John Ford's Air Mail (1932)

[Lokke Heiss]

As part of the MoMA series, I just saw John Ford's Air Mail a film about a group of flyers risking their lives in bad weather to get the mail through.

The first half of this film is a good a movie as John Ford ever made - at least up to Stagecoach anyway - the setup of a Ship of Fools stuck in a Desert Airport flying the mail is a great premise and Ford pays it off in one dramatic scene after another...and then we have a spectacular and I mean SPECTACULAR shot of a pilot recklessly flying through a hangar - in one side and out the other - and then again! And in a way, this scene is too good, because the rest of film can't keep up with something as amazing as what these airplane stunt pyrotechnics. The plot starts to meander and the last reel finds this same reckless pilot risking his life to rescue the commander of the team who has crashed in the mountains.

This original story for this film, CEILING ZERO, was first a play, then this movie, then Howard Hawks did a version of it a couple years later with the original title, starring Jimmy Cagney - with this version, now back to the title CEILING ZERO, Hawks tried to 'fix' the ending, but only ended up causing a new set of hard-to-believe plot complications involving pilots doing really stupid things. I remember this film vaguely, but Hawks revisited the idea of a hard-nosed group of pilots fighting bad weather again in ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS, which despite the different location (South America vs U.S. desert airport) is a closer comparison in themes than Hawks first film. It's fascinating comparing ANGELS to AIR MAIL - Hawks presents a romantic vision of this group, while Ford is interested in giving you the sweat, grime and thorough unpleasantness about this profession. And if you are looking to program a 'Anti-Christmas Film' For Christmas Eve, this is the movie for you. One of the fliers is picked to be Santa for a kid's party on Christmas Eve, and let's just say, everything does not go well. I was gratified to see at least one movie that decided to have a HUGE downbeat moment for the holiday season.

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

Nice review. Although I knew AIR MAIL (which I'd love to see) was by 'Spig' Wead, I didn't realise (or had forgotten) it had the same source as his CEILING ZERO (which I have seen - half a lifetime or so ago).

[Marr&Colton]

At one of the film conventions a few years ago, one of the dealers had DVDs derived, supposedly, from an old laser disc release of this film.

[aldiboronti]

I was fortunate enough to find a pretty good copy of Air Mail on the net some years back. It's also interesting to compare it to Night Flight, 1933, directed by Clarence Brown and starring the brothers Barrymore. I love all these early flight movies - the mail must get through!

[coolcatdaddy]

At one of the film conventions a few years ago, one of the dealers had DVDs derived, supposedly, from an old laser disc release of this film.

As far as I can tell, it was never released on laserdisc.

[Marr&Colton]

Must have been faulty info the dealer gave me....imagine getting a bum steer at a swap meet!

[Wm. Charles Morrow]

I saw Air Mail at MoMA this evening, and enjoyed it very much. Lots of first rate character actors, strong atmosphere, terse dialogue, and great cinematography (Karl Freund). Nice to see Ralph Bellamy in a straightforward leading man role, before Hollywood turned him into the perennially rejected suitor. Always nice to see Gloria Stuart in anything. I’ve never especially liked Pat O’Brien, but he was well cast here in a largely unsympathetic role. (Sort of like a Billy Haines part: the cocky jerk who turns out to be a better guy than he seemed to be.) And as mentioned above, it was interesting to note the parallels with Only Angels Have Wings. The coward role assigned to Richard Barthelmess in the latter was taken by Leslie Fenton in Air Mail, and the contrast in the way the character was handled was striking. Fenton’s act of cowardice, which took place before he’s introduced, had horrendous consequences; he works at Bellamy’s airport under an assumed name. When his true identity is revealed he’s regarded with total contempt, and is not permitted to redeem himself. (The character played by Barthlemess is honest about his identity, and is ultimately allowed to atone.) Ford’s workplace is more harsh and unforgiving than Hawks’s.

A couple of other observations. Air Mail is one of those movies introduced with no music whatsoever over the opening credits, which sets the tone from the get-go. Instead of a melody, we hear the droning of engines, and after that—unless I’m mistaken—there’s never any background music to lighten the mood. But there’s a nice little inside joke at one point, when Slim Summerville, who plays an engineer, sticks his head in the doorway and exclaims: “All quiet on the western front!”

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

A couple of other observations. Air Mail is one of those movies introduced with no music whatsoever over the opening credits, which sets the tone from the get-go. Instead of a melody, we hear the droning of engines, and after that—unless I’m mistaken—there’s never any background music to lighten the mood. But there’s a nice little inside joke at one point, when Slim Summerville, who plays an engineer, sticks his head in the doorway and exclaims: “All quiet on the western front!”

I watched AIR MAIL last night, and later thought "No music.", so glad to have that confirmed. For those of us who can't travel, AIR MAIL is on YT, though for how long...

And 'all quiet on the western front' did become a catchphrase, although Summerville's bit was clearly intentional.

[precode]

I recently resaw it for the first time in ages at the TCM Festival, and almost fell out of my seat when I realized that a giant chunk of the third act (the plane crash/rescue sequence) was reused by Universal only two years later for the Edmund Lowe/Gloria Stuart comedy GIFT OF GAB. I wonder if anybody even noticed that at the time.

Mike S.

[Mike Gebert]

Speaking of early sound Ford, I started watching Arrowsmith the other night and found it pretty hokey doctor-as-saint stuff... should i keep watching?

Speaking more of Ford and doctors...

I wonder if anybody even noticed that at the time.

If you think of movies back then as kind of more like series TV than modern blockbusters... probably not.

My wife had some legal show on a couple of weeks ago and it only took me a few minutes to notice they had not only stolen the plot of Malice (1993), with an arrogant doctor in a malpractice case, but had actually given the (much inferior TV actor) a very close plagiarism of Alec Baldwin's showboat speech:



I wonder if anybody besides me noticed at the time. Not many, I suspect.

[bobfells]

Mike,

ARROWSMITH has good intentions but to me it's a misfire. I wonder if Goldwyn made it as a "make good" for the weak UNHOLY GARDEN, assuming it was made first.

Re AIR MAIL, a good looking print has been on YT for a while now:
https://youtu.be/IO0KcC9ZwY0" target="_blank" target="_blank

Bob

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

Mike,

ARROWSMITH has good intentions but to me it's a misfire. I wonder if Goldwyn made it as a "make good" for the weak UNHOLY GARDEN, assuming it was made first.

Re AIR MAIL, a good looking print has been on YT for a while now:
https://youtu.be/IO0KcC9ZwY0" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

Bob

Unless this has been rectified, don't forget ARROWSMITH was cut for reissue and has long been available in this edit only. It may explain why the ending is a little abrupt, as well. Must admit being a little disappointed when I first saw it about thirty years back, but liking it a lot more on a second viewing.

[wingate]

Osgood Perkins,father of Anthony,played one of the leads on Broadway.