FLYING BLIND (1941) Richard Arlen, Jean Parker & Nils Asther | Comedy, Drama | B&W

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Flying Blind is a 1941 American action comedy film directed by Frank McDonald and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was the second movie from Pine-Thomas Productions. That company's first three films formed an unofficial "aviation trilogy"; all starred Richard Arlen.

Synopsis

After being fired for taking the blame for his co-pilot's incompetence, airline pilot Jim Clark (Richard Arlen) starts his own airline, Honeymoon Air, flying for weddings and divorces between Los Angeles and Las Vegas/Reno. He brings stewardess Shirley Brooks (Jean Parker) with him as a partner.[N 1] Jim is in love with Shirley, but has not asked her yet because of all the work in starting the new business. Shirley mistakes this for a lack of interest. Tired of waiting, she becomes engaged to another pilot, Bob Fuller (Dick Purcell). Jim is upset and arranges for Bob to go to Hackensack, New Jersey, for a phoney job just to get him out of the way and prevent Shirley from marrying him.

Next, Jim and Shirley fly to Las Vegas with two newlywed couples: Veronica (Marie Wilson) and Chester Gimble (Grady Sutton), and Danila (Kay Sutton) and Eric Karolek (Nils Asther) (in reality, a spy named Colonel Boro). Joining them is their mechanic, Riley (Eddie Quillan), who is expecting to become a father any day. Jim is unaware that the Karolek couple are spies who work for Rocky Drake (Roger Pryor), attempting to steal a transformer used for a top-secret XB-62 bomber prototype. While the others are off celebrating, Drake meets his contact, gets the transformer and kills the man delivering it.

Drake talks his way onto Jim's aircraft, flying back to Los Angeles. When Jim learns from the tower that Drake is wanted, he tries to turn the aircraft back to turn him in to the police, but Drake forces him to continue. They fight over control of the aircraft. Shirley, not realizing it is for real, gives Drake's gun to Eric Karolek, who forces Jim to fly towards Mexico. On the way, the aircraft passes through a storm and starts shaking violently, causing an Allison V-12 engine block Drake brought aboard, to break loose, smashing instruments and engine controls inside the cockpit. Even with his engines shut down, Jim manages to land in the mountains.

While Jim and Drake try to repair the aircraft, Chester Gimble starts a signal fire, but in the dry brush it leads to a larger, uncontrolled fire. The fire comes closer and threatens them all, but soon the aircraft is ready to fly. Drake and the Karoleks try to commandeer the flight and a struggle ensues. In the end, Riley shoots and kills Drake. They all board the aircraft and Jim is able to take off.

Jim flies back to Las Vegas just in time to get the transformer back in place in the bomber before its test flight. Jim is the hero of the day, and he and Shirley go back to Los Angeles. When Bob comes back from New Jersey, upset because of the stunt Jim pulled on him, Shirley informs him that their engagement is off and that she instead plans to marry Jim.

Cast & Crew

Richard Arlen as Jim Clark
Jean Parker as Shirley Brooks
Nils Asther as Eric Karolek/Colonel Boro
Marie Wilson as Veronica Gimble
Roger Pryor as Rocky Drake
Eddie Quillan as Riley
Dick Purcell as Bob Fuller
Grady Sutton as Chester Gimble
Kay Sutton as Miss Danila
Charlotte Henry as Corenson's Secretary
William Hall as Lew West
Dwight Frye as Leo Qualen
James Seay as Dispatcher

Directed by: Frank McDonald
Written by:
Maxwell Shane
Richard Murphy
Produced by:
William H. Pine
William C. Thomas (associate)
John W. Rogers
Cinematography: Fred Jackman Jr.
Edited by: Robert O. Crandall
Music by: Dimitri Tiomkin
Production Company: Picture Corporation of America
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: August 29, 1941
Running Time: 69 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Budget: Less than $90,000
Box Office: More than $500,000