''Forced Landing'' is a 1935 American

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

directed by Melville W. Brown and written by William Scott Darling. The film stars

Esther Ralston Esther Ralston (born Esther Louise Worth, September 17, 1902 – January 14, 1994) was an American silent films, silent film star. Her most prominent sound picture was ''To the Last Man (1933 film), To the Last Man'' in 1933. Early life and c ...

Onslow Stevens Onslow Stevens (born Onslow Ford Stevenson; March 29, 1902 – January 5, 1977) was an American stage, television and film actor. Early years Born in Los Angeles, California, Stevens was the son of British-born character actor Houseley St ...

Sidney Blackmer Sidney Alderman Blackmer (July 13, 1895 – October 6, 1973) was an American Broadway theatre, Broadway and film actor active between 1914 and 1971, usually in major supporting roles. Biography Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, ...

, Toby Wing,

Edward Nugent Edward James Nugent (February 7, 1904 – January 3, 1995) was an American film and stage actor. Biography Nugent was born on February 7, 1904, and acted in films between 1928 and 1937. When Nugent was a boy, he sang with the Metropolitan Ope ...

and

Barbara Pepper Barbara Pepper (born Marion Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first Doris Ziffel on the sitcom '' Green Acres''. Early life and career Marion Pepper ...

. ''Forced Landing'' was released on November 2, 1935, by

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

Plot

Al Talcott (

Arthur Aylesworth Arthur Preston Aylesworth (August 12, 1883 – June 26, 1946) was an American stage and film actor. Early years Aylesworth was born in Apponaug, Rhode Island, to a military family; his father and his grandfather graduated from the United ...

) is released from prison after serving 15 years for helping to kidnap Jimmy Stafford ( Kane Richmond), now an adult and in college. The warden assigns FBI agent Farraday (

) to follow Al, the only member of the gang to know where the still-missing ransom money is found. Farraday suspects that Al's old gang, headed by Tony Bernardi (

), also after Al. Bernardi calls Al's old girl friend, cabaret singer Ruby Anatole (

), who does not want anything to do with either of them. Ruby's lover, banker Martin Byrd (

Willard Robertson Willard Robertson (January 1, 1886 – April 5, 1948) was an American actor and writer. He appeared in more than 140 films from 1924 to 1948. He was born in Runnels, Texas and died in Hollywood, California. Biography Robertson first worked ...

), is going on a year-long second honeymoon with his wife and wants to end their affair. Ruby decides to go to New York and coincidentally gets on the same aircraft as Martin, his wife, Al, Bernardi and Jimmy, who is eloping with his fiancée, Amelie Darrell ( Toby Wing). Also aboard the aircraft are Farraday, Ruby's traveling companion, Steven Greer (

Bradley Page Bradley Page (September 8, 1901 – December 8, 1985) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1931 to 1943. Selected filmography * '' Sporting Blood'' (1931) - Eddie Frazier (uncredited) * '' X Marks the Spot'' ...

), elderly Fanny Townsend (Julia Griffith), pilot Jim Redfern (

) and

stewardess A flight attendant is a member of the aircrew whose primary responsibility is ensure the safety of passengers in the cabin of an aircraft across all stages of flight. Their secondary duty is to see to the comfort of passengers. Flight attenda ...

Nancy Rhodes (

). During the flight, there is a storm and the aircraft is forced to land on a seldom used airstrip near an abandoned hotel. Everyone disembarks except Al, and when Nancy returns to get him, she discovers that he has been shot. The group goes to the hotel, which is presided over by caretaker Mr. Jolly, and Farraday searches everyone for guns, confiscating five revolvers, but none had been fired. While looking through Martin's bag, Farraday finds $100,000, which Byrd claims he is transporting to New York for his bank. With everyone considered under arrest, Farraday goes to the airstrip's teletype office to send in his report. While Farraday is gone, Bernardi steals his gun back and disappears with Martin's bag. Farraday returns and, after sending Redfern in pursuit of Bernardi, goes with Jimmy to the aircraft to retrieve Amelie's luggage. Jimmy accidentally locks Farraday in the aircraft, and when he finally gets out, Farraday finds the teletype operator, dead outside the hotel. Farraday realizes that the murderer killed the operator to prevent him from passing on the last report received from FBI headquarters. Determining Byrd's gun was the murder weapon, however, during a chase, Byrd kills himself. Farraday finds the last message received in Byrd's pocket, indicating he was not transporting funds for his bank. Ruby then confesses that the money Byrd was carrying, was the ransom money Al placed into a safe-deposit box in Martin's bank. Ruby told Byrd about the money, but he was attempting to double-cross her by going to Europe without her. Amelie proclaims that the money belongs to Jimmy, whose family was bankrupted by the kidnapping, and the happy youngsters return to Los Angeles to be married.

Cast

as Ruby Anatole *

as Farraday *

as Tony Bernardi * Toby Wing as Amelie Darrell *

as Jim Redfern *

as Nancy "Dusty" Rhodes *

as Martin Byrd *

as Steven Greer * Kane Richmond as Jimmy Stafford *

Ralf Harolde Ralf Harolde (born Ralph Harold Wigger, May 17, 1899 – November 11, 1974) was an American character actor who often played gangsters. Between 1920 and 1963, he appeared in 99 films, including ''Smart Money (1931 film), Smart Money'' with ...

as Burns *

as Al Talcott *Julia Griffith as Fanny Townsend * Barbara Bedford as Mrs. Margaret Byrd *

Lionel Belmore Lionel Belmore (12 May 1867 – 30 January 1953) was an English character actor and director on stage for more than a quarter of a century. Life and career Onstage, Belmore appeared with Wilson Barrett, Sir Henry Irving, William Faversham, Lil ...

as Warden *

George Cleveland Grover "George" Alan Cleveland (September 17, 1885 – July 15, 1957) was a Canadian film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1930 and 1954. Career Cleveland was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. His first appearance on ...

as Jolly

Production

Production Dates for ''Forced Landing'' took place from September 19 to 27, 1935 at RKO Pathé Studios. Most of the action took place on the ground but the aircraft in ''Forced Landing'' were: *

Douglas DC-2 The Douglas DC-2 is a retired 14-passenger, twin-engined airliner that was produced by the American company Douglas Aircraft Company starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247. In 1935, Douglas produced a larger version called the DC-3 ...

-120 c/n 1307, NC14274 *

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 wit ...

R * Aeronca C2 Aviation film historian Stephen Pendo in ''Aviation in the Cinema'' (1985) describes the scenes in ''Forced Landing'' are historically accurate in showing the airliner operation in flight.

Reception

A review by Sandra Brennan for ''Allmovie.com'' stated: "In this high-flying mystery set aboard a cross-country flight to New York, some of the passengers are kidnappers who are trying to locate a hidden cache of loot. Unfortunately, something goes wrong during the trip and the pilots must land the plane in the Arizona desert during a terrible storm. There all of the passengers and crew find cramped accommodations in a lonely farmhouse where murder, mystery and mayhem occur."Brennan, Sandra
"Review: 'Forced Landing' (1935).
''AllMovie'', 2019. September 8, 2019.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* 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

* {{Melville W. Brown 1935 films American aviation films American mystery films 1935 mystery films Republic Pictures films American black-and-white films Films directed by Melville W. Brown 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language mystery films