The Airmail Mystery is a 1932 Universal pre-Code movie serial directed by Ray Taylor, written by Ella O'Neill, starring James Flavin and Wheeler Oakman, and featuring Al Wilson doing the aerial stunts.[3][4] The Airmail Mystery was Universal's first aviation serial that set the pattern for the aviation serials and feature films to follow.[5] The film also marks the film debut of James Flavin.[6] The Airmail Mystery with no recordings recovered, it is considered a lost film.[7]
| The Airmail Mystery | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Ray Taylor |
| Written by | Ella O'Neill (story) Basil Dickey George H. Plympton George Morgan[1][2] |
| Produced by | Henry MacRae |
| Starring | James Flavin Al Wilson Walter Brennan Wheeler Oakman |
| Music by | David Broekman |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 12 chapters (225 min.) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editAirmail pilot Bob Lee (James Flavin), owner of a gold mine, faces off against "The Black Hawk" (Wheeler Oakman) who has kidnapped Jimmy Ross (Al Wilson), Bob's best friend. The Black Hawk carries out a series of attacks on Bob's ore shipments by air, using an unusual catapult device that launches aircraft into the sky to intercept Bob's aircraft. With his sweetheart, Mary Ross (Lucile Browne), Bob constantly battles against his enemy, and eventually is able to defeat him.
Chapter titles
edit- Pirates of the Air
- Hovering Death
- A Leap for Life
- A Fatal Crash
- The Hawk Strikes
- The Bridge of Destruction
- The Hawk's Treachery
- The Aerial Third Degree
- The Attack on the Mine
- The Hawk's Lair
- The Law Strikes
- The Mail Must Go Through
Source:[8]
Cast
edit- James Flavin as Bob Lee
- Lucile Browne as Mary Ross
- Wheeler Oakman as Judson Ward ("The Black Hawk")
- Frank Hagney as Moran
- Sidney Bracey as Driscoll
- Nelson McDowell as "Silent" Simms
- Walter Brennan as Holly
- Al Wilson as Jimmy Ross
- Bruce Mitchell as Capt. Grant
- Jack Holley as Andy
Production
editAl Wilson (who played the hero's sidekick Jimmy Ross in the serial) worked together with stuntmen like Frank Clarke and Wally Timm and also for movie companies, including Universal Pictures. After numerous appearances in stunt roles, he started his actor career in 1923, with the serial, The Eagle's Talons.[9] He produced his own movies until 1927, when he went back to work with Universal. Wilson was also one of the pilots in Hell's Angels (1930) and during filming, he was involved in an accident where the mechanic Phil Jones died. This episode marked the end of his career as stunt pilot in movies, although he continued to work as an actor.[10]
Wilson's last role was in The Airmail Mystery. After production was complete, during the National Air Races in Cleveland in 1932, Wilson's aircraft crashed and he died a few days later in hospital due to the injuries he suffered.[11] [N 1]
See also
editReferences
editNotes
editCitations
edit- ^ "The Airmail Mystery, 1932, Happy Anniversary! Premiered March 28, 1932. Lost…". March 29, 2014.
- ^ Backer, Ron (August 2012). Mystery Movie Series of 1930s Hollywood. McFarland. ISBN 9780786490189.
- ^ Farmer 1984, pp. 293–294.
- ^ Cline, William C. (1984). "In the Nick of Time". McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
- ^ Cline 1984, p. 30.
- ^ Harmon and Glut 1973, p. 146.
- ^ Weiss and Goodgold 1973, p. 26.
- ^ Cline 1984, p. 205.
- ^ Wynne 1987, pp. 5–17.
- ^ "Stunt Pilots." Silents are Golden. Retrieved: January 16, 2011.
- ^ a b "The Albert P. "Al" Wilson." Davis-Monthan Airfield Register Website. Retrieved: January 16, 2011.
Bibliography
edit- Cline, William C. "3. The Six Faces of Adventure";"Filmography". In the Nick of Time. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1984. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
- Farmer, James H. Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation (1st ed.). Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: TAB Books 1984. ISBN 978-0-83062-374-7.
- Harmon, Jim and Donald F. Glut. The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. London: Routledge, 1973. ISBN 978-0-7130-0097-9.
- Weiss, Ken and Ed Goodgold. To be Continued ...: A Complete Guide to Motion Picture Serials. New York: Bonanza Books, 1973. ISBN 0-517-166259.
- Wynne, H. Hugh. The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1987. ISBN 0-933126-85-9.