Ray Milland's Work In "Men With Wings"

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 105, 27 January 1939, Page 14

Ray Milland's Work In "Men With Wings"

JJAY MILLAND, who, with Fred Mac Murray and Louise Campbell, heads the cast of Paramount’s “Men With Wings,” is specially qualified to talk about this production. Not only has he been an amateur aviator for years, having taken up flying originally in his native England, but has played the lead in more technicolour productions than any other actor in Hollywood. “This last year has convinced me ot the worth of two things, technicolour and aviation pictures,” said Milland. “During the past year I ve worked in three colour pictures, ‘Ebb Tide,’ 'Her Jungle Love’ and now ‘Men With Wings.’ I believe in colour films because I think they give an actor his greatest opportunity, the public gets to know him better, because it sees him as he really is. Tn addition, colour brings an entire production to life. Backgrounds are more realistic and more beautiful. Colour films have an almost third-dimensional quality. “I won’t go as far as William Wellman, producer and director of ’Men With Wings,’ and say that I'll never again play in a black-and-white picture, but this much I will admit. Give me my choice between the two, and I’ll choose colour every time. , “As for aviation, it didn't take much to put me in favour of flying pictures. I’ve been flying for several years, mainly in England. When Bill Wellman first handed mo the script of ‘Men With Wings’ I stayed up half the night to read it. The idea of a picture covering the entire history of aviation from 1903 to the present thrilled me more than I can say. I was so excited when I finished reading the script that 1 telephoned Wellman at 4 o’clock in the morning to tell him how much I liked it. I still don’t know Whether he was pleased. “Another experience I'll never forget was the privilege of being able to mingle with stunt fliers during the filming of the production. There were dozens of tlie greatest ones in the busi-: ness, and it is a business with them, among whom were Frank Clarke, Garland Lincoln. Eddie Angel ami the famous Tex Rankin. Together we did a lot of ‘ground-flying,’ in other words, talking about aviation. I learned a great deal. Some of the things those boys did amazed me—they flew upside down 10 feet above the ground, rolled their planes with the wing tips almost touching the ground, did outside loops, and a dozen other manoeuvres which, enthusiastic flyer though 1 am, I'd never dream of attempting. “Making an aviation picture with Bill Wellman was a special kind of '. treat indeed.”