Blaze of Noon
| Directed by | John Farrow |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Robert Fellows |
| Screenplay by |
Frank Wead Arthur Sheekman |
| Based on | novel by Ernest K. Gann |
| Starring |
Anne Baxter William Holden Sonny Tufts William Bendix Sterling Hayden Howard da Silva |
| Editing by | Eda Warren |
| Studio | Paramount Pictures |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Blaze of Noon is a 1947 film directed by John Farrow about four brothers who become involved in the early days of plane flight.
Plot Summary
In the beginning of the 1920s, the four brothers McDonald are performing in a carnival as a stunt flying team, when they are hired by Mercury Airlines in Newark, New Jersey, to fly the national air mail.
One of the brothers, Colin (William Holden), instantly falls in love with the nurse giving him a physical, Lucille Stewart (Anne Baxter). He asks her to marry him after just one day of aquaintance and she accepts. They marry and start flying for the company along the East Coast.
Lucille soon becomes irritated by the brothers' extreme dedication to their work, but Colin promises that his efforts will make it possible for them to buy a home. When the youngest brother Keith (Johnny Sands) crashes his plane and dies, his elder brother Ronald (Sonny Tufts) quits flying and becomes a car salesman instead. He feels guilty over causing his brother's death, since he was the one who taught him to fly.
Their friend and colleague Porkie (William Bendix) is fired for flying recklessly over a passenger train. Instead he becomes a car salesman like Ronald. The next brother to crash his plane is Tad (Sterling Hayden), and even though he survives the crash, he is unable to fly again.
Colin's former girlfriend Poppy (Jean Wallace) pays him a visit and tries to win him back, but he stays true to Lucille. Soon afterwards their first child, a son, is born. Colin has promised to stop flying once he is a father, but he still continues when he is offered a raise by the company.
During Colin's first passenger flight, the wings are iced over and he crashes and dies. His boss and Tad are the ones who bring the news of his death home to Lucille, when she is hosting their housewarming party. Lucille decides to name her son Keith.[1]
Cast
- Anne Baxter as Lucille Stewart
- William Holden as Colin McDonald
- Sonny Tufts as Ronald McDonald
- William Bendix as Porkie
- Sterling Hayden as Tad McDonald
- Howard Da Silva as Gafferty
- Johnny Sands as Keith McDonald
- Jean Wallace as Poppy
- Edith King as Mrs. Murphy
- Lloyd Corrigan as Reverend Polly
- Dick Hogan as Sydney
- Will Wright as Mr. Thomas
See also
External links
- Blaze of Noon at TCMDB
- Blaze of Noon at IMDB