''Flying Cadets'' is a 1941 American

adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...

directed by Erle C. Kenton and written by

George Waggner George Waggner (September 7, 1894 – December 11, 1984) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He is best known for producing and directing the 1941 film '' The Wolf Man''. For some unknown reason, Waggner sometimes configured his ...

, Roy Chanslor and Stanley Rubin. The film stars

William Gargan William Dennis Gargan (July 17, 1905February 16, 1979) was an American film, television and radio actor. He was the 5th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1967, and in 1941, was nominated for the Academy Award for Be ...

Edmund Lowe Edmund Sherbourne Lowe (March 3, 1890 – April 21, 1971) was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film. Biography Lowe's childhood home was at 314 North 1st Street, San Jose. He attended Santa Clara Coll ...

Peggy Moran Peggy Moran (born Mary Jeanette Moran, October 23, 1918 – October 24, 2002) was an American film actress who appeared in films between 1938 and 1943. Early years Born Marie Jeanette Moran on October 23, 1918, in Clinton, Iowa, Moran was ...

Frank Albertson Francis Healey Albertson (February 2, 1909 – February 29, 1964) was an American actor who had supporting roles in films such as '' It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) and '' Psycho'' (1960). Early life Albertson was a native of Fergus Fall ...

Frankie Thomas Frank Marion Thomas Jr. (April 9, 1921 – May 11, 2006), was an American actor, author and Contract bridge, bridge-strategy expert who played both lead and supporting roles on Broadway, in films, in post-World War II radio, and in early t ...

and Riley Hill. ''Flying Cadets'' was released on October 24, 1941, by

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

Plot

At the Monarch Airport, Bob Ames (

) is excited his new flight school to train future military pilots, is ready to open. His partner, "Trip Hammer" (

), tells him that financing has come from Bob's girl friend, Kitty Randall (

)and her father. Kitty is currently taking flying lessons from Trip. Trip gets a phone call from Bob's brother, Captain Rodcliffe "Rocky" Ames (

), a World War I hero now a soldier of fortune, who agrees to help with the flying school, in exchange for Trip taking care of his gambling debts in New York. Trip convinces Bob that the school needs Rocky's name to attract customers, as well as a government training contract. Trip is right, the school begins attracting students from across the country, but Rocky has immediately annoyed Bob when he flirts with Kitty. Rocky takes Kitty up for a flying lesson, but he is forced to make a sensational landing when Kitty breaks off a wheel during a simulated forced landing. With the cadets begin flying training, Bob provides the classroom instruction, Trip the mechanics, and Rocky the flight training. The top student is Newton Adams (

), Rocky's long-lost son. Trip found out the secret and agrees to keep it to himself. Problems soon arise with Newton having a hard time learning to fly from Rocky, who also is jilted when Kitty declares he is "old enough to be her father." With "Pinkie" Taylor ( John Maxwell), a government inspector on the premises, a future aircraft design contract is in jeopardy with Rocky considering quitting to fight in China. Trip accuses him of running away from every responsibility he has ever had and the next morning, a drunken Rocky returns to the flight school. Later, Rocky flies Bob's new experimental design but fears the aircraft is unsafe. If equipped with a parachute to stop spins, it could be made safe to fly. Newton, trying to prove himself to his father, takes the experimental aircraft up. Trip breaks the news to Rocky that the boy is his son. Realizing that inexperienced pilots will die in a spin, Rocky flies to his son, tells him by radio, how to activate the spin 'chute, but Rocky is distracted and crashes. Bob later redesigns his aircraft to be safe and receives a contract from the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

. Newton graduates, and, with other cadets, goes to enlist at air bases. Rocky recovers from his injuries and is finally reunited with his wife Mary (

Louise Lorimer Louise Lorimer (born Louise Knapp Pinkham, July 14, 1898 – August 12, 1995) was an American actress who played character roles on Broadway, in films, and on television in a career lasting over six decades. Life and career Born Louise Knapp Pi ...

Cast

as "Trip" Hammer *

as Captain Rockcliffe Ames *

as Kitty Randall *

as Bob Ames *

as Newton R. Adams * Riley Hill as Barnes * Charles Williams as Mr. Prim * John Maxwell as "Pinkie" Taylor *

George Melford George H. Melford (born George Henry Knauff, February 19, 1877 – April 25, 1961) was an American stage and film actor and director. Often taken for granted as a director today, the stalwart Melford's name by the 1920s was, like Cecil B. DeMil ...

as Train Conductor * Arch Hendricks as Army Colonel *

as Mary Adams Ames

Production

''Flying Cadets'' was produced in the years before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when the United States government encouraged

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

studios to produce films that would encourage youth to join the resurgent armed forces, especially the

U.S. Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

. ''Flying Cadets'' joined '' 20,000 Men a Year'' (1939), ''

I Wanted Wings ''I Wanted Wings'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by Mitchell Leisen and based on a book by Lieutenant Beirne Lay Jr. The film stars Ray Milland and William Holden. The supporting cast includes Wayne Morris (American actor), Wayne Morris, ...

'' (1941), ''

Give Us Wings ''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. In the years before World War II, the Uni ...

'' (1940) and others of that genre, as a patriotic "flag-waver".Wynne 1987, p. 161. Principal photography on ''Flying Cadets'' took place from May 12, to late May 1941. The aircraft featured in the film included: *

Stearman C3B 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 ...

Ryan STA The Ryan STs are a series of two seat, low-wing monoplane aircraft built in the United States by the Ryan Aeronautical Company. They were used as sport aircraft, as well as trainers by flying schools and the militaries of several countries. ...

* Fairchild 24C-8C *

Brown B-3 The Brown B-3 was a 1930s American single-seat touring monoplane and air racer built by the Lawrence Brown Aircraft Company. Only one aircraft was built. Design and development The B-3 was based on earlier B-2 ''Miss Los Angeles'' single-seat ...

* Harlow PJC-5 *

Taylorcraft B The Taylorcraft B is an American light, single-engine, high-wing general aviation monoplane, with two seats in side-by-side configuration, that was built by the Taylorcraft Aircraft, Taylorcraft Aviation Corporation of Alliance, Ohio.The Pitt ...

Reception

The contemporary film review of ''Flying Cadets'' by

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', noted, "For this low-budget Universal picture, which is like a hundred others off the line, is no more than a routine program-filler, no stronger than its weakest cliché, about a free-and-easy old-time flier who teaches at an aviation school and discovers — at the fearful climax, naturally — that his most neglected pupil is his own son." Aviation film historian James M. Farmer in ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation'' (1984), had a similar reaction, saying that ''Flying Cadets'' (was) "a low-budget formula piece."Farmer 1984, p. 307.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Farmer, James H. ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation'' (1st ed.). Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: TAB Books 1984. . * Paris, Michael. ''From the Wright Brothers to Top gun: Aviation, Nationalism, and Popular Cinema.'' Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1995. . * Pendo, Stephen. ''Aviation in the Cinema''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. . * Wynne, H. Hugh. ''The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies''. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1987. .

External links

* * {{Erle C. Kenton 1941 films American aviation films American adventure films 1941 adventure films Universal Pictures films Films directed by Erle C. Kenton American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films English-language adventure films