The Aviator | |
---|---|
Directed by | Roy Del Ruth |
Written by | Arthur Caesar Robert Lord De Leon Anthony (titles) |
Based on | The Aviator (play) by James Montgomery |
Produced by | Irving Asher |
Starring | Edward Everett Horton Patsy Ruth Miller |
Cinematography | Chick McGill (aka Barney McGill) |
Edited by | William Holmes |
Music by | Rex Dunn (uncredited) |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 75 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Aviator is a 1929 American Pre-Code Vitaphone comedy film produced and released by Warner Bros. Directed by Roy Del Ruth, the film was based on the play of the same name by James Montgomery and stars Edward Everett Horton and Patsy Ruth Miller. The Aviator is similar to the silent comedy The Hottentot (1922), where a hapless individual has to pretend to be a famous steeplehorse jockey. The Aviator today is considered a lost film. [1]
Brooks (William Norton Bailey), a publisher and his publicist (Lee Moran) decide to boost the sales of a wartime book of flying experiences. They credit the book to popular author Robert Street (Edward Everett Horton), who is completely ignorant about aviation. Robert gets into all sorts of trouble in attempting to carry on the ruse, saving his friend's business but also attracting the attention of aviation-mad Grace Douglas (Patsy Ruth Miller). At first, he is able to carry out simple publicity events, but when he accidentally starts up an aircraft, his incredible aerobatics end with a landing in a haystack. When a race is staged between him and French ace Major Jules Gaillard (Armand Kaliz), it ends with Robert confessing he is no pilot, but still winning Grace's heart.
The Aviator appeared at a time when aviation films were extremely popular, with only western films being made in larger numbers. It was typical to even have aircraft show up in a western. Blending comedy in The Aviator with aerial thrills seemed to be an ideal way to satisfy the public's appetite for aviation subjects. [2]
The Aviator was well received as both a comedy and an aviation film. Hal Erickson wrote, "The ensuing wild ride through the air is the best part of the picture, with Robert trying to maintain his equilibrium and dignity throughout." [3]
The film was remade in 1930 as Going Wild , starring Joe E. Brown. A foreign-language version in French was made in 1931 and was entitled L'aviateur. In 1938, eight years after Going Wild, Warner Bros. remade this movie again as a musical titled Going Places , starring Dick Powell (impersonating a famous horseman), with Ronald Reagan appearing in an early role.
No film elements of The Aviator are known to survive. The soundtrack, which was recorded on Vitaphone disks, may survive in private hands. [4]
On February 13, 1956, Jack Warner sold the rights to all of his pre-1950 films to Associated Artists Productions. [5] It does not appear to have been shown on television or reissued.
Sonny Boy is a 1929 film released by Warner Bros., directed by Archie Mayo, and starring Davey Lee, Edward Everett Horton, and Betty Bronson. Some of the movie was shot silent, and some was filmed in the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system.
Patsy Ruth Miller was an American film actress who played Esméralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) opposite Lon Chaney.
Gold Diggers of Broadway is a 1929 American pre-Code musical comedy film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Winnie Lightner and Nick Lucas. Distributed by Warner Bros., the film is the second all-talking, all-Technicolor feature-length film.
The Show of Shows is a 1929 American pre-Code musical revue film directed by John G. Adolfi and distributed by Warner Bros. The all-talking Vitaphone production cost $850,000 and was shot almost entirely in Technicolor.
Going Wild is a 1930 Warner Brothers pre-Code comedy film based on the 1910 play The Aviator by James Montgomery and directed by William A. Seiter. The film stars many musical stars along with Joe E. Brown, Frank McHugh and Johnny Arthur.
The First Auto is a 1927 film about the transition from horses to cars and the rift it causes in one family. It stars Charles Emmett Mack and Patsy Ruth Miller, with Barney Oldfield having a guest role in the movie. While mainly a silent film, it does have a Vitaphone sound-on-disc soundtrack with a synchronized musical score and sound effects, as well as some spoken words, cheering, and laughter. As of January 1st, 2023, the film is now in the public domain.
Lilac Time is a 1928 American silent romantic war film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Colleen Moore and Gary Cooper. 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.
The Terror is a 1928 American pre-Code horror film written by Harvey Gates and directed by Roy Del Ruth, based on the 1927 play of the same name by Edgar Wallace. It was the second "all-talking" motion picture released by Warner Bros., following Lights of New York. It was also the first all-talking horror film, made using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system.
Across the Atlantic is a 1928 lost American silent romantic drama produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Influenced by the "Lindy craze", generated by Charles Lindbergh's famous ocean crossing flight, Across the Atlantic was rushed into production.
Private Izzy Murphy is a 1926 American silent comedy-drama film with Vitaphone sound effects, starring George Jessel, and Patsy Ruth Miller. The film was released by Warner Bros. It is unknown if a copy survives meaning it could be a lost film. The film was followed up by Sailor Izzy Murphy.
Wide Open is a 1930 American pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by Archie Mayo, starring Edward Everett Horton and Patsy Ruth Miller, and featuring Louise Fazenda, T. Roy Barnes and Edna Murphy. Released by Warner Bros., it is based on the 1924 novel The Narrow Street by Edward Bateman Morris.
So Long Letty is a 1929 American pre-Code musical comedy directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Charlotte Greenwood, reprising her role from the 1916 Broadway stage play. The story had previously been filmed as a silent under the same title in 1920 with Colleen Moore.
The Hottentot is a lost 1929 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Edward Everett Horton and Patsy Ruth Miller. It is based on the 1920 Broadway play The Hottentot by William Collier, Sr. and Victor Mapes.
Broken Hearts of Hollywood is a 1926 American silent comedy drama film released by Warner Bros. and directed by Lloyd Bacon. It is unknown, but the film might have been released with a Vitaphone soundtrack. A print of the film exists.
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.
Domestic Troubles is a lost 1928 American comedy film directed by Ray Enright and starring Clyde Cook, Louise Fazenda and Betty Blythe. It was produced and released by Warner Brothers with a Vitaphone musical track.
The Little Wildcat is a 1928 American comedy drama film directed by Ray Enright and starring Audrey Ferris, James Murray and Robert Edeson.
Wolf's Clothing is a 1927 American comedy film directed by Roy Del Ruth and written by Darryl F. Zanuck. The film stars Monte Blue, Patsy Ruth Miller, John Miljan, Douglas Gerrard, Lew Harvey and Ethan Laidlaw. The film was released by Warner Bros. on January 15, 1927.
Twin Beds is a 1929 American comedy film directed by Alfred Santell and written by F. McGrew Willis. It is based on the 1914 play Twin Beds by Edward Salisbury Field and Margaret Mayo. The film stars Jack Mulhall, Patsy Ruth Miller, Edythe Chapman, Knute Erickson, Jocelyn Lee and Nita Martan. The film was released by Warner Bros. on July 14, 1929.
The Sap is a 1929 American comedy film directed by Archie Mayo and written by De Leon Anthony and Robert Lord. It is based on the 1924 play The Sap by William A. Grew. The film stars Edward Everett Horton, Alan Hale Sr., Patsy Ruth Miller, Russell Simpson, Jerry Mandy and Edna Murphy. The film was released by Warner Bros. on November 9, 1929. It was the last "part-talkie" produced by the studio.
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