Yukon Flight

Last updated

Yukon Flight
Yukon Flight 1940.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Ralph Staub
Written byEdward Halperin (screenplay)
Based onRenfrew Rides the Sky (novel)
by Laurie York Erskine
Produced by Phil Goldstone
Starring James Newill
Louise Stanley
William Pawley
Cinematography Mack Stengler
Edited by Martin G. Cohn
Music byBetty Laidlaw
Robert Lively
Lew Porter
Johnny Lange
Production
company
Criterion Pictures Corp.
Distributed by Monogram Pictures
Release date
  • January 2, 1940 (1940-01-02) [1]
Running time
57 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Yukon Flight (also known as Renfrew of the Royal Mounted in Yukon Flight) is a 1940 American Western film directed by Ralph Staub and starring James Newill, Louise Stanley, Dave O'Brien and William Pawley. [2] Released by Monogram Pictures, the film uses a musical/action formula, similar to the format of the "singing cowboy" films of the era. [3]

Contents

Plot

When an aircraft from the Yukon and Columbia Mail Service crashes, Sergeant Renfrew (James Newill) and Constable Kelly (Dave O'Brien), of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, suspect murder because they find the control stick jammed. Louise Howard (Louise Stanley), a mine owner reports that her superintendent is missing. When he is found murdered, it also is made to look like an accident.

The new mail service pilot, Bill Shipley (Warren Hull), had trained with Renfrew, is a good pilot but reckless. The Mounties find Louise's assistant Raymond (Karl Hackett) owns the airline managed by "Yuke Cardoe" (William Pawley) and both men had been stealing gold from the mine. They have been shipping it to Seattle by aircraft. When Renfrew sets a trap, Yuke and Raymond panic and try to escape in their aircraft, but Renfrew and Shipley bring them down, after which, Renfrew makes a recommendation for Shipley to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a new pilot.

Cast

Production

All of the Renfrew pictures were made miles from the sheltered enclosure of Hollywood sound stages. Cameras were set up where there was tall timber and deep blue mountain lakes and no stage-door guards. Shooting pictures under such conditions very often led to unusual situations. According to a press release (to be taken with a grain of salt), “In the making of the latest Renfrew picture, Yukon Flight, the Monogram troupe had to stop working on the picture for several days to help forest rangers put out a forest fire. Then a few days later, James Newill saved a little girl from drowning.”

Yukon Flight was the first of three Renfrew movies to be directed by Ralph Staub, whose credits included producing a lengthy on-going series of film shorts known as Screen Snapshots (1930–1958) and a number of Gene Autry westerns at Republic. Three of Staub’s Screen Snapshots were nominated for an Academy Award, and he remains the only director in the Renfrew film franchise to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. [4]

Sergeant Renfrew of the Royal Mounted flew a Waco biplane in a fight with the criminals, filmed in the air. Screen shot Yukon Flight.png
Sergeant Renfrew of the Royal Mounted flew a Waco biplane in a fight with the criminals, filmed in the air.

Sergeant Renfrew of the Royal Mounted was a character created by Laurie York Erskine in 1922 and continued in books, stories and on radio for many years. Yukon Flight was one of three films based on the Laurie York Erskine novel Renfrew Rides North. The others were Renfrew on the Great White Trail (1938) and Murder on the Yukon (1940). Some scenes were shot at Big Bear Lake, California, standing in for the Yukon. [5] Renfrew's character flies a Waco RNF (N617Y) while other aircraft include a Waco RNF (NC860V) and a Travel Air 4000 (c/n 868, NC9087). A Curtiss Fledgling is used as a camera aircraft. [6]

Soundtrack

"Mounted Men" and "The Old Grey Goose" (written by Betty Laidlaw and Robert Lively) was sung by James Newill.

Reception

Yukon Flight was not reviewed in trade sources. It was followed by Sky Bandits , another in the series of Renfrew of the Royal Mounted films. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canadian Mounted Police</span> Canadian federal police service

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is the national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also delivers police services under contract to 11 provinces and territories, over 150 municipalities, and 600 Indigenous communities. The RCMP is commonly known as the Mounties in English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirby Grant</span> American actor (1911–1985)

Kirby Grant, born Kirby Grant Hoon Jr., was a long-time B movie and television actor, mostly remembered for having played the title role in the Western-themed adventure television series Sky King. Between 1949 and 1954, Grant starred in 10 Mounted-Police adventures, usually in the role of Corporal Rod Webb.

Ralph Staub was a movie director, writer, and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern (genre)</span> Multimedia genre set primarily in Northern Canada and Alaska

The Northern or Northwestern is a genre in various arts that tell stories set primarily in the late 19th or early 20th century in the north of North America, primarily in western Canada but also in Alaska. It is similar to the Western genre, but many elements are different, as appropriate to its setting. It is common for the central character to be a Mountie instead of a cowboy or sheriff. Other common characters include fur trappers and traders, lumberjacks, prospectors, First Nations people, settlers, and townsfolk.

Laurie York Erskine was a popular boys adventure author, educator, and co-founder of the Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, United States.

