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Aviation Films - C
Call To Glory (Paramount Television 1984, 96m). A short-lived tv series, snubbed by networks but highly-rated by its viewers, made into a full-length movie. D: Thomas Carter. David Lain Baker = Bonelli, David Hollander = Wesley, Craig T Nelson = Col Raynor Sarnac, Cindy Pickett = Vanessa Sarnac, Elisabeth Shue = Jackie Sarnac, Keenan Wynn.
Canal Zone (Columbia 1942, 79m) D: Lew Landers. Lloyd Bridges = Baldwin, Harriet Hilliard = Susan Merrill, Chester Morris = "Hardtack" Hamilton, Forrest Tucker = Madigan. Screenplay: Robert Lee Johnson.
Captain Eddie (Fox 1945, 107m) D: Lloyd Bacon. Lynn Bari = Adelaide, Charles Bickford = William Rickenbacker, James Gleason = Tom Clark, Fred MacMurray = Edward V Rickenbacker, Thomas Mitchell = Ike Howard, Lloyd Nolan = Lt Whittaker. Screenplay: John T Battle. Bio of WW1 fighter ace Rickenbacker. AA nominations for Best Special Effects, Best Photography, Best Sound, 1946. Maltin review: "Routine aviation film doesn't do justice to the exciting life of Eddie Rickenbacker; it's standard stuff."
Captain Midnight (Screen Gems Television series 1954-58; 39 episodes, 30m each) D: D Ross Lederman. Sid Melton = Ichabod Mudd, Olan Soulé = Tut Jones, Richard Webb = Capt Midnight. Our daring, jut-jawed war hero leads a mysterious government group known as the Secret Squadron. He and his comic sidekick, "Icky," and the squadron travel around the globe stomping out evil. When the show went into syndication, Midnight's name became Jet Jackson, and the show's title was changed to Jet Jackson, Flying Commando.
Captains of the Clouds (Warner Bros 1942, 113m) D: Michael Curtiz. James Cagney = Brian MacLean, Reginald Gardiner = Scrounger Harris, Alan Hale = Tiny Murphy, Brenda Marshall = Emily Forster, Dennis Morgan = Johnny Dutton, George Tobias = Blimp Lebec. Screenplay: Arthur Horman et al. Aerials by Frank Clarke, Garland Lincoln, Howard Batt, et al. Filmed at North Bay, Ontario, and Canadian RCAF bases.
AIRCRAFT: Fleet 16D Finch, Lockheed Hudson, Norduyn Norseman, North American Harvard, Northrop Nomad (A-17), Waco Cabin.
Captain Swagger (Pathé 1928, silent) D: Edward H Griffith. Sue Carol = Sue, Rod LaRocque = Hugh Drummond. WW1 ace becomes a cat burglar. Flying in first part only, mostly outtakes from other films.
Carpetbaggers, The (Paramount 1964, 150m) D: Edward Dmytryk. Lew Ayres = McAllister, Robert Cummings = Dan Pierce, Martha Hyer = Jennie Denton, Alan Ladd (his last film) = Nevada Smith, George Peppard = Jonas Cord. Screenplay: John M Hayes from a story by Harold Robbins. Loosely based on life of Howard Hughes. Aerials by Frank Tallman.
AIRCRAFT: Fairchild KR-21.
Casablanca (1942). Notable here for opening and end sequences filmed at Van Nuys Airport and Glendale Air Terminal.
Castle in the Sky, The (Japan "Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta"; animation 1986, 124m) D: and W: Hayao Miyazaki. Not a flying movie as such, but a delightful futuristic fantasy with 1930s flavor, created by by Miyazaki, whose incredible talent for lavish backgrounds makes this film a visual treat. Growing up in a family that manufactured aircraft parts during the war explains the artist's fascination with and love of flight, as well as his wildly creative flying machines. Flight scenes among the clouds are incredible. Also seen titled "Laputa: Castle in the Sky." US release in 1993 by Buena Vista (Disney) with English dubs by Mark Hamill, Cloris Leachman, and other familiar names.
