Flying Romeos

Last updated

Flying Romeos
Flying Romeos poster.jpg
Lobby card
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Screenplay by John McDermott
Sidney Lazarus
Gene Towne
John W. Conway
Starring Charles Murray
George Sidney
Fritzi Ridgeway
Lester Bernard
Duke Martin
James Bradbury Jr.
Belle Mitchell
CinematographyDevereaux Jennings
Edited by Paul Weatherwax
Production
company
Distributed byFirst National Pictures
Release date
  • February 26, 1928 (1928-02-26)
Running time
60 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Flying Romeos is a 1928 American comedy adventure directed by Mervyn LeRoy and written by John McDermott, Sidney Lazarus, Gene Towne and John W. Conway. [1] [2] The film stars the comedy team of Charles Murray and George Sidney, stars of Universal's popular "The Cohens and Kellys" comedies, moonlighting at First National Pictures. [1] Other sidekicks included Fritzi Ridgeway, Lester Bernard, Duke Martin, James Bradbury Jr. and Belle Mitchell. [3] Flying Romeos was released on February 26, 1928, by First National Pictures, typically a B movie studio. [4]

Contents

Plot

Barbers Cohen (George Sidney) and Cohan (Charles Murray) both love Minnie (Fritzi Ridgeway), their young manicurist, who has a fondness for aviators. Duly, the pair of hapless middle-aged lovers sign up for flying lessons and accidentally find themselves performing some wild stunts in an aircraft.

The owner of the "Spirit of Goldberg" (Lester Bernard) is impressed with the skills of these two tyros. He persuades the duo to make a long ocean flight. The flight leads to more aerial mayhem, especially when the "real" pilot (Duke Martin) turns out to be a lunatic. On their triumphant return, Cohen and Cohan sadly find their manicurist had married a pilot.

Cast

Production

Aviation film historian Stephen Pendo, in Aviation in the Cinema (1985) characterized The Flying Romeos as an early "talkie" that was a comedy vehicle for two noted film comedians with a heavy reliance on slapstick aerial antics. [5] [N 1]

Reception

The contemporary film review of The Flying Romeos by Mordaunt Hall in The New York Times , noted, "The fun in this piece really starts when Messrs. Cohen and Cohan are tested for the air flights across the Pacific. ... The other truly laughable episode is where the friendly enemies are once more up in the air, the machine being steered by a man who happens to have spent the latter part of his life in a lunatic asylum." [7]

Aviation film historian James M. Farmer in Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation (1984), had a similar reaction, saying that Flying Romeos "... provides an excellent series of opportunities for some outrageous aerial thrills." [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ormer Locklear</span> American aviator (1891–1920)

Ormer Leslie "Lock" Locklear was an American daredevil stunt pilot and film actor.

<i>Its in the Air</i> (1938 film) 1938 British film

It’s in the Air is a 1938 British comedy film written and directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring George Formby, Polly Ward and Jack Hobbs. The film was released in the United States with the alternative title George Takes the Air in 1940. The film depicts Great Britain's preparations for war with Air Raid Warden training, mock air attacks dropping poison gas bombs, and the deployment of anti-aircraft weapons in the streets.

<i>Keep Em Flying</i> 1941 comedy film directed by Arthur Lubin

Keep 'Em Flying is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Arthur Lubin starring the team of Abbott and Costello alongside Martha Raye and Carol Bruce. The film was their third service comedy based on the peacetime draft of 1940. The comedy team had appeared in two previous service comedies in 1941, before the United States entered the war: Buck Privates, released in January, and In the Navy, released in May. Flying Cadets, along with Keep 'Em Flying were both produced by Universal Pictures in 1941.

<i>Body and Soul</i> (1931 film) 1931 film

Body and Soul (1931) is an American Pre-Code action drama film directed by Alfred Santell and starring Charles Farrell, Elissa Landi, Humphrey Bogart, and Myrna Loy. The story, adapted from the stage play Squadrons by Elliott White Springs and A.E. Thomas, depicts Royal Air Force pilots in World War I.

<i>Central Airport</i> (film) 1933 film

Central Airport is a 1933 American pre-Code aviation drama film directed by William A. Wellman, based on the John C. "Jack" Moffitt story, "Hawk's Mate". The film stars Richard Barthelmess and Sally Eilers. Central Airport was produced and released by Warner Bros., on April 15, 1933. John Wayne had an uncredited part in the film, playing a co-pilot, and this film features his first on-screen death.

<i>The Legion of the Condemned</i> 1928 film

The Legion of the Condemned is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by William A. Wellman and produced by Jesse L. Lasky, Wellman, and Adolph Zukor and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Written by former World War I flight instructor John Monk Saunders and Jean de Limur, with intertitles by George Marion, Jr., the film stars Fay Wray and Gary Cooper.

<i>Danger Flight</i> 1939 film by Howard Bretherton

Danger Flight is a 1939 American film directed by Howard Bretherton and starring John Trent as Tailspin Tommy Tompkins, Marjorie Reynolds, Milburn Stone and Jason Robards Sr. The film featured young aviation enthusiasts in a model club.

<i>Lilac Time</i> (film) 1928 film

Lilac Time is a 1928 American synchronized sound romantic war film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Colleen Moore and Gary Cooper. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using the sound-on-disc Vitaphone process. The film is about young American aviators fighting for Britain during World War I who are billeted in a field next to a farmhouse in France. The daughter who lives on the farm meets one of the new aviators who is attracted to her. As the flyers head off on a mission, the young aviator promises to return to her.

<i>Give Us Wings</i> 1940 film by Charles Lamont

Give Us Wings is a 1940 Universal comedic film starring the Dead End Kids and the Little Tough Guys. Several members of the casts of those series were also featured in "The East Side Kids" films.

