“Air Mail” Will Thrill All Picture Patrons

Manawatu Times, Volume LVI, Issue 7064, 25 January 1933, Page 5

“Air Mail” Will Thrill All Picture Patrons

Ralph Bellamy, Pat O'Brien, Gloria Stuart, Slim Summervilie, Lilian Bond, Russell Hopton are all featured in “Air Mail” which comes to the Regent ,on February 4 (personal appearance On tho stage of Sir Charles Kingsford during season). The story tells .how at the Desert Airport, isolated relay station

for Federal Air mail pilots, a group of mail flyers anxiously await the arrival of a late flyer lost in the fog, Joe Barnes, whose sister teaches the Navajo Indian school nearby. In the group are Mike Miller, Chief Pilot and general manager of the airport; “Dizzy”

Wilkins, an old timer in tho service; “Slim” McCune, top mechanic; Tommy Bogan, his assistant; “Sleepy” Collins, a pilot; Tony Dressier, silent, morose; Tex Lane and Heinie Kramer. Dramatically they guide tho lost pilot by radio to the airport but in attempting to land in tho blind fog, ho crashes on the hanger and 13 burned to death horribly, despite the efforts of the pilots to cxtricato him. Ruth, the dead pilot's sister end Mike's sweetheart, quickly arrives, attracted by the flames, and desperately tries to keep Mike from hopping off with the salvaged mail, crying he is all she has left, but the mail must go through and Mike’s rule is to fly it himself whenever anything has happened. Arriving safely at the Pacific Coast terminus, Mike confers with John Montgomery, the General Manager, who has already engaged a new pilot to fill Joe’s shoes. It is Duke Talbot, arrogant pilot whom Mike dislikes heartily. Duke, however, is a phenomenal flyer. At the Desert Airport Duke demonstrates his marvellous flying ability and boldly makes up to Irene, Dizzy's wife, a senusuous woman, who hates and fears Dizzy. Unruly and overbearing, Duko incurs the resentment of all the flyers and the open enmity of Mike, who is forced to keep bim .be cause of the approaching Christmas rush. When Dizzy hops off, Duke immediately goes over to Irene's, and their armours are interrupted by Mike. Irene confides her fear of Dizzy, and secretly hopes Dizzy will crack up in the intense storm which is brewing. It is Christmas Eve, and Mike promises to play Santa Claus for Ruth’s Indian school children, but is called to the airport when Dizzy is reported lost in the storm.

A passenger plane arrives at the airport, makes a . miraculous lauding ■with its load, and the pilot recognizes “Tony Dressier” as Larry Wilson, the only pilot who ever bailed out of a ship and left his passengers to perish. Discovered, “Tony” hurriedly packs as the radio announcer senses that Dizzy has crashed right near the port.' A truck with. Slim and Mike finds Dizzy lying in a nearby canyon, having struck high tension wires, flying low with the Christmas mail. As they bring Dizzy's body in, Irene can hardly conceal her relief at being freed. '

Mike prepares to carry the Christmas mail on through himself,'but Ruth, becoming hysterical, refuses to let him go on what she considers certain death in the terrific storm which is now raging in the mountains he must cross. It is Duke’s run, and finally Mike consents to let Duke take, after refusing “Tony,” alias Larry Wilson, the chance to redeem himself with the dangerous hop. However, when he seeks Duke out, Duke advises him he is resigning and leaving with Irene that night. Mike knocks him down and takes off with the mail into the howling wind.

When Duke and Irena arrive in the Coast city they learn that Mike is missing and, subsequently, in Duke’s apartment ,the radio informs them that Mike has crashed in an inaccessible mountain pass, has been seen from the air, but it is in a placo impossible to land and unable to be reached by snowshoe parties for two or three days. Mike will be frozen or dead by then. He lies severly injured in the open snow while army, navy an d maii planes try to reach him. He signs his own death warrant by motioning them away, since an attempt at landing is a certain crack-up. Hearing all this over the radio, Duke’s adventuresome spirit, courage and pride in his ability make him dash out of the apartment.

At the Pacific Airport, Duke steals a plane from under the noses of some flyers and roars off for the mountain pass. Side-slipping at a perilous angle, Duke puts his plane down in an almost impossible landing, narrowly averting disaster. Reviving Mike, Duke piles him in the plane and gambles everything in an almost impossible take-off which is effected only after the landing gear has been crumpled up into the fuselage when it strikes a large rock. His landing gear gone and the wing badly damaged, Duke realises he cannot land safely with Mike, and unstrapping his parachute he fastens it on Mike. As they come over the Pacific Airport, Duke bails Mike out, after knocking him out when he protests. Mike floats down to earth, as Duke’s weakened wing gives way and ho fights to keep control of the plunging ship as the crowd at the airport looks on in stunned horror.

In the inevitable crash, Duke’s plane is smashed to splinters but before tho crowd can reach him he has extricated himself, smeared with blood, a shoulder sagging, both arms hanging limp, but with the belligerent cocky smile on his handsome face.

A Government mail truck pulls away the . bags of' Christmas greetings. The mail has gone through.