Tailspin Tommy (serial)

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Tailspin Tommy
Tailspin Tommy (serial).jpg
Directed by Lew Landers (as Louis Friedlander)
Written by Ella O'Neill (screenplay)
Vin Moore
Basil Dickey
Norman S. Hall
Robert Hershon
George H. Plympton
Based on Tailspin Tommy
by Hal Forrest
Produced byMilton Gatzert
Henry MacRae (associate)
Starring Maurice Murphy
Noah Beery, Jr.
Patricia Farr
Walter Miller
Grant Withers
Cinematography Richard Fryer
William A. Sickner
Edited by Albert Akst
Irving Applebaum
Saul A. Goodkind
Edward Todd
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • October 29, 1934 (1934-10-29)
Running time
12 chapters (248 minutes)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Tailspin Tommy is a 12-episode 1934 Universal film serial based on the Tailspin Tommy comic strip by Hal Forrest. [1] Directed by Lew Landers and produced by Milton Gatzert, the serial was the 97th serial of the 137 released by that studio (and the 24th with sound). The plot of Tailspin Tommy concerns a conflict over a government airmail contract. [N 1]

Contents

Plot

Two cargo airlines clash over a government mail contract. "Tailspin" Tommy (Maurice Murphy), a young mechanic, gets a job with Three Points Airlines, which wins the contract. Their opponents resort to sabotage in order to have the contract for themselves. Wade "Tiger" Taggart (John Davidson) becomes their enemy, a man who will do anything to stop the airline from doing business.

After Tommy becomes a pilot, he prevents a runaway aircraft from crashing into a crowd of children, among other adventures that put him into the public eye. Eventually Taggert and his gang are brought to justice. Tommy goes on to win a movie contract, and win the heart of his sweetheart Betty Lou Barnes (Patricia Farr).

Cast

Chapter titles

  1. Death Flies the Mail
  2. The Mail Goes Through
  3. Sky bandits
  4. The Copper Room
  5. The Night Flight
  6. The Baited Trap
  7. Tommy to the Rescue
  8. The Thrill of Death
  9. The Earth God's Roar
  10. Death at the Controls
  11. Rushing Waters
  12. Littleville's Big Day

Source: [3]

Production

Tailspin Tommy was the first serial to be based on a comic strip . From 1936 to 1945, Universal almost made more serial adaptations of comic strips than both of their rivals, Columbia and Republic, combined. [4] [5] Jimmy Allen was a rival radio serial character to the Tailspin Tommy newspaper strip. He featured in the film The Sky Parade . Grant Withers played the sidekick in this film as well as both Tailspin Tommy serials. [6]

The aircraft used in Tailspin Tommy included:

Stunts

Reception

William C. Cline wrote In the Nick of Tome that Tailspin Tommy was a success, partly due to name recognition. [5] The serial was faithful to its roots and while "other serials were based on comic heroes that have long been forgotten, Hal Forrest's 'Tailspin Tommy' strip ran from 1928 to 1942. Dashing aviator Tommy, his sidekick Skeeter and his girlfriend Betty Lou Barnes ran Three Point Airlines, named after the perfect landing technique. Universal invested heavily in the franchise. Maurice Murphy played Tommy for 1934's Tailspin Tommy serial, and four 1939 feature films starred John Trent as the intrepid airman." [8]

Related Research Articles

Tailspin Tommy was an air adventure comic strip about a youthful pilot, "Tailspin" Tommy Tomkins. Originally illustrated by Hal Forrest and initially distributed by John Neville Wheeler's Bell Syndicate and then by United Feature Syndicate, the strip had a 14-year run from May 21, 1928 to March 15, 1942.

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<i>The Airmail Mystery</i> 1932 film

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<i>The Phantom of the Air</i> 1933 American film

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<i>Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery</i> 1935 American film

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<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>Sky Patrol</i> 1939 American film

Sky Patrol is a 1939 American film directed by Howard Bretherton and starring John Trent, along with Marjorie Reynolds, Milburn Stone and Jason Robards Sr. The film also featured actor and comedian Jackie Coogan, who began his film career as a child actor in silent films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Farr</span> American actress (1913–1948)

Patricia Farr was an American film actress who appeared in films of the 1930s and 1940s. Despite being billed as leading lady in at least one of the films in which she appeared, very few details of her life are available.

<i>Mystery Plane</i> 1939 American film

Mystery Plane is a 1939 American action film directed by George Waggner and written by Paul Schofield and George Waggner. The film is based on the comic strip Tailspin Tommy by Hal Forrest and Glenn Chaffin. The film stars John Trent, Marjorie Reynolds, Milburn Stone, Jason Robards Sr., George Lynn and Lucien Littlefield. Mystery Plane, the first of four "Tailspin Tommy" films made by Monogram Pictures, was released on March 8, 1939.

<i>Stunt Pilot</i> 1939 American film

Stunt Pilot is a 1939 American adventure film directed by George Waggner and written by Scott Darling and George Waggner. The film is based on the comic strip Tailspin Tommy by Hal Forrest and Glenn Chaffin. Stunt Pilot stars John Trent, Marjorie Reynolds, Milburn Stone, Jason Robards Sr., Pat O'Malley and George Meeker. Following the success of Mystery Plane (1939), Stunt Pilot, the second in the "Tailspin Tommy" series, was released on July 2, 1939, by Monogram Pictures.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Along with Mascot Pictures, the lowly "poverty row" studio, Universal Pictures became the only major studio committed to the serial format in the 1930s. [2]

Citations

  1. ↑ Weiss and Goodgold 1973, p. 55.
  2. ↑ Weiss and Goodgold 1973, p. I.
  3. ↑ Cline 1984, p. 211.
  4. ↑ Stedman 1971, p. 65.
  5. 1 2 Cline 1984, pp. 15, 18.
  6. ↑ Harmon and Glut 1973, p. 143.
  7. ↑ Santoir, Christian. "Review: 'Tailspin Tommy'." aeromovies.com, October 17, 2010. Retrieved: July 9, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Articles: 'Tailspin Tommy'." TCM, 2019. Retrieved: July 9, 2019.

Bibliography

  • Cline, William C. "2. In Search of Ammunition"; "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1984. ISBN   0-7864-0471-X.
  • Harmon, Jim and Donald F. Glut. "7. The Aviators "Land That Plane at Once, You Crazy Fool"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. London: Routledge, 1973. ISBN   978-0-7130-0097-9.
  • Stedman, Raymond William. "3. At This Theater Next Week". Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment. University of Oklahoma Press, 1971. ISBN   978-0-8061-0927-5.
  • Weiss, Ken and Ed Goodgold. To be Continued ...: A Complete Guide to Motion Picture Serials. New York: Bonanza Books, 1973. ISBN   0-517-166259.
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