''The Flying Marine'' is a 1929 American

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...

directed by

Albert S. Rogell Albert S. Rogell (August 21, 1901 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - April 7, 1988 Los Angeles, California) was an American film director. Rogell directed more than a hundred movies between 1921 and 1958. He was the uncle of producer Sid Rogell. Filmogr ...

and starring

Ben Lyon Ben Lyon (February 6, 1901 – March 22, 1979) was an American film actor and a studio executive at 20th Century-Fox who later acted in British radio, films and TV. Early life and career Lyon was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Alvine ...

, Shirley Mason and Jason Robards Sr. The film centers around a tale of brothers romancing the same girl. ''The Flying Marine'' was released in both

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' b ...

and silent versions.

Plot

Mitch Moran ( Jason Robards Sr.), a commercial pilot, takes his young brother, Steve (

) under his wing. Steve, a military aviator, has just been discharged from the Marines. Both brothers fall in love with Sally ( Shirley Mason), who is first attracted to the more dashing image of Steve but she soon discovers he is irresponsible and that it is actually Mitch she loves. About to break her engagement, Sally receives word that Steve has been injured in an accident resulting from stunt work for a film. She and Mitch agree their relationship must be kept secret from Steve. The younger brother who had lost his hearing as a result of the injury, finds out that Mitch and Sally raised the money for an operation he needs. Steve regains his hearing and goes back to stunt flying but to save his brother from a midair disaster, he sacrifices his own life.

Cast

as Steve Moran * Shirley Mason as Sally * Jason Robards Sr. as Mitch Moran

Production

Aviation film historian Stephen Pendo, in ''Aviation in the Cinema'' (1985) characterized ''The Flying Marine'' as a typical early "talkie" with a heavy reliance on dialogue, with as much as 70 percent of the film taken up by conversations.

Reception

Aviation film historian James M. Farmer in ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation'' (1984), had a similar reaction, saying that ''The Flying Marine'' was "... long on talk. Short on air action, save the concluding sequence and earlier air crash." In a modern review in the ''

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'', ''The Flying Marine'' rated only one star out of five. The review stated: "Only the capable performances by the cast and some nifty airplane sequences keep this tepid tale of brothers romancing the same girl from being a total bore. ...Could have been better had more effort been applied to action sequences instead of the dull dramatics."Review:'The Flying Marine'."
''TV Guide'', 2019. Retrieved: July 1, 2019.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Farmer, James H. ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation'' (1st ed.). Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: TAB Books 1984. . * Munden, Kenneth White. ''The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1''. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1997. . * 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

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Flying Marine 1929 films 1920s action films 1920s English-language films American aviation films American action films Films directed by Albert S. Rogell Columbia Pictures films American black-and-white films 1920s American films