Test Pilot (film)

Last updated
Test Pilot
TestPilot 38.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Victor Fleming
Written by Frank Wead
Screenplay by Waldemar Young
Vincent Lawrence
Howard Hawks
John Lee Mahin
Produced by Louis D. Lighton
Starring Clark Gable
Myrna Loy
Spencer Tracy
Cinematography Ray June
Edited by Tom Held
Music by Franz Waxman
Production
company
Distributed by Loew's Inc.
Release dates
  • April 15, 1938 (1938-04-15)
(New York and Los Angeles) [1]
  • April 22, 1938 (1938-04-22)(US)
Running time
118 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.7 million [2]
Box office$3.9 million [2]
Lobby card Test Pilot 4 1938.jpg
Lobby card

Test Pilot is a 1938 American drama film directed by Victor Fleming, starring Clark Gable, Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy, and featuring Lionel Barrymore. The Oscar-nominated film tells the story of a daredevil test pilot (Gable), his wife (Loy), and his best friend (Tracy).

Contents

Test Pilot was written by Howard Hawks, Vincent Lawrence, John Lee Mahin, Frank Wead, and Waldemar Young. The screenplay was largely based on an original story by former naval aviator Wead.

Plot

Gable and Loy acted alongside the racing aircraft of the day. Clark Gable and Myrna Loy.jpg
Gable and Loy acted alongside the racing aircraft of the day.

Reckless test pilot Jim Lane is forced to land on a Kansas farm in his aircraft, the "Drake Bullet", where he meets Ann "Thursday" Barton. They spend the day together and fall in love. Once Jim's best friend and mechanic, Gunner Morris, arrives, Jim ignores Ann. To spur him, she gets engaged to her sweetheart. Jim leaves in the morning, but soon comes back for her. They quickly get married.

Jim loses his job at Drake when he clashes with the owner. He gets a job with another outfit, flying a very experimental aircraft. Ann soon finds out how dangerous her husband's occupation is, but she promises Gunner that she will stick to her man. Jim wins the race, but Benson, the man Drake sends in Jim's place, dies, leaving a wife and three children behind.

Jim tries to reform his ways and begins by taking a job testing aircraft, even conducting dangerous flights as he wants to give Ann a real home. Gunner remains true to his friend. [N 1]

One day, Gunner accompanies Jim on a test flight of a new bomber (a Y1B-17, a pre-production Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress prototype). Upon reaching 30,000 feet (9,100 m; 9.1 km), the bomber goes into a spin and sandbags (substituting for the weight of bombs) break loose, pinning Gunner. Unwilling to bail out without his buddy, Jim manages to crash land, and pulls a badly injured Gunner out of the wreckage right before it burst into flames, but it is too late for Gunner. When Jim realizes the toll his job has taken on his wife, he gives it up and joins the United States Army Air Corps.

Cast

As appearing in Test Pilot (main roles and screen credits identified): [4]

Production

Lobby card with Tracy, Gable and Lionel Barrymore Test Pilot lobby card 1938.JPG
Lobby card with Tracy, Gable and Lionel Barrymore
Gable (arms crossed) at Lindbergh Field Test Pilot 1937 Lindbergh Field-1.jpg
Gable (arms crossed) at Lindbergh Field
Loy, Gable, and Tracy at Lindbergh Field Test Pilot 1937 Lindbergh Field-2.jpg
Loy, Gable, and Tracy at Lindbergh Field
Tracy and Loy at Lindbergh Field Test Pilot 1937 Lindbergh Field-3.jpg
Tracy and Loy at Lindbergh Field

Test Pilot brought together three of the most bankable Hollywood stars of the period, but while Loy and Gable became friends, an uneasy relationship existed between Tracy and Gable. At the climax of a lengthy take where he was cradling his comrade's head in his arms, Gable was reported to have said, "Die, goddamn it, Spence! I wish to Christ you would!" and dropped Tracy's head with a thud. [5]

Principal photography took place from December 1, 1937, to February 18, 1938, at MGM studios and on location at Van Nuys, California, Lindbergh Field (San Diego), March Field, California, and at the Cleveland National Air Races, with retakes on March 30 to early April 1938. [6] Test Pilot utilized authentic United States Army Air Corps airfield settings and was able to obtain rights to film using Boeing's new Y1B-17, which was destined to become the progenitor of the wartime B-17 bomber series. The Drake Bullet was actually the SEV-S2 NR70Y, a modified civilian racer version of the U.S. Army Air Corps P-35. The other test aircraft that is flown to its top diving speed is a Northrop A-17 attack bomber. [7] [N 2] Renowned movie stunt pilot Paul Mantz served as the second unit director in charge of the flying sequences. [8] Although uncredited, real-life test pilot Sammy Wroath did the flying sequences.

