Tailspin Tommy | |
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Directed by | Lew Landers |
Produced by | Milton Gatzert Henry MacRae (associate) |
Written by | Ella O'Neill Vin Moore Basil Dickey Norman S. Hall Robert Hershon George H. Plympton Hal Forrest (comic strip) |
Starring | Maurice Murphy Noah Beery, Jr. Patricia Farr Walter Miller Grant Withers |
Cinematography | Richard Fryer William A. Sickner |
Editing by | Albert Akst Irving Applebaum Saul A. Goodkind Edward Todd |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date(s) | October 29, 1934 |
Running time | 12 chapters (248 min) |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Tailspin Tommy (1934) is a Universal film serial based on the Tailspin Tommy comic strip by Hal Forrest. It was the 97th serial of the 137 released by that studio (and the 24th with sound). The plot concerns a conflict over a government airmail contract.
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Two cargo airlines clash over a government mail contract. "Tailspin" Tommy, a young mechanic, gets a job with Three Points Airlines, who win the contract. Their opponents resort to sabotage in order to have the contact for themselves.
Tailspin Tommy was the first serial to be based on a comic strip. From 1936 to 1945, Universal almost made more serial adaptations of comic strips than both of their rivals, Columbia and Republic, combined.[1][2] Jimmy Allen was a rival radio serial character to the Tailspin Tommy newspaper strip. He featured in the film Sky Parade. Grant Withers played the sidekick in this film as well as both Tailspin Tommy serials.[3]
Tailspin Tommy was a success, partly due to name recognition.[2]
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