Men with Wings

This movie has two competing plots. One involves the relationship between two boys and one girl as they grow up and associate themselves with the new aircraft industry. The other involves the growth of the aircraft itself. The two plots fumble and fall over each other constantly with the love story getting the majority of the film.

The photography and flying scenes are really great for a movie of this age. The acting however leaves much to be desired. Both Fred MacMurray and Ray Milland are less than enthusiastic and the girl has some really poor lines and is less than convincing as a girl torn between two lovers.

Andy Devine provides some comic relief and is much thinner than seen in his subsequent Western sidekick roles.

In my opinion this movie tries telling too much story and doesn't connect the individual scenes adequately - and others are quite unbelievable (such as when the newspaper owner and editor pitch in to help complete an aircraft). Audiences of 1938 might have gone wild over the flying sequences but they don't wear well almost 80 years later. There have been several other movies that show WWI aircraft flying sequences much better (The Blue Max and Red Baron to name two).

Nevertheless, if you love this movie and would like a copy please email me (GSF1200S4U at yahoo dot com) and I will send you a copy.

This movie ruined my life! I, too, first saw this movie when I was 9 years old and have never forgotten it. It only hooked me on flying and led to a 30 year career in aviation. I would be love to find a copy of if there is one extant. As I remember it, it was in vivid color and had an outstanding cast. I understand that it has not been copied to video. Too bad, at age 74 I still remember the line by Walter Abel as the fatally burned Nick Ranson (and father of Virginia Weidler's Peggy Ranson) ... "Tell them, when they crash, to turn off the switches!" In 52 years of flying, I have never crashed, but I always turned off the ignition. :-)

As the summary on IMDB says, there are two main plots in "Men with Wings". The story is partly a history of powered flight...starting with the Wright brothers and moving into the 1930s. The main story is about three people caught up in this. Patrick and Scott (Fred MacMurray and Ray Milland) love aviation and are good friends. Patrick is more a natural flyer and loves excitement and danger. Scott is more an engineer...more stable and also a guy responsible for making better planes as well as test flying them. They grew up with Peggy (Louise Campbell) and both love her, though she unwisely chose Patrick...a man so addicted to flying and tempting death that he ended up making a rotten husband. As for Scott, well, he's a bit of a putz...the 'nice guy' who is always there to pick up the pieces of Peggy when her husband disappears for adventure. Frankly, he isn't worthy of her but Peggy and Scott are too 'nice' to say enough is enough! What's to become of this strange threesome?

To me, the best thing about the movie are some of the flying sequences. The WWI fighter scenes are nutty, as the pilots REALLY are pushing the planes to the limit. And, seeing Patrick flying about testing the newest planes is also pretty nutty...but very exciting. The weakest point in the film, to me, is the threesome...as Scott is kind of pathetic and Patrick is reprehensible and Peggy is a doormat. I think a bit of editing and strengthening of the characters would have helped the story a lot. But even still, it is a very enjoyable movie and is worth seeing.

I saw this movie as a ten-year old, and it made a profound impression on me regarding the dedication and sacrifices of the men who were involved in the development of aircraft and powerplants in the early days when aviation was in its infancy.

I would like to see it converted to video and made available again.

I was fortunate enough to tape this movie off of a local PBS station in New Jersey, and I consider it one of my treasures. My copy is very viewable. I liked this movie as a youngster, and like it so much I made a model of the Fokker DVII in the black and white motif the same as the one Pat Falconer (Fred McMurray) shot down in the WW I sequence. It too is one of my prize possessions. As I said in the summary, considering the year it was made it holds up well.