Renfrew of the Royal Mounted was a popular series of boy's adventure books written by Laurie York Erskine that were later filmed and became a series on both radio and television.

<i>Renfrew of the Royal Mounted</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by Albert Herman

Renfrew of the Royal Mounted is a 1937 American film produced and directed by Albert Herman and starring James Newill, Carol Hughes, and William Royle. Released by Grand National Pictures, it is the first of eight films based on Renfrew of the Royal Mounted, a popular series of boy's adventure books written by Laurie York Erskine. The film was shot on location at Big Bear Lake, California.

<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.

<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>On the Great White Trail</i> 1938 film

On the Great White Trail also known as Renfrew on the Great White Trail is a 1938 American Northern starring James Newill as Sgt. Renfrew of the Royal Mounted in the second of the film series. It was produced and directed by Albert Herman.

<i>Sky Bandits</i> (1940 film) 1940 film

Sky Bandits, also known as Renfrew of the Royal Mounted in Sky Bandits, is a 1940 American action film directed by Ralph Staub and released by Monogram Pictures, starring James Newill, Louise Stanley, Dewey Robinson and William Pawley. The film is a remake of the film Ghost Patrol (1936) with a musical/action formula, similar to the format of the "singing cowboy" films of the era.

<i>Trail of the Yukon</i> 1949 film by William Beaudine

Trail of the Yukon is a 1949 American Northern film directed by William Beaudine and starring Kirby Grant, Suzanne Dalbert and Bill Edwards. It was based on a novel by James Oliver Curwood about a North-West Mounted Police officer and his faithful German Shepherd dog Chinook. It is part of the Northern genre. The film was popular, and inspired Monogram to make a series of nine further films starring Grant and Chinook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Newill</span> American actor

James Morris Newill, sometimes credited as Jim Newill, was an American actor and singer.

<i>Murder in the Air</i> (film) 1940 American film

Murder in the Air is a 1940 American drama film with science fiction elements directed by Lewis Seiler and written by Raymond L. Schrock. The film stars Ronald Reagan, John Litel, Lya Lys, James Stephenson, Eddie Foy, Jr., Robert Warwick and Victor Zimmerman. Murder in the Air was released by Warner Bros. on June 1, 1940.

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

Mercy Plane is a 1939 American aviation crime drama film directed by Richard Harlan and starring James Dunn, Frances Gifford, William Pawley, and Matty Fain. The plot involves military aircraft being stolen by "hot plane" thieves, to be re-sold to new owners, with most of the world at war, presumably to war-torn countries. With location filming done at Alhambra Airport, California, the film features numerous aircraft models, including the Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior as the "Mercy Plane". Lead actor Dunn, a licensed pilot, did his flying in the film.

<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.

<i>Murder on the Yukon</i> 1940 film by Louis J. Gasnier

Murder on the Yukon is a 1940 American adventure film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and written by Milton Raison. It is based on the 1931 novel Renfrew Rides North by Laurie York Erskine. The film stars James Newill, Polly Ann Young, Dave O'Brien, Al St. John, William Royle and Chief Thundercloud. The film was released on February 25, 1940, by Monogram Pictures.

<i>Danger Ahead</i> (1940 film) 1940 film by Ralph Staub

Danger Ahead is a 1940 American adventure film directed by Ralph Staub and written by Edward Halperin. It is based on the 1933 novel Renfrew's Long Trail by Laurie York Erskine. The film stars James Newill, Dorothea Kent, Guy Usher, Maude Allen, John Dilson and Al Shaw. The film was released on January 22, 1940, by Monogram Pictures.

<i>Fighting Mad</i> (1939 film) 1939 American film

Fighting Mad is a 1939 American adventure film directed by Sam Newfield and written by George Rosener and John Rathmell. It is based on the 1927 novel Renfrew Rides Again by Laurie York Erskine. The third of the Renfrew of the Royal Mounted film series stars James Newill, Sally Blane, Benny Rubin, Dave O'Brien, Milburn Stone and Walter Long. The film was released on November 5, 1939, by Monogram Pictures when Grand National Pictures ceased operation.

<i>Crashing Thru</i> (1939 film) 1939 film

Crashing Thru is a 1939 American northern action film directed by Elmer Clifton and starring James Newill, Jean Carmen and Warren Hull. It is based on the 1935 novel Renfrew Rides the Range, the seventh in the popular Renfrew of the Royal Mounted series by Laurie York Erskine.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ The aircraft in the film carry a NC-number, not Canadian registration.

Citations

  1. ↑ "Yukon Flight". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  2. ↑ Pendo 1985, p. 19.
  3. ↑ ""Yukon Flight." IMDb . Retrieved: November 2, 2014.
  4. ↑ Grams, Martin. Renfrew of the Mounted: A History of Laurie York Erskine's Canadian Mountie Franchise, OTR Publishing, 2020. ISBN 979-8699041442.
  5. 1 2 "Notes: Yukon Flight (1940)." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: November 2, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Yukon Flight." aeromovies.fr. Retrieved: November 2, 2014.

Bibliography

  • Pendo, Stephen. Aviation in the Cinema. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. ISBN   0-8-1081-746-2.
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.