Criminals of the Air

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Movie
Original title Criminals of the Air
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1937
length 61 minutes
Rod
Director Charles C. Coleman
script Owen Francis
production Irving Briskin ,
Wallace MacDonald
for Columbia Pictures
music Ben Oakland
camera George Meehan
cut Richard Fantl
occupation

Criminals of the Air , also known as Guardians of the Air and Honeymoon Pilot , is a 1937 American crime film starring Charles Quigley. It was based on a story by Jack Cooper .

action

Mark Owens, a seasoned secret agent for the US government, is tasked with helping a patrol on the Mexican border fight a well-organized gang of smugglers. The central hub of the bandits seems to be the border town of Hernández, which is also a popular place for lovers who want to get married quickly. Since Owens is also a trained pilot, he is supposed to take up a job as an aviator who transports the newlyweds in an airplane, the "Honeymoon Express". When he arrives at his destination, a border patrol plane is shot down by one of the smugglers named "Blast" Reardon. The gang's head, Kurt Feldon, who also owns a nightclub, hires Owens to fly wedding parties to his place. Meanwhile, newspaper reporter Nancy Rawlings begins to write a report about Owens and his unusual job. However, she soon becomes suspicious of him because he doesn't want to have a photo taken.

After watching Owens accept money from Feldon, the avid journalist is convinced that Owens is also a smuggler. To find out more about him, she pays the waitress Mamie to spy on him and to notify him every time he sets off in his plane. Meanwhile, Owens is in the process of taking aerial photos of the area in hopes that they will expose the gang's secret hideout. He is sure that in Hernández he can continue to hide his true identity. However, he is recognized as a law enforcement officer by a loyal smuggler informant. While the film on his camera is being developed, Feldon learns of Owens' undercover investigation and orders Reardon to kill the agent. When Nancy hears the murder plan through Mamie, she hides in Owens 'plane and then flies with Owens, Reardon and his men to the smugglers' hideout, where Owens is to be held as a prisoner for the time being.

Concerned about Nancy's sudden disappearance, her boss alerts the border patrol. She dispatched a rescue team immediately after receiving Owens developed photos revealing the likely whereabouts of the gang. Meanwhile, Nancy manages to free Owens. Together they try to escape with his plane. But Reardon starts the chase. When the flying rescuers arrive, a dangerous air battle ensues, in which Reardon is ultimately left behind and falls badly hit. Subsequently, the rest of the gang members lost their lives in combat when they tried to flee in a car. After the smugglers' ring is broken, Owens and Nancy want to get married.

background

Criminals of the Air was the young Rita Hayworth's first film under her first seven-year contract with Columbia Pictures , the studio to which she was very successfully under contract for the next 20 years. She appears here as a Mexican dancer to the song Rumbarita , which was composed by Ben Oakland . When the film was previewed, she was mentioned in the credits as "Rita Cansino" under her actually Spanish family name. From the official release of the film, she was called "Rita Hayworth" after the maiden name of her mother Volga.

Reviews

For a B-film with a small budget, the reviews were extremely positive. "The actors play their roles with genuine pleasure," wrote Bosley Crowther at the time in the New York Times . The Motion Picture Herald found that Criminals of the Air got better and better as the plot progressed and reached “an exciting climax”. The production promises "a lot of attraction both for those who like gripping action and thrillers, as well as for those who are interested in a refreshing love story".

For the industry journal Boxoffice , Criminals of the Air was a film "that should assert itself in every respect". He told "a simple story about the Mexican border patrol" and could come up with "some good acting and enough action" to "satisfy the most demanding viewer". Weekly Variety mentioned Rita Hayworth as a "charming and sensual brunette" who dances across the border and makes Charles Quigley look pretty. She performs "a Spanish dance number that she shows very favorably, although it is nothing spectacular", and gets "sufficient attention from the camera". It shows that she could have “potential for proper speaking roles”.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gerald Peary: Rita Hayworth. Your films - your life . Heyne, Munich 1981, p. 52.
  2. ^ " Criminals of the air winds itself up as it goes along and races to an exciting climax. [...] The production gives promise of appeal both to those who appreciate the value of thrilling action and semimystery and those who find interest in a refreshing love story. " Motion Picture Herald quot. after Gene Ringgold: The Films of Rita Hayworth . Citadel Press, Secaucus 1974, p. 82.
  3. ↑ “A picture that should hold its own on any bill. It is an unpretentious tale of the Mexican border patrol, aided by some good acting, with sufficient action to please the most exacting patron. " Boxoffice quoted after Gene Ringgold: The Films of Rita Hayworth . Citadel Press, Secaucus 1974, p. 82.
  4. ↑ "Rita Hayworth, charming and voluptuous brunette, dances and plays up to Quigley from the lower side of the border. She does one Spanish terp number, which shows her off well, even if it's nothing fancy. Gets liberal footage on it, and she seems to have possibilities for straight talking roles. ” Weekly Variety quoted. after Gene Ringgold: The Films of Rita Hayworth . Citadel Press, Secaucus 1974, p. 82.