Atlantic Flight

Probably the only way to appreciate Atlantic Flight is to understand why it was made at all. In 1937 when pilots were treated like Apollo astronauts would be 30 years later, 43-year old Dick Merrill was the second-most famous aviator in the country. He'd flown the first two commercial round-trip Atlantic Ocean flights, first, the so-called 'Ping Pong Ball Flight' with millionaire nightclub singer-owner Harry "Puttin' On the Ritz" Richmann (who'd placed thousands of ping pong balls inside the wings in hopes of added buoyancy in the event of a water "landing") in 1936 (the plane ended up crashing in a peat bog in Nova Scotia thanks to Harry accidentally dumping the fuel in a panic and enraging the ordinarily ultra-calm Merrill) and the second, the so-called 'Coronation Flight,' doing a quick turn around to haul newsreel film back from England with a far more capable co-pilot (and movie co-star! Jack Lambie. Atlantic Flight proves why they never quit their day jobs with Eastern Airlines (they'd both end up retiring from EAL, Dick in 1961 and Jack in the early 70's). This movie was made by Monogram (the company then temporarily working out of leased space in the "New" Universal studio lot)--- which had just reformed after a brief troubled merger with Herbert J. Yates' Republic--- as a chance to capitalize on Dick's fame. Merrill spent the rest of his life joking about his terrible performance in his one shot as a movie star--- he was right, it's awful! Dick's acting range could be compared to 3/8" plywood. He'd actually make one more appearance in a 1953 telefilm, 'Flying With Arthur Godfrey.' The only actor showing any real talent is a young Milburn Stone (co-star Paula's cousin) who easily outshines everyone else in the cast. An interesting curio for aviation buffs for the 1930's aircraft and shots of the actual Vultee used by Dick and Jack. Merrill, an inveterate gambler, was said to have blown his $2500 movie pay at Santa Anita the weekend after the film wrapped up--- fortunately, he'd soon marry gorgeous 22-year old actress Toby Wing and go on to enjoy a remarkable 45-year life together. Atlantic Flight is a B-movie tribute to an A-list pilot.

In the 1920s and 30s, the types of heroes that the public latched onto were quite different than today. A great example were aviators. Nowadays, no one cares much about pilots but back in the day, they were among the most celebrated folks of the day. Take the stars of "Atlantic Flight", Dick Merrill and Jack Lambie. While it's obvious they couldn't act (particularly Merrill), they landed these roles because they were real life pilot and co-pilot who set some flying records. In fact, their life-saving flight at the end of this very dull film is taken from their real life Atlantic flight. And to give the two an excuse to do this, a friend is injured in a wreck and the doctor intones "If he were in England, he might have a chance"...and the pair race there to return with some serum. The bottom line is that although Merrill and Lambie's exploits were exciting in real life, they sure aren't here!! Tiny Monogram Studio tried but failed in making these guys matinée idols...and I can easily see why.

Dick Merrill and Jack Lambie star as two pilots -- natch! When due to the underhanded tactics of Ivan Lebedeff to cut out Merrill from super-rich Paula Stone, fellow pilot Weldon Heyburn is almost killed, it's up to them to fly to England and back muy pronto to fetch the serum that can save him.

Merrill and Lambie were were celebrities from having just flown the first commercial transatlantic flight. Trem Carr at the newly reconstituted Monogram Pictures figured it was a good way to get some extra publicity for an airplane movie. Neither of the two gentlemen were actors, so their line readings are poor, but ti was a canny move. Putting celebrities into movies for their fans was a long-established thing; Babe Ruth starred in a couple of silent movies, and the practice is still occasionally seen; Clint Eastwood's 15:17 TO PARIS, about how four Americans on holiday thwarted a terrorist attack on a railroad in France starred the young men who did it.

Merrill was held in high regard by his fellow pilots. During his 1952 presidential campaign, Eisenhower got him as his personal pilot. By the time he retired as an airline pilot in 1961, he had commanded 36,000 hours in flight. In total he flew more than eight million miles. He died in 181 at the age of 88.