Catch 22 (Paramount 1970, 121m) D: Mike Nichols. Alan Arkin = Capt Yossarian, Martin Balsam = Col Cathcart, Richard Benjamin = Maj Danby, Art Garfunkle = Capt Nately, Bob Newhart = Maj Major, Paula Prentiss = Nurse Duckett, Orson Welles = Gen Dreedle. Screenplay: Buck Henry from a story by Joseph Heller. Maltin review: "Long, labored, expensive film of Joseph Heller's book halfway succeeds in capturing surrealist insanity of WW2 Army life. Heavy-handedness spoils potential; good cast tries its best." Aerials by Frank Tallman, Frank Pine, Jim Appleby, et al. Filmed in Guaymas, Mexico.
AIRCRAFT: B-25, L-5E.
Ceiling Zero (Warner Bros 1935, 95m) D: Howard Hawks. James Cagney = Dizzy Davis, Stuart Erwin = Texas Clark, Barton MacLane = Al Stone, Pat O'Brien = Jake Lee, June Travis = Tommy Thompson. Screenplay: Frank Wead. Maltin review: "Irresponsible mail flier Cagney causes no end of grief for old pal (and boss) O'Brien, especially when he sets his sights on young pilot Travis. Typically machinegun-paced Hawks drama belies its stage origins; one of the best Cagney-O'Brien vehicles." Aerials by Paul Mantz (camera plane), Frank Tomick. Filmed at Burbank CA.
AIRCRAFT: Northrop Gamma.
Central Airport (Warner Bros 1933, 71m) D: William Wellman. Richard Barthelmess = Jim Blaine, Tom Brown = Neil Blaine, Sally Eilers = Jill Collins, Glenda Farrell, Grant Mitchell, John Wayne in a bit part as a pilot in a crash. Screenplay: Rian Williams, James Seymour from a story by Jack Moffitt, "The Hawk's Mate." Aerials by Howard Batt, Paul Mantz, Frank Tomick. Filmed by Elmer Dyer at United Airport, Burbank CA, and Grand Central Air Terminal, Glendale CA. Some model work at the end.
AIRCRAFT: Alexander Eaglerock, Ford Tri-Motor, Pitcairn PA-5 (with odd wheeled floats), Stearman C-3B.
Chabot Solo (Great Britain tv feature; PBS/BBC 19??, 60m) Biography of a British early bird. Delightful personality, good blend of period aerial footage.
Chain Lightning (Warner Bros 1950, 94m) D: Stuart Heisler. Humphrey Bogart = Matt Brennan, Raymond Massey = Leland Willis, Eleanor Parker = Jo Halloway, Richard Whorf = Carl Troxell. Screenplay: Lester Cole, Liam O'Brien. Mock-ups and news footage. Incredible, logic-tugging ending of what must be the world's longest glide path! Maltin review: "After WW2, bomber pilot Bogart becomes a test pilot for jet manufacturer Massey. Some romantic rivalry over Parker with inventor Whorf is as low-key as the rest of this bland, uninvolving movie."
AIRCRAFT: Heavily-modified surplus P-39N as the "jet."
Charter Pilot (Fox 1940, 70m) D: Eugene Forde. Lynn Bari = Marge Duncan, George Montgomery = Charlie Crane, Lloyd Nolan = King Morgan. Central America freight-service pilot Nolan marries radio broadcaster Bari and promises to take a desk job, but the urge for adventure is too strong.
China Clipper (Warner Bros-First National 1936, 88m) D: Ray Enright. Ross Alexander = Tom Collins, Humphrey Bogart = Hap Stuart, Pat O'Brien = Dave Logan, Beverly Roberts = Skippy Logan, Marie Wilson = Sunny Avery. Screenplay: Frank Wead. Aerials director: Paul Mantz, also very likely camera ship. Maltin review: "O'Brien stars as man determined to develop transpacific flights. Usual plot of initial failure, grim determination, and neglected wife; fairly well done."
AIRCRAFT: Douglas Dolphin, Ford Tri-Motor, Martin M-130.
