''Junior G-Men of the Air'' is a 1942

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 ...

starring the

Dead End Kids The Dead End Kids were a group of young actors from New York City who appeared in Sidney Kingsley's Broadway play '' Dead End'' in 1935. In 1937, producer Samuel Goldwyn brought all of them to Hollywood and turned the play into a film. They prov ...

and the

Little Tough Guys The Little Tough Guys (later billed as 'The Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys') were a group of actors who made a series of films and serials released by Universal Studios from 1938 through 1943. Many of them were originally part of The Dead End ...

. A group of youthful flying enthusiasts join the "Junior G-Men" to help break up a planned attack on the United States.

Plot

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, members of

The Dead End Kids The Dead End Kids were a group of young actors from New York City who appeared in Sidney Kingsley's Broadway play '' Dead End'' in 1935. In 1937, producer Samuel Goldwyn brought all of them to Hollywood and turned the play into a film. They prov ...

, a youth gang, Billy "Ace" Holden, "Bolts" Larson, "Stick" Munsey, Ace's brother, Eddie, and "Greaseball" Plunkett are working in an salvage yard owned by Ace's father, recovering aircraft parts. While making their escape from robbing a bank, members of a fifth column organization, the "Order of the Black Dragonfly", steal the boys' wrecking truck. When agent Don Ames from the State Bureau of Investigation, returns their truck, the gang who is distrustful of authority, especially, the "cops", refuse to give a description of the men who stole the truck. Don asks Jerry Markham, leader of the

, called the "Junior G-Men" to ask Ace for help. Both boys are passionate about aircraft and flying and agree to join forces. Meanwhile, Axis agents working for "The Baron", a Japanese leader of the "Order of the Black Dragonfly", have more plans for the junkyard, especially the aircraft parts stored there. The Baron has orders to destroy anything that may help the Allied cause. Ace and Jerry join together to go look for the enemy saboteurs, and find their secret hideout in a farm outside the city. The enemy agents capture Ace and Eddie, who escape in one of the aircraft that the Baron uses. Their takeoff ends in disaster as Ace hits a fence, tearing off the landing gear and punching a hole in the gasoline tank. The boys parachute to safety and make their way to government headquarters. The Dead End Kids and Junior G-Men lead the government to the Baron's base and a furious battle takes place. Ace and Jerry personally capture the Baron and receive the government's thanks for bringing the enemy agents to justice.

Chapter titles

# Wings Aflame # The Plunge of Peril # Hidden Danger # The Tunnel of Terror # The Black Dragon Strikes # Flaming Havoc # The Death Mist # Satan Fires the Fuse # Satanic Sabotage # Trapped in a Burning 'Chute # Undeclared War # Civilian Courage Conquers

Cast

The Dead End Kids and the Little Tough Guys

Billy Halop William Halop (February 11, 1920 – November 9, 1976) was an American actor. Early life Halop was born to Benjamin Cohen Halop and Lucille Elizabeth Halop on February 11, 1920. Halop came from a theatrical family; his mother was a dancer, and ...

as Billy "Ace" Holden *

Huntz Hall Henry Richard "Huntz" Hall (August 15, 1920 – January 30, 1999) was an American radio, stage, and movie performer who appeared in the popular " Dead End Kids" movies, including ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938), and in the later " Bowery ...

as "Bolts" Larson *

Gabriel Dell Gabriel Dell (born Gabriel Marcel Dell Vecchio; October 8, 1919 – July 3, 1988) was an American actor and one of the members of what came to be known as the Dead End Kids, then later the East Side Kids and finally The Bowery Boys. Acting car ...

as "Stick" Munsey *

Bernard Punsly Bernard Punsly (July 11, 1923 – January 20, 2004) was an American actor who later left show business to become a physician. His last name was often spelled incorrectly in film credits as Punsley. Early life and acting career Punsly was born on ...

as "Greaseball" Plunkett *

David Gorcey David Gorcey (February 6, 1921 – October 23, 1984) was an American actor and the younger brother of actor Leo Gorcey. Gorcey is best known for portraying "Chuck Anderson" in Monogram Pictures' film series The Bowery Boys, and "Pee Wee" in i ...

as Double Face Gordon *

Billy 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 Whitey

Additional cast

Gene Reynolds Eugene Reynolds Blumenthal (April 4, 1923 – February 3, 2020) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, and actor. He was one of the developers and producers of the TV series ''M*A*S*H''. Early life Reynolds was born on April 4, 1923, ...

as Eddie Holden *

Lionel Atwill Lionel Alfred William Atwill (1 March 1885 – 22 April 1946) was an English stage and screen actor. He began his acting career at the Garrick Theatre. After coming to the U.S., he subsequently appeared in various Broadway plays and Hollywood f ...

as The Baron, a Japanese spy *

Frank Albertson Francis Healey Albertson (February 2, 1909 – February 29, 1964) was an American actor who had supporting roles in films such as ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) and ''Psycho (1960 film), Psycho'' (1960). Early life Albertson was a nat ...

