Directed by:
Michael CurtizComposer:
Max SteinerCast:
James Cagney, Dennis Morgan, Brenda Marshall, Alan Hale, George Tobias, Reginald Gardiner, Reginald Denny, Paul Cavanagh, Russell Arms, Clem Bevans (more)Plots(1)
For several years, bush pilots Johnny Dutton, Tiny Murphy, Blimp Lebec and Scrounger Harris have shared the work in their area of Canada. To their dismay, they now find that they are often beaten to the jobs by a new flier, Brian MacLean. Determined to get their revenge, Johnny, Tiny, Blimp and Scrounger chase Brian's airplane and force him to land near the store owned by Foster and his gold-digging daughter Emily, who is also Johnny's fiancée. While leaving his plane, Brian slips and injures his head. When Johnny sees how bad the injury is, he flies to the nearest town to fetch a doctor. By the time Johnny returns, the lake is fogged in, so the other pilots light bonfires to guide him. Johnny lands safely with the doctor, who performs an emergency operation. Although Emily begs Johnny to take her with him when he leaves, Johnny is determined to earn enough money to start his own airline before they get married. Brian stays behind to recuperate, and during his convalescence, he and Emily grow attached to each other. When Johnny returns, he invites Brian to join him and Tiny in a job flying explosives to a mine. Brian agrees after he learns of the heroic effort Johnny made to save his life and breaks off his relationship with Emily for the same reason. The three pilots make enough money for Johnny to start an airline with his share. Brian warns Johnny that if he marries the gold-digging Emily he will not have the money for long, and Johnny angrily strikes out at him. Brian knocks Johnny unconscious in the fight and, determined to prevent his friend from making a serious mistake, marries Emily himself. Johnny follows them to Ottawa, but when he learns that they are married, he gives his pay to charity and joins the Royal Canadian Air Force. Now that he knows Johnny is safe from Emily, Brian gives her his pay and leaves her for good. Back in the woods, the other pilots, inspired by a speech by Winston Churchill, join the air force too, but are disappointed to learn that they are too old to fly fighter planes. Their experience makes them valuable teachers, however. Brian has trouble adjusting to military discipline and, after he crashes a plane, is dismissed from the service. Then, during a military ceremony, Brian buzzes the field and causes Tiny's death. When an urgent call goes out to all pilots to help fly planes to England, Brian volunteers using Tiny's name as a pseudonym. Just outside of England, the pilots encounter a German Messerschmidt, whose pilot shoots at the defenseless planes. When Scrounger, who is acting as Brian's navigator, is killed, Brian defies orders once again and crashes his plane into the German, killing them both. Thanks to his efforts, the rest of the squadron files safely into England. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
James Cagney
USA
Best movies:
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
One, Two, Three (1961)
White Heat (1949)
Dennis Morgan
USA
Best movies:
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
Brenda Marshall
Philippines
Best movies:
The Sea Hawk (1940)
Whispering Smith (1948)
Captains of the Clouds (1942)
Alan Hale
USA
Best movies:
It Happened One Night (1934)
Robin Hood (1922)
Gentleman Jim (1942)
George Tobias
USA
Best movies:
Mildred Pierce (1945)
Ninotchka (1939)
The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
Reginald Gardiner
UK
Best movies:
The Great Dictator (1940)
The Lodger (1927)
The Flying Deuces (1939)
Reginald Denny
UK
Best movies:
Rebecca (1940)
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)
Anna Karenina (1935)
Paul Cavanagh
UK
Best movies:
You Gotta Stay Happy (1948)
Tarzan and His Mate (1934)
Plymouth Adventure (1952)
Russell Arms
USA
Best movies:
Life with Father (1947)
High Wall (1947)
Captains of the Clouds (1942)
Clem Bevans
USA
Best movies:
The Yearling (1946)
Texas (1941)
Dodge City (1939)
J. Farrell MacDonald
USA
Best movies:
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Sunrise (1927)
The Power and the Glory (1933)
Frederick Worlock
UK
Best movies:
Producers' Showcase (1954) (series)
Spartacus (1960)
Madame Curie (1943)
Roland Drew
USA
Best movies:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)
Two O'Clock Courage (1945)
Across the Pacific (1942)
Lucia Carroll
USA
Best movies:
Meet John Doe (1941)
High Sierra (1941)
Captains of the Clouds (1942)
George Meeker
USA
Best movies:
Love Crazy (1941)
Casablanca (1942)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Hardie Albright
USA
Best movies:
Bambi (1942)
20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932)
The Song of Songs (1933)
Ray Walker
USA
Best movies:
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
It Started with Eve (1941)
Charles Halton
USA
Best movies:
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Louis Jean Heydt
USA
Best movies:
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
The Big Sleep (1946)
Gig Young
USA
Best movies:
Producers' Showcase (1954) (series)
Rear Window (1954)
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)