Piloto de Provas

"Power Dive" is a picture from Pine-Thomas Productions...a branch of Paramount studios that exclusively made B-movies. Bs were short and relatively cheap full-length films intended to he shown as a second film in a double-feature. Some Bs managed to be very good....many others were just cheap and forgettable...like "Power Dive"!

Richard Arlen used to be an actor in top-tier films, such as "Wings" (1927). However, by the late 30s and early 40s, he was making Bs by the dozen. Most were enjoyable...few were outstanding. "Power Dive" doesn't quite manage to be enjoyable.

Brad (Arlen) is a test pilot. His dream is to come up with a plane made from plastic parts...but until this finale there is a girl (Jean Parker) and a few forgettable story elements. During all this, you have the extensive use of recycled footage as well as some cheaply made aerial sequences. The word to remember for all this...cheaply.

So is this any good? Well, it's not horrible. But unless you adore Bs and watch everyone you can find (like me), it's really not worth your time.

The dollar Bills of Paramount Studios, William Pine and William Thomas tackle a routine aviation drama something along the lines of Men With Wings and I Wanted Wings, A budget productions from their studio. Pine- Thomas couldn't do much with Power Dive however.

The usual aviation clichés are all present with the rivalry between brothers Richard Arlen and Don Castle over aviation and over Jean Parker whose father Thomas Ross has invented a new plastic plane that he wants to sell to the army.

That's not as silly as it sounds, if you'll remember Howard Hughes was also experimenting with a plywood airplane, the legendary Spruce Goose a few years later. Still when one says plastic airplanes I automatically think of the model ships and planes one glued together as a child back in the day.

It's a weak story and Cliff Edwards as the airplane mechanic and comic relief was singularly unfunny. Aviation buffs will like it, few others.