Directed by:
Howard HawksCinematography:
Arthur EdesonComposer:
Bernhard KaunCast:
James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, June Travis, Stuart Erwin, Barton MacLane, Henry Wadsworth, Isabel Jewell, Craig Reynolds, Dick Purcell, Addison Richards (more)Plots(1)
Jake Lee, the hard-driving, fast-talking field boss for Newark's Federal Airlines, rehires his old friend, ace pilot Dizzy Davis, against the wishes of company supervisor Al Stone. Dizzy, famous for his daredevil flying and his success with women, arrives at the airline and immediately goes after female flyer Tommy Thomas. In order to further his romance, he feigns heart trouble, sending his pal, Texas Clark, out on a dangerous flight. Tex's plane crashes while trying to land in bad weather, and Tex is near death. When Jake learns that Tex was tricked and that his own wife Mary was once involved with Dizzy, his friendship wavers. Jake proves his loyalty when, after Department of Commerce Inspector Joe Allen revokes Dizzy's license, Jake agrees to Allen's suggestion that he buy a fleet of inferior planes from Fred Adams in exchange for using Adams' pull in Washington to get Dizzy's license restored. Nobly, Dizzy refuses Jake's offer. When the news comes that Tex has died, Jake consoles his widow Lou, leaving the guilt-stricken Dizzy in charge. Against Jake's orders to cancel Tay Lawson's night flight because of freezing conditions, Dizzy decides to fly the route himself. He knocks Lawson unconscious and appropriates the plane. Although Dizzy sacrifices his life during the hazardous flight, he manages to solve a design problem in the new de-icing mechanism before dying. Tommy can now marry Lawson, who is geniunely in love with her, while Jake resumes his duties with stalwart professionalism. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
James Cagney
USA
Best movies:
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
One, Two, Three (1961)
White Heat (1949)
Pat O'Brien
USA
Best movies:
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
The People Against O'Hara (1951)
June Travis
USA
Best movies:
The Star (1952)
Monster A Go-Go (1965)
Stuart Erwin
USA
Best movies:
When the Daltons Rode (1940)
Hold Your Man (1933)
The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941)
Barton MacLane
USA
Best movies:
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
Kansas Pacific (1953)
Henry Wadsworth
USA
Best movies:
The Thin Man (1934)
Applause (1929)
Isabel Jewell
USA
Best movies:
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Lost Horizon (1937)
Counsellor at Law (1933)
Craig Reynolds
USA
Best movies:
The Lost Weekend (1945)
Nevada (1944)
Uncle Harry (1945)
Dick Purcell
USA
Best movies:
Bullets or Ballots (1936)
Follow the Fleet (1936)
In Old California (1942)
Addison Richards
USA
Best movies:
Edison, the Man (1940)
Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Mike Lally
USA
Best movies:
The Sting (1973)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Harold Miller
USA
Best movies:
Song of Love (1947)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Carol Hughes
USA
Best movies:
Mighty Joe Young (1949)
Love Affair (1939)
D.O.A. (1949)
Bill Elliott
USA
Best movies:
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
Bullets or Ballots (1936)
James Bush
USA
Best movies:
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Out of the Past (1947)
Air Force (1943)
Garry Owen
USA
Best movies:
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)
Mildred Pierce (1945)
Edward Gargan
USA
Best movies:
The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
You Gotta Stay Happy (1948)
Carlyle Moore Jr.
USA
Best movies:
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
Bullets or Ballots (1936)
Kid Galahad (1937)
Pat West
USA
Best movies:
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Ball of Fire (1941)
His Girl Friday (1940)
Mathilde Comont
France
Best movies:
Freaks (1932)
The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
Anthony Adverse (1936)