''Tailspin Tommy'' is a 12-episode 1934 Universal film serial based on the '' Tailspin Tommy''

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by Hal Forrest. Directed by

Lew Landers Lew Landers (born Louis Friedlander, January 2, 1901 – December 16, 1962) was an American independent film and television director. Biography Born as Louis Friedlander in New York City, Lew Landers began his movie career as an actor. In 1914, ...

and produced by Milton Gatzert, the serial was the 97th serial of the 137 released by that studio (and the 24th with

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

). The plot of ''Tailspin Tommy'' concerns a conflict over a government airmail contract.

Plot

Two cargo airlines clash over a government mail contract. "Tailspin" Tommy ( Maurice Murphy), a young mechanic, gets a job with Three Points Airlines, which wins the contract. Their opponents resort to sabotage in order to have the contract for themselves. Wade "Tiger" Taggart ( John Davidson) becomes their enemy, a man who will do anything to stop the airline from doing business. After Tommy becomes a pilot, he prevents a runaway aircraft from crashing into a crowd of children, among other adventures that put him into the public eye. Eventually Taggart and his gang are brought to justice. Tommy goes on to win a movie contract, and win the heart of his sweetheart Betty Lou Barnes ( Patricia Farr).

Cast

* Maurice Murphy as "Tailspin" Tommy Tompkins * Noah Beery, Jr. as Peter "Skeeter" Milligan * Patricia Farr as Betty Lou Barnes * Walter Miller as Bruce Hoyt * Grant Withers as Milt Howe * Charles A. Browne as Paul Smith * Bryant Washburn as Mr Grant, director of ''Midnight Patrol'' * Belle Daube as Mrs Martha Tompkins, Tommy's mother * John Davidson as Wade "Tiger" Taggart * Harrison Greene as the Air circus announcer * William Desmond as Sloane, Taggart's office henchman * Lew Kelly as Victor Martin, Three Point airport dispatcher * John Ince as Eric Peabody, one of Taggart's henchmen * Lee Beggs as Deacon Grimes * Ethan Laidlaw as Bart Dirk, one of Taggart's henchmen

Chapter titles

# Death Flies the Mail # The Mail Goes Through # Sky bandits # The Copper Room # The Night Flight # The Baited Trap # Tommy to the Rescue # The Thrill of Death # The Earth God's Roar # Death at the Controls # Rushing Waters # Littleville's Big Day_Source:

Production

''Tailspin Tommy'' was the first serial to be based on a ''

''. From 1936 to 1945, Universal almost made more serial adaptations of comic strips than both of their rivals, Columbia and Republic, combined.Cline 1984, pp. 15, 18. Jimmy Allen was a rival radio serial character to the Tailspin Tommy newspaper strip. He featured in the film '' The Sky Parade''. Grant Withers played the sidekick in this film as well as both Tailspin Tommy serials.Harmon and Glut 1973, p. 143. The aircraft used in ''Tailspin Tommy'' included: * Stearman C2B, c/n n110, NC4099 * Travel Air B 4000, c/n 1337, NC406N and c / n 1323, NC688K * Great Lakes 2T1 A, c/n 243, NC11326 * Fleet 7 * Douglas M2 * Curtiss Fledgling, c/n 69, N465K * Waco ATO, c/n A-122, NC925H * Travel Air R Mystery Plane * American Eagle A-101 * Alexander Eaglerock A2, c / n 207, NC1412 * Fokker Super Universal * Boeing P-12 (archive footage) Santoir, Christian
"Review: 'Tailspin Tommy'."
''aeromovies.com'', October 17, 2010. Retrieved: July 9, 2019.

Stunts

* George DeNormand * George Magrill

Reception

William C. Cline wrote ''In the Nick of Time'' that ''Tailspin Tommy'' was a success, partly due to name recognition. The serial was faithful to its roots and while "other serials were based on comic heroes that have long been forgotten, Hal Forrest's 'Tailspin Tommy' strip ran from 1928 to 1942. Dashing aviator Tommy, his sidekick Skeeter and his girlfriend Betty Lou Barnes ran Three Point Airlines, named after the perfect landing technique. Universal invested heavily in the franchise. Maurice Murphy played Tommy for 1934's Tailspin Tommy serial, and four 1939 feature films starred John Trent as the intrepid airman.""Articles: 'Tailspin Tommy'."
''TCM'', 2019. Retrieved: July 9, 2019.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Cline, William C. "2. In Search of Ammunition"; "Filmography". ''In the Nick of Time''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1984. . * Harmon, Jim and Donald F. Glut. "7. The Aviators "Land That Plane at Once, You Crazy Fool"". ''The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury''. London: Routledge, 1973. . * Stedman, Raymond William. "3. At This Theater Next Week". ''Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment''. University of Oklahoma Press, 1971. . * Weiss, Ken and Ed Goodgold. ''To be Continued ...: A Complete Guide to Motion Picture Serials''. New York: Bonanza Books, 1973. .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tailspin Tommy (Serial) 1934 films 1934 adventure films American aviation films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films based on comic strips Films directed by Lew Landers Universal Pictures film serials American adventure films Films with screenplays by George H. Plympton 1930s American films English-language adventure films