''Tail Spin'' (also known as ''Tailspin'') is a 1939

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

film. The screenplay was written by Frank Wead and directed by

Roy Del Ruth Roy Del Ruth (October 18, 1893 – April 27, 1961) was an American filmmaker. Early career Beginning his Hollywood career as a writer for Mack Sennett in 1915, Del Ruth later directed his first short film ''Hungry Lions'' (1919) for the pr ...

. It was based on the book, ''Women with Wings: A novel of the modern day aviatrix'' (Ganesha Publishing, 1935), authored by Genevieve Haugen, who was also an advisor and stunt pilot in the film. ''Tail Spin'' starred Alice Faye,

Constance Bennett Constance Campbell Bennett (October 22, 1904 – July 24, 1965) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress and producer. She was a major Cinema of the United States, Hollywood star during the 1920s and 1930s; during the early 193 ...

, Nancy Kelly,

Joan Davis Josephine "Joan" Davis (June 29, 1912 – May 23, 1961) was an American comedic actress whose career spanned vaudeville, film, radio, and television. Remembered best for the 1950s television comedy '' I Married Joan'', Davis had a successful ea ...

, Charles Farrell and

Jane Wyman Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007). was an American actress. A star of both movies and television, she received an Academy Award for Best Actress, four Golden Globe Awards and nominations for two Pr ...

Plot

Trixie Lee ( Alice Faye) takes a leave of absence from her job as a Hollywood hat-check girl to pursue her career as an aviatrix. She and partner Babe Dugan (

) enter an air race from Los Angeles to Cleveland, but an oil leak causes their aircraft to crash. Navy flyer Tex Price ( Kane Richmond) helps with their engine. Meanwhile, steel mogul T.P. Lester ( Harry Davenport) indulges the ambition of his daughter Gerry (

) to fly in the Powder Puff national race. Gerry is also Tex's ex. Trixie wants to win both Tex and the race, so she and Babe do everything they can to discourage Gerry or sabotage her chances. In the sky during the Powder Puff race, the superior aircraft Gerry owns is winning, but she pretends to have engine failure so Trixie can win. Knowing that she misjudged Gerry all along, Trixie steps aside as Tex and Gerry get back together.

Cast

* Alice Faye as Trixie Lee *

as Gerry Lester * Nancy Kelly as Lois Allen *

as Babe Dugan * Charles Farrell as Bud *

as Alabama * Kane Richmond as Lt. Dick "Tex" Price * Wally Vernon as Chick * Joan Valerie as Sunny * Edward Norris as Speed Allen * J. Anthony Hughes as Al Moore * Harry Davenport as T. P. Lester * Mary Gordon as Mrs. Lee * Adrian Morris as Repo Man

Production

''Tail Spin'' centered on the "Powder Puff Derby" that was part of the 1939 Cleveland Air Races. Some of the crashes in the race were incorporated in the production. The aerial photography was directed by noted

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 ...

film pilot

Paul Mantz Albert Paul Mantz (August 2, 1903 – July 8, 1965) was an American air racing and movie stunt pilot and consultant from the late 1930s until his death in the mid-1960s. He gained fame on two stages: Hollywood and in air races. Early years Ma ...

.Pendo 1985, p. 145.

Reception

In order to publicize ''Tail Spin'', the studio sent a bevy of starlets that accompanied a group of women flyers on a tour of 25 key cities. In his review for ''

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 ...

'', Frank S. Nugent saw a winning formula, "... thoroughly competent job of movie-making. It is constructed on a simple formula: every time the picture is about to crash, Mr. Zanuck crashes a couple of planes instead. And, though in retrospect the story seems to be strewn with the wreckage from these artistic emergencies, what possible solution to any dramatic imbroglio could be quicker and cleaner to the participants, more exciting or more spectacular to the onlookers than a good old-fashioned airplane crash?" He also knew that the attraction of women pilots would be a hit with audiences. Film critic

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

's later review was more critical, "Hackneyed saga of female flyers, with Faye (in a change-of-pace role) having to scrounge for pennies and face competition from socialite/aviatrix Bennett. Written by Frank "Spig" Wead."Maltin, Leonard
"Leonard Maltin Movie Review: 'Tail Spin' (1939)."
''Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: July 7, 2015.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Pendo, Stephen. ''Aviation in the Cinema''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. .

External links

* * * {{Darryl F. Zanuck 1939 films American aviation films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Roy Del Ruth 20th Century Fox films 1939 drama films American drama films Films produced by Darryl F. Zanuck Films scored by Louis Silvers 1930s American films American air racers