Central Airport

Richard Barthelmess isn't the kind of film star people tend to remember these days, although he made a few good movies. "Central Airport" was made the year before Barthelmess was fired from "Warner Bros." and is a reasonably entertaining yarn. It's the flying sequences that are the main highlight, rather than the pointless, predictable romantic subplot. The film becomes turgid and dull but the climax is exciting enough.

The only real evidence of the directorial touch (often a fist) of Wild Bill Wellman here are the well-done aviation scenes and the sexual tension. As a pre-code entry, Central Airport has a handful of scenes that would undoubtedly be axed a year later--- Dick and Sally canoodle in adjoining hotel rooms without the dubious benefit of marriage and the plot would've probably been reworked. As it goes, it's pure soap involving lost love and a few assorted body parts. Richard Barthemless's career was on the wane by 1933 and it's not hard to tell why. He's stiff and his acting style is far more suitable for silents. With the novelty of talkies worn off, Central Airport had to be one of Warner's biggest budgeted gambles of the year. It boasts some decent special effects and the crash scenes (and there's more than one) must've been spectacular for depression-era audiences who treated pilots back then like we saw astronauts in the 1960's. Whines: John Wayne's part defines the term 'bit'--- he's barely in the movie and you practically have to keep your eyes peeled to spot him (his other notable 1933 walk-on was in Warner's Babyface, but at least he's given some lines)--- back to the Warner's Lone Star low-budget oaters for him until John Ford decides he deserves another A-picture shot after a decade as a sometimes singin' cowboy. I also spotted WB chorus girl Pat Wing (Gill) (not credited by IMDb) in a crowd sequence standing horrified behind an announcer--- her ravishing sister, Toby is credited as originally being cast but apparently became an editing room casualty. Look for the still-breathing Charles Lane as a radio operator early on (happy 100th Mr. Lane!). I love pre-code talkies... Central Airport is by no means the best of the lot but it has just enough ingredients thrown in to hold your interest. If you want to see a far better example of 1933 Bill Wellman, see Wild Boys of the Road.

There's more to this movie than John Wayne in a bit part, there are some spectacular flying scenes involving a train, sincere performances by Richard Barthelmess and Sally Eilers, a strange one by Tom Brown. Except for the flying, there's very little sign of Wellman's directorial expertise in cinematic storytelling (unusual for his 30's films), but it's likable and entertaining enough. Interesting crash scenes, and the sexual aspect of the story is somewhat shocking while being quite tastefully depicted.

* * *

William Wellman knew his stuff when it came to airplanes and proof of this are the early scenes in CENTRAL AIRPORT when Richard Barthelmess witnesses a stunt flier going through some dangerous routines alongside an onrushing train. We later find out that the flier is Richard's brother (played by Tom Brown).

But the numerous flying scenes are the only compensation in this pre-code aviation drama about two brothers in love with the same woman (Sally Eilers), herself a stunt pilot for a circus. And there's a "meet cute" scene when she and Bartholomess first meet and she's stuck in her parachute atop a tree limb. Unfortunately, their story goes downhill from this point with some racy pre-code scenes thrown in during their bumpy romance.

However, the story of two brothers in love with the same girl is tired stuff, used so often by Warner Brothers that it became a big cliché in films like "Wings of the Navy" ('39) where Navy pilots George Brent and John Payne both love Olivia de Havilland.

The book "Warner Brothers Presents" sums up CENTRAL AIRPORT in one sentence: "Airplane stuff well done, despite deficiencies in every other department."

Central Airport (1933)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Some great action and stunts are ruined by some boring melodrama that doesn't add up to much. James Blaine (Richard Barthelmess) moves back home after he crashes a passenger plane and is blamed for it. He gets a job working in a carnival air show where he falls in love with a woman (Sally Eilers) but can't see himself marrying anyone. Enter the man's brother (Tom Brown) who also falls in love with the woman, which causes James to lose it. CENTRAL AIRPORT has some truly great stuff but sadly they're wasted in some boring love triangle that really never makes any sense and at the end of the movie it's really not cleared up either. Director William Wellman gets the sole credit on the film but he was replaced by Alfred Green for a number of weeks when he came down with the flu. I really do wonder which scenes Green actually directed but I've seen enough Wellman movies to where I can comfortably say that Green was in charge of the love stuff. I say that because the majority of these scenes contain no life, no energy and no atmosphere, which certainly wasn't what you'd expect from Wellman. The scenes that you can tell the wild man director contain some rather risky pre-code material including a strong bit of sexuality early on when James meets the woman as well as towards the end when they're reunited. This is 1933 we're talking about and even though the woman is married to the younger brother we get scenes where she and James are kissing mouth to mouth. That there would certainly not have happened a year later when the code was forced. Most of the stuff dealing with the younger brother simply never adds up, isn't very believable and is just downright lifeless. The performances are a mixed bag with Eilers easily stealing the show as the woman caught in the middle. She's probably best remembered for appearing in a few of the Buster Keaton/MGM titles but she really delivers a strong performance here and her undressing, pre-code moments are certainly memorable as well. Barthelmess isn't too bad in the lead but he really doesn't bring much energy. I found Brown to be incredibly boring in his role as the brother and quite annoying as well. People will want to keep their eyes open for John Wayne who appears in the final wreck sequence but doesn't have any lines. CENTRAL AIRPORT contains some amazing stunts, wonderful aerial work and some nice pre-code moments but sadly all of this gets caught up in a silly love story that just never works.