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The Phantom Of The Air
''The Phantom of the Air'' is a 12-episode 1933 Pre-Code Universal film serial directed by Ray Taylor. The film stars Tom Tyler, who was cast most often in Westerns. Other actors include Gloria Shea, LeRoy Mason, Craig Reynolds and William Desmond. Plot Scientist Thomas Edmunds ( William Desmond) and his daughter Mary (Gloria Shea) attend the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio to find a pilot. They select pilot Bob Raymond ( Tom Tyler) from the U.S. Border Patrol, to demonstrate an anti-gravity device called the "Contragrav". At the air meet, Mortimer Crome ( LeRoy Mason), a friend of Mary, is his main rival and has his henchman "Skip" (Walter Brennan) sabotage Raymond's aircraft prior to the air race. Raymond crashes but survives. Edmunds' invention is sought after by a gang of smugglers led by Crome who owns the International Import & Export Company, who wants the invention. The inventor has a secret airfield in a desert region. Raymond comes to the inventor's aid, us ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ray Taylor (director)
Raymond Edgar Taylor (1 December 1888 – 15 February 1952) was an American film director. He directed 159 films between 1926 and 1949. His debut was the 1926 film serial '' Fighting with Buffalo Bill''. Ray Taylor was one of the few Hollywood directors who specialized in a single type of film: he was an action specialist. Many action directors would be called upon at one time or another to direct a mainstream drama, romance, or mystery, but Ray Taylor established himself early in westerns and action fare, and he worked in this capacity throughout his career. Even a brief tenure directing the campus-capers "Collegians" shorts for Universal was appropriate for Taylor, as these two-reel subjects often emphasized visual action. In the 1920s he worked for Fox as an assistant, and soon moved to Universal, where he was given a chance to direct. His effective staging of action scenes earned him a permanent berth at Universal, where he was entrusted with the studio's popular western ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anti-gravity
Anti-gravity (also known as non-gravitational field) is the phenomenon of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to either the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to balancing the force of gravity with some other force, such as electromagnetism or aerodynamic lift. Anti-gravity is a recurring concept in science fiction. "Anti-gravity" is often used to refer to devices that look as if they reverse gravity even though they operate through other means, such as lifters, which fly in the air by moving air with electromagnetic fields. Historical attempts at understanding gravity The possibility of creating anti-gravity depends upon a complete understanding and description of gravity and its interactions with other physical theories, such as general relativity and quantum mechanics; however, no quantum theory of gravity has yet been found. During the summer of 1666, Isaac Newton observed an apple falling fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stearman C3
The Stearman C3 was an American-built civil biplane aircraft of the 1920s, designed by Stearman Aircraft of Wichita, Kansas. It was also the first Stearman aircraft to receive a type certificate. Development The C3 was a rugged biplane with simple straight wings, a tough undercarriage with oleo shock absorbers and two open cockpits with the pilot in the rear and two side-by-side passenger seats in the front. In fact, it was a slightly modified version of the earlier model C2 aircraft. Changes included an increased volume oil tank and larger sized baggage compartment. Introduced in 1928, the C3 was powered by a variety of engines of between 128 hp and 225 hp, each version having its own designation.Simpson, 2001, pp. 520–521. The last version of the C3 was the C3R which had several external differences including a cutout in the aft portion of the wing center section for improved pilot visibility, a headrest in the aft cockpit, and slightly increased chord of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curtiss JN-4
