Young Eagles (film)
| Young Eagles | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | William A. Wellman |
| Written by |
Grover Jones William Slavens McNutt Elliott White Springs |
| Starring |
Charles Rogers Jean Arthur Paul Lukas |
| Music by |
John Leipold Max Bergunker Gerard Carbonara Herman Hand Howard Jackson |
| Cinematography | Archie Stout |
| Editing by | Alyson Shaffer |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release dates | March 21, 1930 |
| Running time | 72 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Young Eagles is a 1930 romantic drama film directed by William A. Wellman for Paramount Pictures. It stars Charles Rogers, Jean Arthur, and Paul Lukas. The film was only released a month after Wellman's Dangerous Paradise when it hit theatres on March 21, 1930. The story line is based on The One Who Was Clever and Sky-High, authored by Elliott White Springs. The film is about a "heroic combat aviator of the Lafayette Escadrille Flying Corps".[1] Wellman had hoped that the film would prove as popular as his other WWI aviation drama Wings which won the first Academy Award in 1927. He cast Charles Rogers again in the film, but Young Eagles was not a success. At the premiere a plane was placed outside the theatre.
Plot
Lieut. Robert Banks, a young American aviator on leave in Paris, meets Mary Gordon, a young American who lives abroad, but their romance is cut short by his return to the front. In an air battle, Robert brings down and captures the Grey Eagle, Baden, and takes him to American Intelligence in Paris. Mary, ostensibly a spy for the Germans, drugs Robert, who awakens to find that his uniform has been stolen by Baden. Later, in an exciting air conflict, Baden is wounded but shoots down Robert's plane. The German rescues him, however, and takes him to an Allied hospital, assuring him of Mary's love; his faith in her is restored when he learns that she is actually a spy for U. S. Intelligence.
Cast
- Charles Rogers as Lieutenant Robert Banks
- Jean Arthur as Mary Gordon
- Paul Lukas as Von Baden
- Stuart Erwin as Pudge Higgins
- Virginia Bruce as Florence Welford
- Gordon De Main as Major Lewis
- James Finlayson as Scotty
- Frank Ross as Lieutenant Graham
- Jack Luden as Lieutenant Barker
- Freeman Wood as Lieutenant Mason
- George Irving as Colonel Wilder
- Stanley Blystone as Captain Deming
Production
The film was based on Elliott White Springs' two works, The One Who Was Clever and Sky-High.[2] It was shot in 35mm on 8 reels measured 6,406 feet (1,953 m).[3] The film used part of the footage from Wings for some of the aviation scenes.[4] A nitrate print of Young Eagles is stored in the UCLA Film and Television Archive, but it is not listed for preservation.
The film was premiered in New York on 21 March 1930, a black-and-white film with mono (Western Electric Sound System)[5] and runs for 72 minutes.[6]
Willima A. Wellman, for whom aviation was passion, directed the film which was the last of his “unofficial trilogy” and the other two were Wings and the Legion of the Condemned (1928).[7]
Reception
Young Eagles was released in the United States on March 21, 1930.[8] To promote the film, an actual plane was placed outside its premiere theatre.[1]
Critical response
The film, of poor quality, was only released a month after Wellman's Dangerous Paradise when it hit themselves.[8] The film is about a "heroic combat aviator of the Lafayette Escadrille Flying Corps".[1] The film has no story value and the acting by Buddy Rogers and Jean Arthur is not anything to write about. However, Wellman’s presentation of aviation in the film is eloquent on the “beauty and freedom of flight”.[7] Wellman had hoped that the film would prove as popular as his other WWI aviation drama Wings which won the first Academy Award in 1927 and he cast Charles Rogers again in the film, but Young Eagles was not a success.[9] Wellman and the crew expressed personal disappointment with how it was received.[4] Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times was highly critical of the film, calling it a "highly incredible narrative with two good air-fighting episodes and a mass of wild and absurd incidents" and noted that the "pivotal idea is a stab at subtlety, but in mapping it out a Teutonic prisoner of war has to be extraordinarily gullible".[2] He sarcastically added that the production "could have been named "Young Goats," for Banks and another flying officer are evidently made the goats so that a spying expedition is helped along".[2] Of the cast he said " Mr. Rogers's acting never rises above the level of the tale. Jean Arthur seems to be somewhat afraid of the character she plays. The only real performance is that of Paul Lukas as Von Baden."[2]
Box office
The film was not a commercial success, performing poorly at the U.S. box office.[4][9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kelly, Shawna (2008). Aviators in Early Hollywood. Arcadia Publishing. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-7385-5902-5.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Lovin the Ladies (1930) THE SCREEN; Warriors of the Clouds. Laughter and Love.". The New York Times. 22 March 1930. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ↑ Villecco, Tony. Silent Stars Speak: Interviews with Twelve Cinema Pioneers. McFarland. p. 156. ISBN 978-0-7864-8209-2.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Tibbetts, John C.; Welsh, James M. (23 July 2010). American Classic Screen Interviews. Scarecrow Press. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-8108-7675-0.
- ↑ "Overview". Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Retrieved 13 September 2013.
- ↑ Mavis 2013, p. 690.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Tibbetts & Welsh 2010, p. 100.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Thompson, Frank T. (1 February 1983). William A. Wellman. Scarecrow Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-8108-1594-0.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Slide, Anthony (1 February 2010). Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses. University Press of Kentucky. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-8131-3745-2.
- Bibliography
- Mavis, Paul (31 May 2013). The Espionage Filmography. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0427-5.
- Tibbetts, John C.; Welsh, James M. (28 September 2010). American Classic Screen Features. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7679-8.
External links
- Young Eagles at the Internet Movie Database
- Young Eagles at the TCM Movie Database
- Missing Wellman silents – and talkies
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