Reception

Lobby card Test Pilot 2 1936.JPG
Lobby card
Lobby card with Loy and Gable Test Pilot 3 1938.JPG
Lobby card with Loy and Gable

Proving to be an "audience-pleaser" [9] and becoming one of MGM's top money-makers in 1938, Test Pilot also found favor with critics. Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times called it "a bang-up aviation drama ... It is a generous show by any reckoning, long in its running time, star-studded and spectacular, and Victor Fleming, its director, has paced it wisely." [10] Film Daily raved, "Spectacular romance thriller ... It can't miss." [11] Harrison's Reports wrote, "Excellent entertainment ... Other air pictures have been made; but for sheer thrills, this one leads them all because of the realistic way it has been done." [12] John Mosher of The New Yorker wrote that while aviation films with fine flying scenes had already been done, those in this picture were "superior to the average". [13]

Today, it is considered a significant aviation film by historians due to the use of contemporary aircraft. [14] Even at the time of its release, Variety noted that the "story bespeaks authority in detail, obviously explained by the fact that Capt. Frank Wead, who authored the original, has had (a) practical aviation background." [15] Both Loy and Tracy (despite his obvious scene-stealing battles with Gable) later claimed Test Pilot was their favorite film. [5]

Box office

According to MGM records, Test Pilot earned $2,431,000 in the U.S. and $1,472,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $967,000. [2]

Academy Award nominations

Test Pilot was nominated for Best Picture at the 11th Academy Awards, while Wead was nominated for Best Story, and Tom Held for Best Film Editing.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Wings of Eagles</i> 1957 film by John Ford

The Wings of Eagles is a 1957 American Metrocolor film starring John Wayne, Dan Dailey and Maureen O'Hara, based on the life of Frank "Spig" Wead and the history of U.S. Naval aviation from its inception through World War II. The film is a tribute to Wead from his friend, director John Ford, and was based on Wead's "We Plaster the Japs", published in a 1944 issue of The American Magazine.

<i>Hell Divers</i> 1932 film

Hell Divers is a 1932 American pre-Code black-and-white film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Wallace Beery and Clark Gable as a pair of competing chief petty officers in early naval aviation. The film, made with the cooperation of the United States Navy, features considerable footage of flight operations aboard the Navy's second aircraft carrier, the USS Saratoga, including dramatic shots of takeoffs and landings filmed from the Curtiss F8C-4 Helldiver dive bombers after which the movie was named.

<i>Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo</i> 1944 American war film by Mervyn LeRoy

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is a 1944 American war film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The screenplay by Dalton Trumbo is based on the 1943 book of the same name by Captain Ted W. Lawson. Lawson was a pilot on the historic Doolittle Raid, America's first retaliatory air strike against Japan, four months after the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The raid was planned, led by, and named after United States Army Air Forces Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle, who was promoted two ranks, to Brigadier General, the day after the raid.

<i>The Sound Barrier</i> 1952 British film

The Sound Barrier is a 1952 British aviation drama film directed by David Lean. It is a fictional story about attempts by aircraft designers and test pilots to break the sound barrier. It was David Lean's third and final film with his wife Ann Todd, but it was his first for Alexander Korda's London Films, following the break-up of Cineguild. The Sound Barrier stars Ralph Richardson, Ann Todd, John Justin and Nigel Patrick. It was known in the United States as Breaking Through the Sound Barrier and Breaking the Sound Barrier.