China Doll (United Artists 1958, 85m) D: Frank Borzage. Ward Bond = Father Cairns, Danny Chang = Ellington, Johnny Desmond = Steve Hill, Li Li Hua = Shu-Jen, Bob Mathias = Phil Gates, Victor Mature = Cliff Brandon, Denver Pyle = Colonel Wiley, Stuart Whitman = Dan O'Neill. Screenplay: Kitty Buhler. Wandering and implausible story line about an alcoholic CO of an air-drop supply squadron who accidentally "buys" a Chinese wife. Some good C-47 air scenes, but spotters will have a field day trying to ID all the different types in the battle scene, a mish-mash of clips from various movies where about the only planes missing are SPADs and Fokkers!
AIRCRAFT: C-47, P-40.
Trivia: CBI and 14th AF shoulder patches change arms at will. Shiny C-47 in opening scene gets a paint job before landing.
China Flight (Ambassador 1936). No data.
Christopher Strong (RKO 1933, 77m) D: Dorothy Arzner. Billie Burke = Lady Strong, Helen Chandler = Monica Strong, Colin Clive = Sir Christopher Strong, Ralph Forbes = Harry Rawlinson, Katharine Hepburn = Lady Cynthia Darrington. Hepburn's second film was billed as "a romantic comedy," but is essentially a stagey soap opera about an enthusiastic, carefree English aviatrix (inspired by Amelia Earhart?) Minimal flying action, but some rare ground footage of the Dole Race start at Oakland (shows the Buhl's take-off).
AIRCRAFT: Lockheed Vega.
Ciel est à Vous, Le (France "The Sky is Yours"; UFA 1943, 105m ) D: Jean Grémillon. Jean Debucourt = Larcher, Madeleine Renaud = Thérèse Gauthier, Charles Vanel = Pierre Gauthier, Raymonde Vernay = Mme Brissard. Screenplay: Albert Valentin. Also as The Woman Who Dared. A garageman and his wife become aviation buffs, sacrifice family life, and spend all their money to build a record plane. Film is inspired by French aviatrix Andrée Dupeyron, who in 1938 broke the female non-stop distance record between Algeria and Iraq. (— Christian Santoir 5/18/04)
AIRCRAFT: Caudron C.600 and C.272/4, Morane-Saulnier 500, Nord 1000.
Clash Of Eagles (PBS tv documentary series 2005, 60m episodes (300m on DVD)) The aerial war over Europe in WW2 as the key to victory. Combat veteran interviews, from Battle of Britain pilots to Luftwaffe fighters defending the Reich.
Clear Skines SEE Tjistoje Nebo.
Clipped Wings (Kier Films 1937, 63m) D: Stuart Paton. Lloyd Hughes = Capt Jerry Lofton, Rosalind Keith = Molly, William Janney = Mickey Lofton, Jason Robards (Sr) = Raoul. Mickey, young brother of famed war ace Jerry, fails in his attempt to enlist in the Canadian Air Corps because of his fear of thunderstorms. Then he discovers that his brother is a government undercover agent pursuing a ring of thieves and goes to help him. Some footage shot at Randolph AAB, San Antonio. Aerial camera: Elmer Dyer.
Trivia: In the 1930 "Dawn Patrol," Janney (1908-1992) played the role of Lt Scott's (Douglas Fairbanks') ill-fated younger brother, Donnie. A skilled actor damned by his youthful looks as stereotypical, his movies career ended in 1939 after 39 films.
Clipped Wings (1938) SEE Squadron of Honor.
Clipped Wings (Allied Artists 1953, 65m) D: Edward Bernds. The Bowery Boys. Very minor aviation theme.
Cloudburst, The (1938) SEE Wings of Fire.
Cloud Dancer (1980, 108m) D: Barry Brown. Timothy Bottoms = Tom Loomis, David Carradine = Brad Randolph, Woody Chambers = Curtis Pitts, Jennifer O'Neill, Albert Salmi = Ozzie Randolph. Screenplay: William Goodhart. Aerials by Leo Loudenslager, Charlie Hilliard. Filmed in 1978. Maltin review: "Uneven tale of aerobatic-obsessed Carradine and his relationship with O'Neill. Nice, if too many, flying sequences; hokey melodramatics."
AIRCRAFT: Pitts, P-51.
Cloud Dodger, The (Universal 1928 Silent) D: Bruce Mitchell. Gloria Gray, Gilbert Holmes = Joe Merriman, Al Wilson = Bruce Torrence.