as Jerry Markham * Richard Lane as Agent Don Ames *

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 ...

as Jack *

Turhan Bey Turhan Bey (born Turhan Gilbert Selahattin Şahultavi, 30 March 192230 September 2012). was an Austrian-born actor of Turkish and Czech-Jewish origins. Active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953, he was dubbed "The Turkish Delight" by his fans.. Aft ...

as Araka, The Baron's "Spear-point Heavy" (chief henchman) * John Bleifer as Beal, one of The Baron's henchman * Eddie Foster as Comora, one of The Baron's henchman *

John Bagni John Bagni (December 24, 1910 – February 13, 1954) was an American actor and a writer for radio and television. He often worked with his wife Gwen Bagni. Their collaborations included scripts for ''Douglas Fairbanks Presents''. Filmography ...

as Augar, one of The Baron's henchman * Noel Cravat as Monk, one of The Baron's henchman *

Eddy Waller Edward Carlingford Waller (June 14, 1889 – August 20, 1977) was an American stage, film and television actor. Early years Born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, he was a son of the Rev. Thomas M. Waller, a Presbyterian minister, and Anna Ta ...

(uncredited) as Jed Holden

Production

''Junior G-Men of the Air'' was the third of Universal's three serials with the Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys (preceded by ''

Junior G-Men ''Junior G-Men'' was an American boys club and popular culture phenomenon during the late 1930s and early 1940s that began with a radio program and culminated with films featuring the Dead End Kids. Origins After leaving the Federal Bureau of Inv ...

'' and ''

Sea Raiders ''Sea Raiders'' is a 1941 Universal film serial starring the Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys. This was the teen stars' second of three serials, between ''Junior G-Men'' (1940) and ''Junior G-Men of the Air'' (1942). ''Sea Raiders'' was the ...

''). The serial is the 55th of Universal's sound-era serials (following ''

Gang Busters ''Gang Busters'' is an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered on January 15, 1936, and was broadcast over 21 years through November 27, 1957. Histo ...

'' and ahead of ''

Overland Mail Butterfield Overland Mail (officially the Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service i ...

'') and is the last 12-chapter serial released by Universal. The aircraft used in ''Junior G-Men of the Air'' are: *

Fokker Super Universal ] The Fokker Super Universal was an airliner produced in the United States in the late 1920s, an enlarged and improved version of the Fokker Universal, fitted with cantilever wings and an enclosed cockpit. It was subsequently also manufactured und ...

c/n 826, NC972 *

Travel Air 2000 The Travel Air 2000/3000/4000 (originally, the Model A, Model B and Model BH were open-cockpit biplane aircraft produced in the United States in the late 1920s by the Travel Air Manufacturing Company. During the period from 1924–1929, Tra ...

c/n 181, NC901 *

Ryan STA The Ryan STs were a series of two seat, low-wing monoplane aircraft built in the United States by the Ryan Aeronautical Company. They were used as sport aircraft, as well as trainers by flying schools and the militaries of several countries ...

c/n 139, NC17305 *

Brown B-3 The Brown B-3 was a 1930s American single-seat touring monoplane and air racer built by the Lawrence Brown Aircraft Company. Only one aircraft was built. Design and development The B-3 was based on earlier B-2 ''Miss Los Angeles'' single-sea ...

NX266YSantoir, Christian
"Review: 'Junior G-Men of the Air'."
''Aeromovies'', October 16, 2010. Retrieved: July 11, 2019. The locale for ''Junior G-Men of the Air'' was the Metropolitan Airport, Van Nuys, California. Aircraft owners at the airport supplied the

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) * Hollywoo ...

studios with aircraft for both ground and aerial scenes.

Stunts

* David Sharpe doubling Billy Halop * Tom Steele doubling Turhan Bey *

Ken Terrell Kenneth Jones Terrell (April 29, 1904 – March 8, 1966) was an American western and action film actor and stuntman best known for playing Joe Marcelli in the 1956 film ''Indestructible Man ''Indestructible Man'' is a 1956 American cri ...

Reception

Hal Erickson on the ''Allmovie'' website reviewed ''Junior G-Men of the Air'', condensing it to: "Over the course of twelve weeks, the kids are pitted against the worst kinds of villains and pluguglies, but by the final chapter our heroes have thwarted the Black Dragons' plans to sabotage the American defense program. Despite the serial's title, however, the "Junior G-Men" hardly spend any time at all in the air."Erickson Hal
"Review: 'Junior G-Men of the Air'."
''allmovie.com'', 2019. Retrieved: July 11, 2019.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* 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'' (1st ed.). Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: TAB Books 1984. . * Rainey, Buck. ''Serials and Series: A World Filmography, 1912–1956''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2010. . * Weiss, Ken and Ed Goodgold. ''To be Continued ...: A Complete Guide to Motion Picture Serials''. New York: Bonanza Books, 1973. .

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Junior G-Men Of The Air 1942 films American spy films American aviation films Pacific War 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 1940s action films American action films Films with screenplays by George H. Plympton 1940s American films