''Secret Service of the Air'' (also known as ''Murder Plane'') is a 1939 American adventure film directed by Noel M. Smith and starring Ronald Reagan. This film was the first in Warner Bros.' Secret Service series. The series consisted of four films, all starring Ronald Reagan as Lieutenant "Brass" Bancroft of the U.S. Secret Service and Eddie Foy, Jr. as his sidekick "Gabby." It was followed up by ''

Code of the Secret Service ''Code of the Secret Service'' is a 1939 film directed by Noel M. Smith and starring Ronald Reagan. It is the second of four films in the U.S. Secret Service Agent Brass Bancroft series, having been preceded by ''Secret Service of the Air'' (19 ...

'', '' Smashing the Money Ring'' (both 1939), and '' Murder in the Air'' (1940), the last film in the series.Nixon, Rob
"Articles: Secret Service of the Air".
''Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: July 8, 2014. Reagan was just starting out his film career and commented later that during that period, he was a B movie "

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

Plot

An undercover

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

agent stumbles upon a smuggling ring illegally transporting Mexicans into the United States by air. When he pulls a gun on the pilot on one such trip, the pilot sends the aircraft into a sudden climb, causing the agent to tumble back into the cabin; the pilot then pulls a lever which opens the cabin floor, sending the agent and six illegal aliens plummeting to their deaths. The agent's boss, Tom Saxby (

John Litel John Beach Litel (December 30, 1892 – February 3, 1972) was an American film and television actor. Early life Litel was born in Albany, Wisconsin. During World War I, he enlisted in the French Army and was twice decorated for bravery. Ba ...

), needs a pilot to infiltrate the smuggling ring. He turns to commercial airline and former military pilot "Brass" Bancroft ( Ronald Reagan), who has applied to join the Secret Service. Arrested on a trumped-up charge of counterfeiting, Brass is locked in a cell with gang member "Ace" Hamrick (

Bernard Nedell Bernard Jay Nedell (October 14, 1898 – November 23, 1972) was an American film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1916 and 1972. He was born in New York, New York and died in Hollywood, California. He was married to actress Olive Blak ...

). Brass learns that the smugglers use the Los Angeles Air Taxi Company, where he lands a job (after Saxby has the regular pilot arrested). With his friend and radio operator, "Gabby" Watters (Eddie Foy Jr.), Brass convinces the ringleader, Jim Cameron ( James Stephenson), to let him take over the smuggling flights. He tricks Cameron into entering the United States to be captured by the Border Patrol. After an air battle, Brass turns the smugglers over to the authorities, and is greeted by his fiancée, Pamela Schuyler (Ila Rhodes).

Cast

* Ronald Reagan as Lt. "Brass" Bancroft *

as Tom Saxby * Ila Rhodes as Pamela Schuyler * James Stephenson as Jim Cameron *

Eddie Foy Jr. Edwin Fitzgerald Jr. (February 4, 1905 – July 15, 1983), known professionally as Eddie Foy Jr., was an American stage, film, and television actor. Early life Edwin Fitzgerald Jr. was born on February 4, 1905, in New Rochelle, New York, the ...

as "Gabby" Watters * Rosella Towne as Zelma Warren * Larry Williams as Dick Wayne *

John Ridgely John Ridgely (born John Huntington Rea, September 6, 1909 – January 18, 1968) was an American film character actor with over 175 film credits. Early years Ridgely was born in Chicago, Illinois,Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: T ...

as Joe LeRoy * Anthony Averill as Hafer *

as Earl "Ace" Hemrich * Frank M. Thomas as Doc * Joe Cunningham as Agent Dawson *

Morgan Conway Morgan Conway (born Sidney Conway, March 16, 1903 – November 16, 1981) was an American actor, best known for his portrayals of Dick Tracy. Early life and career Conway was educated at Columbia University in New York City. He had a bro ...

as Edward V. Powell *

John Harron John Harron (March 31, 1903 – November 24, 1939) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1918 and 1940. Born in New York, New York, he was the brother of actor Robert Harron and of actress Mary Harron. Harron di ...

as Agent Cliff Durell *

Herbert Rawlinson Herbert Banemann Rawlinson (15 November 1885 – 12 July 1953) was an English-born stage, film, radio, and television actor. A leading man during Hollywood's silent film era, Rawlinson transitioned to character roles after the advent of sound f ...

as Admiral A.C. Schuyler

Production

Scenes for ''Secret Service of the Air'' were filmed at the Glendale Airport. The Glendale Airport was at the time the major airfield serving Los Angeles, but after World War II with larger aircraft and jet airliners it could not accommodate, it closed in the mid-1950s.

Reception

With ''Secret Service of the Air'' becoming a minor "B" hit, it spawned a series with three more films rushed into completion over the next 15 months."Secret Service of the Air".
''

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 d ...

''. Retrieved: July 8, 2014. Frank S. Nugent of ''

'' dismissed the film as "... considerable melodramatic ado about nothing, since the new film is an uninspired reworking of the old story about smuggling aliens ..."Nugent, Frank S
"Secret Service of the Air".
''

'', March 2, 1939.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Aylesworth, Thomas G. ''The Best of Warner Bros.'' London: Bison Books, 1986. .

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Secret Service Of The Air 1939 films 1939 adventure films 1939 crime films American crime films American aviation films American black-and-white films American adventure films Films directed by Noel M. Smith Films about the United States Secret Service Films about illegal immigration to the United States Films set in Los Angeles Films set in Mexico Warner Bros. films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films Films scored by Bernhard Kaun