Cloud Rider, The (FBO 1925 Silent) D: Bruce Mitchell. Virginia Lee Corbin = Blythe Wingate, Frank Rice = Henry Higgins, Al Wilson = Bruce Torrence. Screenplay: L V Jefferson from an outline by Al Wilson. Flying Secret Service agents. Aerials by Al Wilson, plus Frank Tomick, Frank Clarke, Boyd Monteith, all of who had bit parts.
Clouds Over Europe (Great Britain; London Films 1939, 78m or 82m) D: Tim Whelan. George Curzon = Jenkins, Valerie Hobson = Kay Hammond, Laurence Olivier = Tony McVane, Ralph Richardson = Maj Charles Hammond. Screenplay: Jack Whittington, Brock Williams. Tongue-in-cheek mystery picture; minor flying. British title: Q-Planes.
AIRCRAFT: DH.82A Tiger Moth, DH.89A Dragon Rapide.
Coast Guard (Columbia 1939, 72m) D: Edward Ludwig. Ralph Bellamy = Lt Raymond Dower, Walter Connolly = Tobias Bliss, Frances Dee = Nancy Bliss, Warren Hymer = O'Hara, Randolph Scott = Speed Bradshaw. Screenplay: Albert Duffy, Richard Maibaum. Polar rescue; similar to Capra's "Dirigible." Maltin review: "Scott and Bellamy are hard-loving, hard-fighting guardsmen in love with Dee. When one of them is stranded in the snow after a plane crash, the other must decide whether to help or not. Routine but action-filled hokum."
Coastal Command (Great Britain; documentary, Crown Film Unit 1942) D: J B Holmes. RAF versus German U-boats.
AIRCRAFT: Consolidated PBY, Short Sunderland.
Cock Of the Air (United Artists 1932) D: Tom Buckingham. Walter Catlett = Col Wallace, Billie Dove = Lilli, Chester Morris = Lt Roger Craig. Screenplay: Charles Lederer, Robert E Sherwood. Minor flying footage from "Hell's Angels." Produced by Howard Hughes.
Code of the Air (Germany; Bischoff 1929, silent). No data.
Command Decision (MGM 1948, 112m) D: Sam Wood. Charles Bickford = Elmer Brockhurst, Brian Donlevy = BrigGen Clifton Garner, Clark Gable = BrigGen K C "Casey" Dennis, Van Johnson = TSgt Immanuel Evans, Walter Pidgeon = MajGen Roland Kane. Screenplay: George Froeschel, William Laidlaw. Maltin review: "Taut, engrossing adaptation of the William Wister Haines stage hit, with Gable a flight commander who knows that in order to win the war he must send his men on suicide missions over Germany. Intriguing look at behind-the-scenes politics of the US war effort." Aerials by Paul Mantz. Filmed at Van Nuys CA, plus USAAF footage.
AIRCRAFT: B-17E/F.
Con Air (Buena Vista/Touchstone 1997, 115m) D: Simon West. Steve Buscemi = Garland Greene, Nicholas Cage = Cameron Poe, John Cusack = Vince Larkin, John Malkovich = Cyrus Grissom. Screenplay: Scott M Rosenberg. A newly released ex-con and former US Ranger finds himself trapped in a prisoner transport plane when the other prisoners seize control. Essentially another special effects film with an elemental storyline to justify myriad mega-explosions and stunts. AA Oscar for Best Music, Best Sound 1997.
Trivia: (1) Helicopters do not fly faster than about 200mph, making it impossible for Halloy to catch up to the plane. (2) In Las Vegas scene, locations of casinos on The Strip strip are inaccurate, and some of the hotels shown are not there; also, there is no tunnel near Fremont Street. (2) Fresno has no hills like the ones seen in the background after Pinball lands on the car. (3) Removing its transponder will not make an airplane invisible to radar.
Cone Of Silence SEE Trouble In the Sky.
Conquest (WB 1928, silent). Monte Blue. Of interest only for a rare Zenith Albatross tri-motor [X3622] used as a prop in a crash scene.