<i>God Is My Co-Pilot</i> (film) 1945 film by Robert Florey

God Is My Co-Pilot is a 1945 American black-and-white biographical war film from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by Robert Buckner, directed by Robert Florey, that stars Dennis Morgan and co-stars Dane Clark and Raymond Massey. The screenplay by Abem Finkel and Peter Milne is based on the 1943 autobiography of the same name by Robert Lee Scott Jr.. It recounts Scott's service with the Flying Tigers and the United States Army Air Forces in China and Burma during World War II.

<i>Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress</i> 1944 film by William Wyler

The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress is a 1944 documentary film which provides an account of the final mission of the crew of the Memphis Belle, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. In May 1943 it became the third U.S. Army Air Forces heavy bomber to complete 25 missions over Europe, but the first to return to the United States.

<i>Air Force</i> (film) 1943 film by Howard Hawks

Air Force is a 1943 American World War II aviation film directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Garfield, John Ridgely, Gig Young, Arthur Kennedy, and Harry Carey. The film was distributed by Warner Bros. and produced by Hal B. Wallis and Jack L. Warner. Conceived by then - Lieutenant General “Hap” Arnold in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack, it was originally scheduled for release on December 7, 1942, on the first anniversary. It became impossible to meet that deadline, and it premiered in New York City on February 3, 1943 and was released on March 20. The film's storyline revolves around an actual event that occurred on December 7, 1941. An aircrew ferries an unarmed 1940 series Boeing B-17D Flying Fortress heavy bomber, named the Mary-Ann, across the Pacific to the United States Army Air Forces base at Hickam Field. They fly right into the middle of the Japanese air attack on Pearl Harbor and the beginning of America's major involvement in the Second World War. An uncredited William Faulkner wrote the emotional deathbed scene for Ridgely, who played the commander and pilot of the Mary-Ann.

<i>A Guy Named Joe</i> 1943 American film directed by Victor Fleming

A Guy Named Joe is a 1943 American supernatural romantic drama film directed by Victor Fleming. The film was produced by Everett Riskin, and starred Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne, and Van Johnson. The screenplay, written by Dalton Trumbo and Frederick Hazlitt Brennan, was adapted from a story by Chandler Sprague and David Boehm, for which they were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story.

Test Pilot may refer to:

<i>Flying Tigers</i> (film) 1942 black-and-white war film directed by David Miller

Flying Tigers is a 1942 American black-and-white war film drama from Republic Pictures that was produced by Edmund Grainger, directed by David Miller, and stars John Wayne, John Carroll, and Anna Lee.

<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>Aerial Gunner</i> 1943 American World War II film

Aerial Gunner is a 1943 American black-and-white World War II propaganda film produced by William C. Thomas and William H. Pine, who also directed. The film stars Chester Morris, Richard Arlen, and Jimmy Lydon. This was the first feature film directed by Pine, who produced other films through his company, Pine-Thomas Productions. Aerial Gunner was distributed by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Bombardier</i> (film) 1943 film by Richard Wallace and Lambert Hillyer

Bombardier is a 1943 film war drama about the training program for bombardiers of the United States Army Air Forces. The film stars Pat O'Brien and Randolph Scott. Bombardier was nominated for an Oscar in 1944 for the special effects used in the film. It was largely filmed at Kirtland Army Air Field, New Mexico, site of the first bombardier training school.

<i>Dive Bomber</i> (film) 1941 film

Dive Bomber is a 1941 American aviation film from Warner Bros. Pictures, directed by Michael Curtiz, and starring Errol Flynn and Fred MacMurray. The film is notable for both its Technicolor photography of pre-World War II United States Navy aircraft and as a historical document of the U.S. in 1941. This includes the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, one of the best-known U.S. warships of World War II.

<i>Too Hot to Handle</i> (1938 film) 1938 film by Jack Conway

Too Hot to Handle, also known as Let 'Em All Talk, is a 1938 comedy-drama directed by Jack Conway and starring Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, and Walter Pidgeon. The plot concerns a newsreel reporter, the female aviator he is attracted to and his fierce competitor. Many of the comedy gags were devised by an uncredited Buster Keaton.

<i>Flying Blind</i> (film) 1941 film by Frank McDonald

Flying Blind is a 1941 American action comedy film directed by Frank McDonald and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was the second movie from Pine-Thomas Productions. That company's first three films formed an unofficial "aviation trilogy"; all starred Richard Arlen.

