Fugitive in the Sky

There's a lot going on aboard this particular air flight from one undefined location to another. That's not just because reporter Warren Hull is trying to pitch some woo at stewardess Jean Muir. There's also a punchdrunk boxer and his manager, a daffy old lady who tries to draw everyone's horoscope, and, oh yeah, a dangerous killer who's carrying a gun and will shoot up the pilot and everything. All this despite a title at the beginning informing the audience that air travel is safe.

A lot of the stuff going on in this Warner's B directed by Nick Grinde is old hat by the standards of 1936, but there's such an awful lot of it that it keeps the viewer pleasantly dizzy with variety for the 58 minutes it takes to sit through. Grinde and DP Ted McCord show you don't need a lot of scenery to make a movie, just two sets, a variety of camera angles, andenough special effects to put the stratosphere in a window. With Carlyle Moore Jr, Wini Shaw, Mary Treen, John Litel, Nedda Harrigan, and Charley Foy.

I recently had the opportunity to see this film via the TCM Cable Channel and found it enjoyable, but more as a comedy with dramatic overtones rather than a drama mystery. As a product of its time, 1936, I am sure it probably entertained viewers as a mystery, but time has sheered that veneer from it especially in light of these times. I agree with an earlier comment made about the dialogue, which is now somewhat comically outdated. As I listened to Howard Phillips go on as killer Madsen, I could not help but be reminded of current actor Bruce Campbell. I especially enjoyed the performances of Don Barclay as an inebriated passenger and John Kelly as a boxer, which I felt in many ways stole the movie from the leads, such as the lovely Jean Muir. I do give credit though to those who set the scene involving the dust storm segment and found it to be well done. With a little more work this movie had the potential to be a good thriller and I feel would be an excellent candidate to be redone today.

I was flipping through channels and happened to catch this gem last night on TCM. I don't normally enjoy the older movies at all, not even the highly rated stuff. Usually when I see b&w I just keep on flipping. Something about FITS caught my attention and I was rewarded with many laughs. My rating is based simply on the laugh-a-minute, old-school dialog. It's too bad people don't still speak this way. A lost art, I guess. 'Killer' Madsen is the sort of criminal we just don't see enough of these days. The other main characters were also quite entertaining, and the fella with John Kerry's eyebrows was a particular favorite for me. Alls I can say is that I found FITS to be full of humor (whether it was meant to be that way or not) and I'd like to see more like it, See?

Fair action drama that although involves a death in the air cannot really be termed a mystery. The plot is more concerned with the attempt of "Killer" Madsen to evade the law and the romance of the two actors than with solving the murder. Good technical effects of dust storm but the interior of the aircraft is much larger than in real life. Shots of landing in Albuquerque, New Mexico were obviously filmed elsewhere. How the plane lands safely is something only Hollywood could invent. Some unusual twists to the plot and interesting exterior shots of old airplanes make this worth your time only if there is nothing else available. Oh yes, at the end the murder is solved.

In Los Angeles, a departing plane is headed for New York City and making a stop in Albuquerque. Reporter Terry Brewer (Warren Hull) is speaking to his stewardess girl Rita Moore (Jean Muir) when he spots federal agent Mike Phelan boarding the plane. He realizes that something is up and buys the last remaining seat. There are about a dozen passengers. Pilot Bob White (Gordon Oliver) is also pursuing Rita. While in the air after the stop, a dead body is found on the plane.

The cross-dressing is rather campy despite the crime mystery thriller. The tension is never that high. This is more a commuter jump than a transAtlantic flight. It is definitely a B-movie and it cannot climb any higher. The production is limited. This is functional but limited.