Le rayon diabolique

Air Hawks (1935)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Really weird Columbia "B" picture about a small, independent airline company, ran by Ralph Bellamy, who are competing for a contract against a major company. The major company fears they're going to lose the contract so they hire a mad scientist (an uncredited Edward Van Sloan) to build a death ray so they can shoot down the rivals planes. The business and romance side of this film are certainly routine but the sci-fi/horror elements are what really makes this film unique. Bellamy is good in his role bringing his usual charm to the screen but Van Sloan is downright over the top as the mad scientist but this brings a few laughs. I'm somewhat shocked this film got past the code back in the day since some of the violence, which includes pilots burning and crashing their planes, is pretty strong. Another interesting note is that real life pilot Wiley Post has a role here and we would die in a real crash soon after with Will Rogers.

Ralph Bellamy runs a small fleet of mail planes but his company needs to land the big contract to outdo Consolidated, their powerful competitor. Some crooks from Consolidated want to buy out Bellamy's business--and when he refuses to sell, they turn to dirty work.

Douglass Dumbrille is enthusiastically nasty as the head bad guy. The plot of this aerial adventure veers into sci-fi when Dumbrille hires mad scientist Edward Van Sloan to build a working version of his experimental ray machine that can destroy bridges and airplanes. Van Sloan eagerly starts shooting down Bellamy's airplanes, jeopardizing the big contract.

Meanwhile, Bellamy finds time to exchange corny banter with beautiful Tala Birell, a club singer who is mixed up with the crooks. Bellamy explains to her how airplanes are like women: "They take you up in the skies and then without any warning they let you down with a crash." Birell's quick reply: "But aren't most of the crashes the cause of the men at the controls, who try to go too far or too fast?"

The plot has plenty of twists, some of which make little sense.... For example, when the beleaguered airline is about ready to fold under the mysterious attacks, Bellamy decides it's time for a publicity stunt: He will save his business by attempting a cross country speed record. This is baffling until a few minutes later, when famed pilot Wiley Post wanders into the picture and agrees to take the flight himself.

Bellamy looks uncomfortable during a couple of silly melodramatic scenes but he is generally easy to watch as the hero. Victor Kilian has a fun if predictable role as the newspaper reporter who has a hunch, sneaks into the crooks' hideout, and has a narrow escape. Douglass Dumbrille is just fine as the villain always ready with a dastardly scheme.

The story is kind of wild and sometimes it feels like it's just barely holding together...but the picture's second half is quite enjoyable and moves at a nice steady clip.

"Air Hawks" is a B-movie from Columbia Pictures. Yet, despite its very low budget and modest cast, it is entertaining--in a breezy and light way. In other words, as long as you aren't expecting magic, you'll probably be reasonably pleased with this one.

Ralph Bellamy stars as Barry Eldon--the head of a tiny air service. Yet, surprisingly, a much larger air transport company is afraid of the competition and try to buy him out. But, despite their very generous offer, Barry rejects it and has no intention of selling. Now here is were it gets very weird--his competitors find a goody mad scientist and pay him to create a death ray in order to knock Barry's planes out of the sky!! I saw a similar plot in several other low-budget films--perhaps influenced by Tesla's odd experiments with death rays and electricity.

Overall, this is a nice little adventure film--and makes a decent time-passer. However, it is also worth seeing for one odd reason--late in the film, Wiley Post plays himself! And, only three months later, this famous aviator would die in the same crash that killed Will Rogers. Fascinating coincidence, huh?

This was a film that I found when searching for horror from 1935. This was streaming on YouTube so that helped. My guess is that this is in the public domain. I made sure that I double check ahead of seeing that this is in genre. It is there on the Internet Movie Database, but not Letterboxd. That was good enough for me, so lining up that I had the correct film, I checked this out as a featured review for Journey with a Cinephile as a Voyage through the FiVes film.

Synopsis: a small, independent air delivery service is menaced by a mad scientist with a death ray machine that blows up planes in mid-flight.

Amidst a storm, pilot Frank Dunlap (Pat Flaherty) defies orders to return, completing his flight for Barry Eldon's (Ralph Bellamy) small airline. Barry is in the middle of a meeting, seeking a bank loan from Mr. Holden (Wyrley Birch). The funds are to secure a mail delivery contract, competing against a larger company that repeatedly tries to buy him out. Holden advises that Barry to consider the offer, deeming the loan too risky.

Barry brings the offer to his pilots who stick behind him. This inspires him to find another way. Out in the office is a newspaper reporter, Tiny Davis (Victor Kilian), who is trying to see Barry. Tiny follows out to the car but is left behind when a taxi breaks down, blocking them in. They are able to push it out of the way and Barry is smitten with the passenger, Renee Dupont (Tala Birell). He drives her to a hair salon and then sees her later at a club that she sings at.

Things that are happening here aren't necessarily by chance. Renee seems to be a plant by Victor Arnold (Douglass Dumbrille) and his associate, Drewen (Robert Middlemass). They are the men who keep contacting Barry to buy him out. It seems they have numerous funds tied up and need this contract that Barry's company is after. Renee is here to soften up Barry. It makes him turn down the offer to their face.

