Fugitive in the Sky

Fair action drama that although involves a death in the air cannot really be termed a mystery. The plot is more concerned with the attempt of "Killer" Madsen to evade the law and the romance of the two actors than with solving the murder. Good technical effects of dust storm but the interior of the aircraft is much larger than in real life. Shots of landing in Albuquerque, New Mexico were obviously filmed elsewhere. How the plane lands safely is something only Hollywood could invent. Some unusual twists to the plot and interesting exterior shots of old airplanes make this worth your time only if there is nothing else available. Oh yes, at the end the murder is solved.

There's a lot going on aboard this particular air flight from one undefined location to another. That's not just because reporter Warren Hull is trying to pitch some woo at stewardess Jean Muir. There's also a punchdrunk boxer and his manager, a daffy old lady who tries to draw everyone's horoscope, and, oh yeah, a dangerous killer who's carrying a gun and will shoot up the pilot and everything. All this despite a title at the beginning informing the audience that air travel is safe.

A lot of the stuff going on in this Warner's B directed by Nick Grinde is old hat by the standards of 1936, but there's such an awful lot of it that it keeps the viewer pleasantly dizzy with variety for the 58 minutes it takes to sit through. Grinde and DP Ted McCord show you don't need a lot of scenery to make a movie, just two sets, a variety of camera angles, andenough special effects to put the stratosphere in a window. With Carlyle Moore Jr, Wini Shaw, Mary Treen, John Litel, Nedda Harrigan, and Charley Foy.

I was flipping through channels and happened to catch this gem last night on TCM. I don't normally enjoy the older movies at all, not even the highly rated stuff. Usually when I see b&w I just keep on flipping. Something about FITS caught my attention and I was rewarded with many laughs. My rating is based simply on the laugh-a-minute, old-school dialog. It's too bad people don't still speak this way. A lost art, I guess. 'Killer' Madsen is the sort of criminal we just don't see enough of these days. The other main characters were also quite entertaining, and the fella with John Kerry's eyebrows was a particular favorite for me. Alls I can say is that I found FITS to be full of humor (whether it was meant to be that way or not) and I'd like to see more like it, See?

This is a worthwhile comedy-mystery "B" film. I'd give a 6.5. The only caveats I have are 1) the leading villain's performance is a bit over the top (though remarkable in another sense) and 2) the biplane stock footage near the end doesn't match the monoplanes subsequently shown landing.

All the other actors do a good job, their banter is excellent, as is the picture's pace. Familiar faces abound. They include Mary Treen (218 credits), John Litel (216 credits), "Wild" Bill Elliott of "B" cowboy fame (277 credits), John Kelly (165 credits), Charley Foy (of the Seven Little Foys' theatrical family), and Spencer Charters (225 credits). Who the murderer is, is not not easy to figure out, and, for the time, the special effects are well done.

What the midwestern "dust bowl" of the 1930s was like will probably come as a shock to younger viewers. After seeing this film's depiction of a typical dust storm, however, it is easy to understand why the "Okies" began migrating to California. (see The Grapes of Wrath, 1940.)

Even the featured plane is interesting. The Ford Trimotor plane ("The Tin Goose"), with its corrugated skin, was based on the German Junkers' design. That is why fans of World War II films will find it very familiar. (It closely resembles the Nazis' Junkers Ju 52 transport.) And in 1929 it was involved in, what was at that time, the worst plane disaster ever. In New Jersey, 14 people died when two of a "goose's" engines failed.

In Los Angeles, a departing plane is headed for New York City and making a stop in Albuquerque. Reporter Terry Brewer (Warren Hull) is speaking to his stewardess girl Rita Moore (Jean Muir) when he spots federal agent Mike Phelan boarding the plane. He realizes that something is up and buys the last remaining seat. There are about a dozen passengers. Pilot Bob White (Gordon Oliver) is also pursuing Rita. While in the air after the stop, a dead body is found on the plane.

The cross-dressing is rather campy despite the crime mystery thriller. The tension is never that high. This is more a commuter jump than a transAtlantic flight. It is definitely a B-movie and it cannot climb any higher. The production is limited. This is functional but limited.