''The Lady Takes a Flyer'' is a 1958 American CinemaScope

Eastmancolor Eastmancolor is a trade name used by Eastman Kodak for a number of related film and processing technologies associated with color motion picture production and referring to George Eastman, founder of Kodak. Eastmancolor, introduced in 1950, was on ...

romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

released by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

. It was directed by Jack Arnold and written by

Danny Arnold Danny Arnold (born Arnold Rothmann; January 23, 1925 – August 19, 1995) was an American producer, writer, comedian, actor and director known for producing '' Barney Miller'', '' That Girl'', and '' Bewitched''. Early life Born in New York ...

based on a story by Edmund H. North.

Plot

Daredevil pilot Mike Dandridge enters into a business partnership with flight-school pal Al Reynolds and meets Maggie Colby, who is also a pilot. The two flyers take cargo to Japan, where they become romantically involved. Al is best man at their wedding, then joins the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

. Mike hires new pilot Nikki Taylor and might be having an affair with her during business trips while Maggie stays home with their new baby. Maggie flies a shipment herself and lets Mike care of their daughter. He and copilot Phil take a risk by bringing the baby along on a flight to London. Their plane has difficulty landing in fog, angering Maggie, whose own plane barely landed safely. However, Mike and Maggie are brought closer by the experience.

Cast

Lana Turner Lana Turner ( ; born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over the course of her nearly 50-year career, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized pe ...

as Maggie Colby *

Jeff Chandler Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; yi, יראַ גראָססעל; December 15, 1918 – June 17, 1961) was an American actor, film producer, and singer, best remembered for playing Cochise in '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), for which he was no ...

as Mike Dandridge *

Richard Denning Richard Denning (March 27, 1914 – October 11, 1998) was an American actor who starred in science fiction films of the 1950s, including '' Unknown Island'' (1948), '' Creature from the Black Lagoon'' ( 1954), '' Target Earth'' (1954), '' Day ...

as Al Reynolds * Andra Martin as Nikki Taylor *

Chuck Connors Kevin Joseph Aloysius "Chuck" Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have p ...

as Phil Donahoe *

Reta Shaw Reta Shaw (September 13, 1912 – January 8, 1982) was an American character actress known for playing strong, hard-edged, working women in film and on many of the most popular television programs of the 1960s and 1970s in the United Sta ...

as Nurse Kennedy *

Alan Hale Jr. Alan Hale Jr. (born Alan Hale MacKahan; (March 8, 1921 - January 2, 1990) was an American actor and restaurateur. He was the son of actor Alan Hale Sr. His television career spanned four decades, but he was best known for his secondary lead role ...

as Frank Henshaw *

Jerry Paris William Gerald Paris (July 25, 1925 – March 31, 1986) was an American actor and director best known for playing Jerry Helper, the dentist and next-door neighbor of Rob and Laura Petrie, on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', and for directing the majo ...

as Willie Ridgeley * Dee J. Thompson as Collie Minor *

Nestor Paiva Nestor Paiva (June 30, 1905 – September 9, 1966) was an American actor of Portuguese descent. He is most famous for his recurring role of Teo Gonzales the innkeeper in Walt Disney's Spanish Western series ''Zorro'' and its feature film ''The ...

as Childreth * James Doherty as Tower Operator

Production

The film was based on an original screenplay, originally known as ''Pilots for Hire'', then ''Lion in the Sky''. The film was also known as ''Wild and Wonderful''. It was the first of a two-picture deal that Turner had signed with Universal. Filming began in April 1957. A novelization of the screenplay, illustrated with production stills, was written by American writer Edward S. Aarons under the pseudonym Edward Ronns.

References

External links

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Review of film
at ''Variety'' 1958 films 1950s romantic comedy-drama films American aviation films American romantic comedy-drama films 1950s English-language films Films directed by Jack Arnold Films scored by Herman Stein Universal Pictures films 1958 comedy films 1958 drama films Films set in Japan Japan in non-Japanese culture 1950s American films {{romantic-drama-film-stub