Men with Wings

I saw 'Men With Wings' when I was about 10 years old and it started a life- long interest in aviation. In 1964 I bought myself a 1932 bi-plane (a Spartan Arrow) and I still have it, although my son flies it more than I do these days. I have flown many airplanes in my lifetime including a Vultee Valiant, a DC3 (Dakota) many Tiger Moths and Piper Cubs (on floats) and many more. I have had an article on my airplane published in the February issue of Aeroplane and one on flying the Vultee Valiant in 'Flypast'. I have not seen 'Men With Wings' since that first time, and would love to see it again. If anyone has it on video(pal) or DVD, I would love to buy a copy. Ray Blain

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. :-)

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.

I was surprised to see Edna Ferber not listed as an inspiration for Men With Wings. It has the scope and background of one of her novels, in fact in some aspects it's like an airborne Cimarron.

Men With Wings is the story of aviation from the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk where Walter Abel is covering the event right up to 1938 and the threat of a second World War looming ahead. It's seen through the eyes of three fictional people who become a love triangle. Billy Cook, Donald O'Connor and Virginia Weidler grow up to be Ray Milland, Fred MacMurray and Louise Campbell.

Milland is the smart one, he goes to MIT and becomes an airplane designer. MacMurray is the adventurous one, he grows up to be an air ace in World War I. But MacMurray is a fly by the seat of your pants pilot who's not real comfortable with new technology. But the progress of aviation is not all these two have a disagreement over.

Louise is Walter Abel's daughter and she's grown up in aviation and has had it for good and evil. As boys Cook and O'Connor send her aloft in a big kite and Abel becomes a believer in flight after seeing the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk. She marries one of the leads and the other steps gracefully aside.

The comparison to Cimarron bears attention with MacMurray whose character is definitely modeled on Ferber's Yancey Cravat from Cimarron. It's also modeled in real life on Eddie Rickenbacker who became an airline president after his World War I service. Of course Rickenbacker was not as technology resistant as MacMurray.

Aviation buffs will love Men With Wings. It's done in early technicolor and by dint of that director William Wellman improved on his Academy Award winning Wings. The aerial footage is some of the best ever done and it's done with a loving hand. Just about everyone knows of William Wellman's lifelong love of aviation, acquired since his service in the Lafayette Escadrille in World War I.

I wish Men With Wings were shown more often. I certainly hope it's a candidate for restoration as the print I saw, the color was pretty washed out. For aviation buffs everywhere.

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.