The Curtiss JN "Jenny" is a series of biplanes built by the Glenn Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for the US Army, the "Jenny" (the common nickname derived from "JN") continued after World War I as a civilian aircraft, becoming the "backbone of American postwar ivilaviation". Thousands of surplus Jennys were sold at bargain prices to private owners in the years after the war, and became central to the barnstorming era that helped awaken the US to civil aviation through much of the 1920s. Design and development Curtiss combined the best features of the model J and model N trainers, built for the US Army and US Navy, and began producing the JN or "Jenny" series of aircraft in 1915. Curtiss built only a limited number of the JN-1 and JN-2 biplanes. The design was commissioned by Glenn Curtiss from Englishman Benjamin Douglas Thom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Standard J
The Standard J is a two-seat basic trainer two-bay biplane produced in the United States from 1916 to 1918, powered by a four-cylinder inline Hall-Scott A-7a engine. It was constructed from wood with wire bracing and fabric covering. The J-1 was built as a stopgap to supplement the Curtiss JN-4 in production. Development Charles Healy Day had designed the preceding Sloan H series of aircraft, and continued the line under the Standard Aero Corporation (later Standard Aircraft Corporation). Four companies, Standard, Dayton-Wright, Fisher Body, and Wright-Martin, delivered 1,601 J-1s between June 1917 and June 1918. The Standard J-1 can be differentiated from the Curtiss JN series by its slightly swept-back wing planform, triangular king posts above the upper wings, and the front legs of the landing gear which were mounted behind the lower wing's leading edge, just about where the forward wing spar of the lower wing panel attaches to the fuselage. Operational history Altho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Travel Air 2000
The Travel Air 2000 is an open-cockpit biplane aircraft produced in the United States in the late 1920s by the Travel Air, Travel Air Manufacturing Company. During the period from 1924–1929, Travel Air produced more aircraft than any other American manufacturer, including over 1,000 biplanes. While an exact number is almost impossible to ascertain due to the number of conversions and rebuilds, some estimates for Travel Air as a whole range from 1,200 to nearly 2,000 aircraft.Wilkinson, 28 February 2014, pp.? Design and development The Travel Air Model A was engineered chiefly by Lloyd Stearman, with input from Travel Air co-founders Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna, and Bill Snook and could trace its ancestry back to the Swallow New Swallow biplane. The Travel Air, however, replaced the New Swallow's wooden fuselage structure with welded steel tubes. An interim design, the Winstead Special, was developed by the Winstead brothers from a metal fuselage frame developed at Swallow b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Ferguson
Al Ferguson (19 April 1888 – 4 December 1971) was an Irish-born American film actor. Born in County Wexford, Ireland, he appeared in nearly 300 films between 1912 and 1956. Billed as Smoke Ferguson, by 1912 he was making Westerns for Selig Polyscope Company. In the 1920s he was the star, producer, and director for several low-budget Western films. He also appeared in some television Westerns in the 1950s. Ferguson died in Burbank, California. He is interred at Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery. Selected filmography * '' Youth's Endearing Charm'' (1916) – Joe Jenkins * '' Where the West Begins'' (1919) * '' The Timber Queen'' (1922) * '' Boomerang Justice'' (1922) * ''The Trail of Vengeance'' (1924) * '' Officer 444'' (1926) * '' The Baited Trap'' (1926) * '' Tentacles of the North'' (1926) * '' A Captain's Courage'' (1926) * '' West of the Law'' (1926) * '' Wolves of the Desert'' (1926) * '' The Wolf Hunters'' (1926) * '' The Fighting Stallion'' (1927) * '' W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ethan Laidlaw
Ethan Allen Laidlaw (November 25, 1899 – May 25, 1963) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 350 films and made more than 500 appearances on television, mainly uncredited in Westerns, from 1923 to 1962. Laidlaw was born in Butte, Montana, and died in Los Angeles, California. He was the son of Charles Porter Laidlaw and Nellie Laidlaw (née Otis). Laidlaw was a graduate of the University of Michigan, and he worked as an engineer, then ventured into acting when he lived in Chicago. He was a U.S. Navy veteran. Laidlaw was married to Mildred Carter, an actress. He died in May 1963 in Los Angeles at the age of 63. Filmography * '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1923) * '' Makers of Men'' (1925) * '' The Temptress'' (1926) * '' The Virginian'' (1929) * '' Bride of the Desert'' (1929) * '' The Big House'' (1930) * '' Cimarron'' (1931) * ''Dishonored'' (1931) * '' City Streets'' (1931) * '' Monkey Business'' (1931) * ''The Beast of the City'' (1932) * ''Murders in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom London
