FORCED LANDING (1941) Richard Arlen, Eva Gabor & J. Carrol Naish | Adventure | B&W

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Forced Landing is a 1941 American action film directed by Gordon Wiles and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film recounts the exploits of a pilot in Mosaque, an imaginary country in the midst of turmoil.[3] Forced Landing stars Richard Arlen, Eva Gabor, J. Carrol Naish, Nils Asther and Evelyn Brent.

Synopsis

In faraway tropical Mosaque, as soon as American pilot Dan Kendall (Richard Arlen) joins the country's Air Corps, he is in trouble. Along with his mechanic Christmas (Mikhail Rasumny), he is thrown into the military prison. His troubles start at a cantina after buying exotic beauty Johanna Van Deuren (Eva Gabor) a drink, not realizing he has antagonized her fiancé, Colonel Jan Golas (Nils Asther). A fight breaks out, leading to the pilot's arrest.

Colonel Golas releases Dan from prison when he learns that his fiancée had nearly been run down by a car and Dan had come to her rescue. The bargain he makes with Dan is that the stranger has to resign from the military and take a job with the Mosaque Civil Airline. Golas has an ulterior motive for helping Dan, as he has been responsible for the airline being sabotaged on its last flights to bring payrolls to workers at the local fort. Unknown to him, Dan's pilot friend Petchnikoff (Harold Goodwin) lost his life in a crash engineered by Golas. Johanna, accompanied by Dan, flies to the fort to visit her sick father (Victor Varconi), only to find the disgruntled and penniless workers there are set to revolt.

Dan promises to have their pay flown to the workers within three days. When he spots his friend's aircraft on the ground, after landing and searching for Petchnikoff, Dan and Johanna are captured by Andros Banshek (J. Carrol Naish), a bandit who has been working against the government in Mosaque. Banshek is sure the two would reveal his hideout unless they are silenced. When Banshek's son Nando (Bobby Dillon) is shot during their attempt to escape, Banshek implores Dan to fly his son to a doctor. While Nando is saved, Banshek is captured in Mosaque and killed by the police.

Workers at the fort finally revolt, forcing Golas to react. Dan will fly with the payroll while Golas will fly as an escort. Johanna, afraid her father is in danger, stows away on Dan's aircraft. She is alarmed that the box containing the payroll is smoking. Dan dumps the box out of the aircraft just as it explodes. Golas then tries to shoot down Dan's aircraft but is himself downed by a box of metal parts that Dan throws out. When Golas crashes to his death, Dan brings the workers their pay and is able to quell the rebellion. The general (John Miljan) in charge of the military, absolves Banshek of his crimes and declares that he was a true patriot. Dan marries Johanna, with the newlyweds leaving Mosaque to go to the United States.

Cast
Richard Arlen as Dan Kendall
Eva Gabor as Johanna Van Deuren[Note 1]
J. Carrol Naish as Andros Banshek
Nils Asther as Colonel Jan Golas
Evelyn Brent as Doctor's housekeeper
Mikhail Rasumny as Christmas
Victor Varconi as Hendrick Van Deuren
John Miljan as The General
Frank Yaconelli as Zomar, the grocer
Harold Goodwin as Petchnikoff
Thornton Edwards as Felig, rebel lieutenant
Bobby Dillon as Nando Banshek
John Gallaudet as Major Xanders
Philip Churchill as Nick
Harry J. Worth as Dr. Vidalek

Directed by: Gordon Wiles
Written by:
Edward Churchill
Maxwell Shane
Produced by: William H. Pine
Cinematography: John Alton
Edited by: Robert O. Crandall
Music by: Dimitri Tiomkin
Production Company: Picture Corporation of America
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: July 11, 1941
Running Time: 67 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Budget: $80,000
Box Office: Over $540,000