There is an alternative route that they can go. A Professor Schutter (Edward Van Sloan) has a prototype that he's made for this ray that messes with the electrical system with whatever it is turned on to. His demonstration causes an airplane to explode. He needs money to build a larger version and he's willing to use it to help this company if they provide the funds. Drewen is worried about the implications, but he along with Victor are forced to agree. The ray works better than either of them could imagine, bringing into question the equipment of Barry's company.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Now ahead of writing this, I glance at reviews on Letterboxd. The consensus is that this isn't necessarily horror, even for the era it was made. I do agree there to an extent. We are getting more sci-fi with industrial espionage. It does go dark at times, especially with Frank and his family. If this was made today, it wouldn't be in genre. Since it is listed on IMDb, I'm going to include it in my research.

Now that I have that out of the way, let's delve into the main commentary that I see. This is an interesting look at capitalism. We're seeing Barry's company, which is smaller on the verge of landing a huge contract. He's the little guy and doing exactly capitalistic system should. Because he doesn't have the overhead and the work they do being as good as it is, he can undercut the larger company. They don't like this and when they can't buy him out, they turn to sabotage. I do like that at first, it seems like a couple of accidents. The newspapers start to believe that it is faulty equipment. Barry and his team know something is up, they just can't prove it yet.

Sticking with the espionage angle, there is an interesting subplot with Renee and Barry. It isn't a coincidence with what happens with her being stranded outside of his business. She's there originally to get Barry to talk to Victor and Drewen. They're giving him a chance to accept their offer being nefarious. Renee continues to factor in like Barry calling a number and recognizing her voice. She became a double agent of sorts and I thought that played into the story well. Birell fits as the 'femme fatale' archetype that would become more popular as the film noir sub-genre became more prominent. I believe it is still a bit early, so that puts it ahead of the time.

Then there's these other aspects of the story to bring up. We get an early sci-fi horror film with this death ray that Prof. Schutter builds. He's interesting as well as it seems he might have murdered co-workers and stolen the plans. There was sci-fi horror during this era, but it would get more popular in the 1950s. It is interesting that we're seeing the emergence of commercial aviation here as well.

That should be enough there so let's discuss the rest of the acting performances. Bellamy shines as the lead, fitting the role well, and his internal struggle adds depth. His pilots trust him to succeed. Birell effectively plays both sides. Kilian provides comic relief as a competent yet accident-prone reporter. Dumbrille, Middlemass, and the other villains are good, and Van Sloan is a fun mad scientist. All pilots, including Wiley Post (playing himself in a climax scene), deserve credit. Marianne Edwards' sad scene as Frank's daughter adds heart.

All that is left then is the filmmaking aspects. This shines here for what they do with filming the aerial scenes. There are real planes in action. I know that there are camera tricks to make it look more real. Credit there to the cinematography and framing. I do like the grounded approach to the effects with this death ray. It is more believable than other sci-fi based horror, especially from the era. The rest of the effects were limited, but work. The same goes for the soundtrack and design of the movie.

In conclusion, this offers a fascinating glimpse into 1930s filmmaking, blending early sci-fi elements with industrial espionage. While not a conventional horror film by modern standards, its exploration of corporate sabotage and scientific villainy provides a unique experience. The performances, particularly from Bellamy and Birell, contribute to a compelling narrative, and the aerial cinematography stands out for its realistic approach. Ultimately, this film is best suited for those with an appreciation for this particular era of cinema or if its intriguing blend of genres and themes sparks your interest.

My Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

There is no doubt that "Air Hawks" moves at a rather quick pace, and I suppose it could be classified as a "B" movie by the standards of its day, but the rather formulaic pioneering-aviator plot is enlivened considerably. That's done by the engagement -- by the bad hombres in the competition to Ralph Bellamy's ITL transport company -- of a German accented scientist who has developed an invisible ray to set aircraft engines on fire. What could have been a really dim-witted "mad scientist" movie was short-circuited -- no pun intended -- by keeping the science-fiction element restrained, and by a focus on the personality of Bellamy's character. He's a "Tom Swift" kind of go-getter, but not a goody-goody, and this hero-type had no small appeal to the audiences of the mid-1930s. Love interest Tala Birell ( Natalie Bierl, also known as Talusha ), is also excellent.

Even as the Great Depression was continuing, people in this country continued to hunger for the heroics of air pioneers and other men ( and some women ), who seemed to stand for "can do" as an answer to any question or problem. In that regard, "Air Hawks" gains a large measure of Q or "likability", both for Bellamy and for his erstwhile ally in the newspaper business. In many ways this is more of "a yarn" than a really deep motion picture story, but that's OK, and it works well even now. Seventy-three years have passed since this film was released but the concept wrapped into this movie, that of there being a secret weapon which can bring down an aircraft from a distance without using a rocket or a missile, and without leaving any traces of its use, is an important and intriguing notion. One only has to look back at the destruction of TWA 800, and the controversy surrounding it, or the crash of Swissair 111, to know that the secret weapon concept is not something purely out of the realm of Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers.

Fast-paced, well-edited, and with lively performances by all concerned, this "Air Hawks" action / adventure production gets a vote of eight and would have notched a nine if Wiley Post had been given a little something more to do than to say "hello".