Tom London (born Leonard T. Clapman; August 24, 1889 – December 5, 1963) was an American actor who played frequently in B-Westerns. According to ''The Guinness Book of Movie Records'', London is credited with appearing in the most films in the history of Hollywood, according to the 2001 book ''Film Facts'', which says that the performer who played in the most films was "Tom London, who made his first of over 2,000 appearances in '' The Great Train Robbery, 1903''. He used his birth name in films until 1924. Life and career Born in Louisville, Kentucky, London got his start in movies as a props man in Chicago, Illinois. His debut was in 1915 in the Western ''Lone Larry'', performing under his own name. The first film in which he was billed under his new name was '' Winds of Chance'', a World War I film, in which he played "Sgt. Rock". London was a trick rider and roper, and used his trick skills in scores of Westerns. In the silent-film era, he often played villainous roles, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nelson McDowell
Nelson McDowell (August 14, 1870 – November 3, 1947) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 170 films between 1917 and 1945. McDowell was born in Greenville, Missouri. His parents were N. B. McDowell and Anne Hampton. He attended Leadville (Colorado) High School and Normal College in Freemont, Nebraska, before earning A.B. and D.D.S. degrees from Northwestern University in Chicago. Prior to embarking on a theatrical career, McDowell had a career in dentistry. In 1901, he was appointed professor of orthodontics at the University of Illinois. In 1902, McDowell acted on stage in Chicago and in Lincoln, Nebraska. His film debut came in 1910 with Biograph. McDowell died in Hollywood, California after he shot himself. Partial filmography * '' The Scarlet Car'' (1917) * '' The Feud'' (1919) * '' Masked'' (1920) * '' Cupid the Cowpuncher'' (1920) * '' Going Some'' (1920) * '' Down Home'' (1920) * '' The Last of the Mohicans'' (1920) * '' Home Stuff'' (1921) * '' Shad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bud Osborne
Leonard Miles "Bud" Osborne (July 20, 1884 – February 2, 1964) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 600 films and television programs between 1912 and 1963. Biography Osborne was born Miles Osborne in Knox County, Texas, on February 20, 1884. Osborne attended Oklahoma City schools and was a rancher in Oklahoma's Indian Territory before he became an entertainer. After working with the 101 Ranch Show for five years, he worked with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show for one year in 1912. He became a member of Thomas H. Ince's film company in 1915. Osborne specialized in westerns, and was also noted for his skill as a stagecoach driver, and was thus much in demand from his first film in 1912 right through the early 1950s. He was working as a stunt man as late as 1948 (at age 64) in Ray Enright's '' Return of the Bad Men.'' Because Bud Osborne worked in westerns almost exclusively, perhaps his most unusual role was that of a big-game hunter in Sam Katzman's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henchmen
A henchman is a loyal employee, supporter, or aide to some powerful figure engaged in nefarious or criminal enterprises. Henchmen are typically relatively unimportant in the organisation: minions whose value lies primarily in their unquestioning loyalty to their leader. The term ''henchman'' is often used derisively, or even comically, to refer to individuals of low status who lack any moral compass of their own. The term ''henchman'' originally referred to one who attended a horse for his employer, that is, a horse groom. Hence, like ''constable'' and ''marshal'', also originally stable staff, ''henchman'' became the title of a subordinate official in a royal court or noble household. Etymology The first part of the word, which has been in usage since at least the Middle Ages, comes from the Old English ''hengest'', meaning "horse", notably stallion, cognates of which also occur in many Germanic languages, such as Old Frisian, Danish ''hingst'', German, Dutch ''hengst'' and A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
