speed discovers them, he apparently agrees to the new circumstances and surprisingly offers to design a new aerial stunt for Bud and himself that will have two aircraft colliding "head-on", with both of the pilots bailing out before the impact. Before the stunt takes place, another pilot who is usually inebriated, "Screwy" Edwards (

Cliff Edwards Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "Ukulele Ike", was an American singer, musician and actor. He enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standar ...

), reveals that Speed has deliberately cut his rival's parachute and is planning an aerial murder. Ace takes off and crashes into Speed, sacrificing his life to save his brother. The two lovers eventually marry and due to Ace's earlier help in obtaining a job for him, Bud begins an airline career as a pilot alongside Edwards, who has begun a rehabilitation.

Cast

As appearing in ''Flying Devils'', (main roles and screen credits identified):"Credits: Flying Devils (1933)"
IMDb.com; retrieved June 25, 2013. * Bruce Cabot as "Ace" Murray *

as Ann Hardy *

as Bud Murray *

as "Speed" Hardy *

as "Screwy" Edwards *

June Brewster June Brewster (August 8, 1913 – November 2, 1995) was an American film actress of the 1930s. Selected filmography * ''The Sport Parade'' (1932) * ''Goldie Gets Along'' (1933) * ''Meet the Baron'' (1933) * ''Headline Shooter'' (1933) * '' ...

as Betty * Frank LaRue as Al Kern *

Mary Carr Mary Carr (née Kenevan; March 14, 1874 – June 24, 1973), was an American film actress and was married to the actor William Carr. She appeared in more than 140 films between 1915 and 1956. She was given some of filmdoms plum mother roles in ...

as Mrs. Murray

Production

David O Selznick brought in

Merian C. Cooper Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893 – April 21, 1973) was an American filmmaker and Academy Award winner, as well as a former aviator who served as an officer in the United States Air Force and Polish Air Force. In film, he is credited a ...

, first as a writer, then associate producer and finally as executive producer, relying on him to get RKO back on its feet and in the black. Cooper, best remembered for masterminding the production of ''

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

'', was also an aviator. It was natural for RKO to feature a slate of air-minded pictures once Cooper was in charge.Jewell 1982, pp. 51, 52, 62. Primarily shot in a backlot, ''Flying Devils'' overcame some of the limitations of the low-budget film format. Principal photography was begun in April 1933, using the RKO set at the Russell Brothers Ranch at Triunfo, with additional filming at Mines Field and Van Nuys, California.Wynne 1987, p. 137. The aircraft used were a mix of

Standard J The Standard J is a two-seat basic trainer two-bay biplane produced in the United States from 1916 to 1918, powered by a four-cylinder inline Hall-Scott A-7a engine. It was constructed from wood with wire bracing and fabric covering. The J-1 ...

-1, Stearman C-3R, Travel Air 2000 and 4000 stalwarts, the typical movie armada of the time.

Reception

In his August 26, 1933, review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'',

Frank Nugent Frank Stanley Nugent (May 27, 1908 – December 29, 1965) was an American screenwriter, journalist, and film reviewer, who wrote 21 film scripts, 11 for director John Ford. He wrote almost a thousand reviews for ''The New York Times'' before lea ...

considered ''Flying Devils'' as a tried and true formula film. "The materials woven into its plot have seen so much service that most audiences will welcome them as old and trusted friends. There are, for example, the eternal triangle, brotherly love, the enaction of the theme, 'greater love hath no man,' &c., and, finally, the always simple expedient of killing off the non-essential characters."Nugent, Frank S
"Flying Devils (1933): The infernal triangle."
''

,'' August 26, 1933. Richard B. Jewell, Professor of American Film at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

, wrote in ''The RKO Story'', "... director Russell Birdwell, best known as one of the demon press agents of the era, was able to pump enough zip into the proceedings to please the public; it became a bantam box-office hit."Jewell 1982, p. 64.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Jewell, Richard B. ''The RKO Story.'' New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982; . * Wynne, H. Hugh. ''The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies''. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1987; .

External links

* * * * {{AFI film, id=4769, title=Flying Devils 1933 films American romantic drama films American aviation films American black-and-white films 1933 romantic drama films RKO Pictures films Films with screenplays by Dalton Trumbo Films with screenplays by Nathanael West 1930s English-language films 1930s American films