Conquest of the Air (Great Britain; docudrama, Lion 1938 or 1940) D: Alexander Korda. Frederick Culley = Roger Bacon, Charles Hickman = Orville Wright, Charles Lefeaux = Louis Blériot, Percy Marmont = Wilbur Wright, Bryan Powley = Sir George Cayley, John Turnbull = Von Zeppelin, Dick Vernon = Otto Lilienthal, Henry Victor = Otto Lilienthal, Ben Webster = Leonardo da Vinci. Screenplay: John Monk Saunders. Filmed in 1935. Efective history of man's attempts to fly from ancient times through the first balloons, the Wright brothers and other pioneers, using dramatic re-enactment and working models of early flying machines. Beginning with World War I, archival footage is used.
Corporal Kate (Paramount 1926, silent) D: Paul Sloane. Julia Faye = Becky, Vera Reynolds = Kate, Kenneth Thompson = Jackson. Comedy produced by Cecil B DeMille. Aerials by Frank Clarke, Leo Nomis.
AIRCRAFT: Standard J-1 as a German bomber; Thomas-Morse.
Corsair of the Air No data.
Court Martial of Billy Mitchell, The (Warner Bros 1955, 100m) D: Otto Preminger. Ralph Bellamy = Frank Reid, Charles Bickford = Gen Guthrie, Robert Brubaker = Maj H H "Hap" Arnold, Gary Cooper = Gen BIlly Mitchell, Jack Lord = Cdr Zack Lansdowne, Dayton Lummis = Gen Douglas MacArthur, Tom McKee = Capt Eddie Rickenbacker, Elizabeth Montgomery = Margaret Lansdowne, Steve Roberts = Maj Carl Spaatz, Rod Steiger = Maj Allan Guillon. Screenplay: Emmet Lavery, Milton Sperling. The true story of the pioneering crusader for the Army's fledgling air force. In spite of an impressive performance during the First World War, the commanders of America's armed forces still think of the airplane as little more then a novelty. Even after sinking an "unsinkable" captured German battleship from the air, Mitchell sees funds dry up and friends die due to poor equipment. He is court-martialed after questioning the loyalty of his superiors for allowing the Air Corps to deteriorate. Original title: "One-Man Mutiny." Maltin review: "Low-key drama about trial of military pioneer who in 1925 predicted Japanese attack on US. Steiger adds spark to slowly-paced film as wily attorney. Montgomery made her movie debut here." Filmed at Lancaster and Rosemead CA.
AIRCRAFT: Curtiss JN-4, De Havilland DH.4, other incidentals and models.
Cowboy Ace, The (Westart 1921, silent) D: Leonard Franchon. Red Bush = himself, Ethel Dwyer = Ethel Filson, Al Hart = Pete Filson, Jack Moyer (or Mower) = Bill Gaston. Screenplay: W M Smith.
Crazy To Fly (c.1920, silent) Bobby Vernon comedy.
AIRCRAFT: Curtiss JN-4.
Criminals of the Air (Columbia 1937, 61m) D: Charles C Coleman. John Hamilton = Capt Wallace, Rita Hayworth = Rita, Russell Hicks = Kurt Feldon, Marc Lawrence = Blast Reardon, Charles Quigley = Mark Owens.
Crimson Romance (Mascot 1934, 72m) D: David Howard. James Bush = Fred von Bergen, Ben Lyon = Bob Wilson, Sari Maritza = Alida Hoffman, Jason Robards (Sr) = Pierre, Erich von Stroheim = Wolters. Minor flying footage from "Hell's Angels." Filmed at Wilson Airport, San Fernando Valley CA. Maltin review: "Provocative drama of impetuous American test pilot Lyon, whose German-born pal returns to the Fatherland during WW1 before America's involvement. He joins his friend in the German military, and finds himself at odds with a sadistic commandant (who else but von Stroheim?)"
Crowded Sky, The (Warner Bros 1960, 105m) D: Joseph Pevney. Dana Andrews = Dick Barnett, Troy Donahue, Rhonda Fleming = Cheryl Heath, Anne Francis, Efram Zimbalist Jr. Screenplay: Charles Schnee. Airliner disaster. Maltin review: "Slick film focusing on emotional problems aboard jet liner [ed: actually a DC-6/7] and Navy plane [T-33] bound for fateful collision. Superficial but diverting."
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