<i>The Air Circus</i> 1928 film

The Air Circus is a 1928 American sound part-talkie drama film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Arthur Lake, Sue Carol, David Rollins, and Louise Dresser. It is the first of Hawks's aviation films. The film is notable as the first aviation oriented film with dialogue.

<i>The Skywayman</i> 1920 film by James P. Hogan

The Skywayman is a 1920 American silent action drama film directed by James P. Hogan and produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation. The film starred noted aerial stunt pilot Ormer Locklear and Louise Lovely. After having appeared in The Great Air Robbery (1919), a film that showcased his aerial talents, Locklear, considered the foremost "aviation stunt man in the world", was reluctant to return to the air show circuit. During the production, Locklear and his co-pilot Milton "Skeets" Elliot died after crashing during a night scene. The Skywayman was subsequently released shortly after, capitalizing on their deaths.

<i>The Air Legion</i> 1929 film by Bert Glennon

The Air Legion is a 1929 aviation silent film about airmail produced and distributed by Film Booking Offices of America(FBO) and was released just as FBO was being turned into RKO Pictures. In Canada, the film was distributed by the Alliance Communications Corporation. Aviation historian Michael Paris considered the film as "virtually the last silent film" on the topic of airmail flying.

<i>The Flying Fool</i> (1929 film) 1929 film by Tay Garnett

The Flying Fool is a 1929 aviation-themed film produced and distributed by Pathé Exchange as both a silent film and sound film just as Hollywood was transitioning to filming with sound. Tay Garnett directed and William Boyd, Russell Gleason and Marie Prevost starred.

<i>The Lost Zeppelin</i> 1929 film

The Lost Zeppelin is a 1929 sound adventure film directed by Edward Sloman and produced and distributed by Tiffany-Stahl. The film stars Conway Tearle, Virginia Valli and Ricardo Cortez.

<i>Heartbreak</i> (1931 film) 1931 film

Heartbreak is a 1931 American pre-Code war drama film directed by Alfred L. Werker and starring Charles Farrell, Madge Evans and Paul Cavanagh.

<i>A Hero for a Night</i> 1927 film by William James Craft

A Hero for a Night is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by William James Craft and produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, cashing in on the "Lindy craze", generated by Charles Lindbergh's famous ocean crossing flight. The film stars Glenn Tryon, Patsy Ruth Miller and Burr McIntosh.

<i>Publicity Madness</i> 1927 film directed by Albert Ray

Publicity Madness is a lost 1927 American comedy film directed by Albert Ray and written by Andrew Bennison and Malcolm Stuart Boylan. The film stars Lois Moran, Edmund Lowe, E. J. Ratcliffe, James Gordon, Arthur Housman and Byron Munson. The film was released on October 2, 1927, by Fox Film Corporation, in a rush to capitalize on the publicity surrounding transatlantic flight of Charles Lindbergh.

<i>Pirates of the Skies</i> Film directed by Joseph A. McDonough

Pirates of the Skies is a 1939 American action film directed by Joseph A. McDonough and written by Lester Cole and Ben Grauman Kohn. The film stars Kent Taylor, Rochelle Hudson, Regis Toomey, Marion Martin, Samuel S. Hinds, Ray Walker and Lucien Littlefield. Pirates of the Skies was released on February 3, 1939, by Universal Pictures.

<i>The Air Patrol</i> 1928 American silent film by Bruce M. Mitchell

The Air Patrol is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Bruce M. Mitchell and written by William Berke and Gardner Bradford from a story by Al Wilson, the film's star. The film stars Al Wilson, Elsa Benham, Jack Mower, Frank Tomick, Monte Montague, and Taylor N. Duncan. The film was released on January 1, 1928, by Universal Pictures. The Air Patrol was one of a series of films that showcased the exploits of the stunt pilots in Hollywood.

The Sky Raider is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by T. Hayes Hunter and starring Charles Nungesser, Jacqueline Logan and Gladys Walton. With the interest in the aviators of World War I, producer Gilbert E. Gable and Arcadia Productions, were able to showcase the talents of Nungesser, a genuine hero, who had 43 aerial victories, as the third-highest French ace. The Sky Raider was based on the short story, "The Great Air Mail Robbery" by Jack Lait.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ The Flying Romeos was one of a number of films that were highly influenced by the worldwide publicity generated by the 1927 transatlantic flight by Charles Lindbergh. [6]

Citations

  1. 1 2 Erickson, Hal. "Review: 'Flying Romeos' (1928) – Mervyn LeRoy." AllMovie, 2019. Retrieved: July 2, 2019.
  2. ↑ Wynne 1987, p. 61.
  3. ↑ "Details: 'Flying Romeos'." Catalog.afi.com , 2019. Retrieved: July 2, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Overview: 'Flying Romeos' (1928)." TCM.com, 2019. Retrieved: July 2, 2019.
  5. ↑ Pendo 1985, p. 9.
  6. ↑ Paris 1995, p. 58.
  7. ↑ Hall, Mordaunt. "The Screen." The New York Times, April 3, 1928.
  8. ↑ Farmer 1984, p. 309.

Bibliography

  • Farmer, James H. Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation (1st ed.). Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: TAB Books 1984. ISBN   978-0-83062-374-7.
  • Paris, Michael. From the Wright Brothers to Top gun: Aviation, Nationalism, and Popular Cinema. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1995. ISBN   978-0-7190-4074-0.
  • Pendo, Stephen. Aviation in the Cinema. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. ISBN   0-8-1081-746-2.
  • Wynne, H. Hugh. The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1987. ISBN   978-0-93312-685-5.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.