<i>The Thousand Plane Raid</i> 1969 film by Boris Sagal

The Thousand Plane Raid is a 1969 DeLuxe Color film directed by Boris Sagal and starring Christopher George and Laraine Stephens. Although claimed to be derived from Ralph Barker's The Thousand Plane Raid, the storyline of the film inaccurately portrays the first raid as an 8th Air Force mission while the actual attack was undertaken by 1,047 Royal Air Force bombers against the city of Cologne, Germany in May 1942.

<i>Flight Angels</i> 1940 American film

Flight Angels is a 1940 commercial aviation film from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by Edmund Grainger and directed by Lewis Seiler, from an original story by Jerry Wald and Richard Macaulay. The film stars Virginia Bruce, Dennis Morgan, Wayne Morris, and Ralph Bellamy as airline employees, flying Douglas DST airliners.

<i>The Flying Fleet</i> 1929 film by George W. Hill

The Flying Fleet is a 1929 synchronized sound romantic drama film directed by George W. Hill and starring Ramon Novarro, Ralph Graves, and Anita Page. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. Two United States Navy officers are rivals for the love of the same woman.

<i>Captain Eddie</i> 1945 film by Lloyd Bacon

Captain Eddie is a 1945 American drama film directed by Lloyd Bacon, based on Seven Were Saved by "Eddie" Rickenbacker and Lt. James Whittaker's We Thought We Heard the Angels Sing. The film stars Fred MacMurray, Lynn Bari and Charles Bickford. Captain Eddie is a "biopic" of Rickenbacker, from his experiences as a flying ace during World War I to his later involvement as a pioneering figure in civil aviation, and his iconic status as a business leader who was often at odds with labour unions and the government.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Gunner has a superstitious preflight ritual of putting a piece of chewing gum on the aircraft. In The Right Stuff (1983), Jack Ridley, Chuck Yeager's best friend and engineer on his test missions, also had given him a stick of Beemans chewing gum before Yeager's test flights. This allusion to a chewing gum ritual was later included in The Rocketeer (1991). [3]
  2. ↑ In the film, the A-17 sheds a wing.

Citations

  1. ↑ Hanson 1993, p. 2144.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Eddie Mannix Ledger". Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study, Los Angeles.
  3. ↑ "Beemans Gum Featured In The Right Stuff." Archived 2013-08-10 at the Wayback Machine Beemans gum . Retrieved: August 25, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Credits: 'Test Pilot' (1938)." IMDb. Retrieved: January 5, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Tatara, Paul. "Test Pilot: Articles." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: February 15, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Test Pilot: Original Print Information." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: February 15, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Test Pilot". Aero Files. Retrieved: August 25, 2013.
  8. ↑ Orriss 1984, pp. 13–14.
  9. ↑ Erickson, Hal. "Test Pilot." The New York Times. Retrieved: September 21, 2015.
  10. ↑ Nugent, Frank S. "The Screen: 'Test Pilot,' Metro's aviation drama, opens at the Capitol". The New York Times, April 16, 1938, p. 17.
  11. ↑ "Reviews of the new films." Film Daily (New York: Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc.), April 15, 1938, p. 7.
  12. ↑ "Test Pilot." Harrison's Reports (New York), April 30, 1938, p. 70.
  13. ↑ Mosher, John. "The current cinema." The New Yorker (F-R Publishing Corp.), April 23, 1938, p. 68.
  14. ↑ Hardwick and Schnepf 1989, p. 61.
  15. ↑ "Film reviews." Variety , April 20, 1938, p. 15.

Bibliography

  • Dolan, Edward F. Jr. Hollywood Goes to War. London: Bison Books, 1985. ISBN   0-86124-229-7.
  • Hanson, Patricia King, ed. The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1931-1940. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1993. ISBN   0-520-07908-6.
  • Hardwick, Jack and Ed Schnepf. "A Buff's Guide to Aviation Movies". Air Progress Aviation, Vol. 7, No. 1, Spring 1983.
  • Orriss, Bruce. When Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Aviation Film Classics of World War II. Hawthorne, California: Aero Associates Inc., 1984. ISBN   0-9613088-0-X.
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.