- Men of the Sky
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Men of the Sky (1931) Directed by Alfred E. Green Written by Otto A. Harbach Starring Irene Delroy
Jack Whiting
Lotti Loder
Bramwell Fletcher
Armand Kaliz
John St. PolisMusic by Otto A. Harbach
Jerome Kern
David Mendoza
Erno RapeeCinematography John F. Seitz Editing by Desmond O'Brien Distributed by First National Pictures: A Subsidiary of Warner Bros. Release date(s) June 30, 1931 Running time 71 minutes Country United States Language English Men of the Sky is a 1931 all-talking musical drama film which was produced by Warner Bros. in 1930 and released in 1931. Filming began in July 1930 and concluded in mid-September. The film is now considered a lost film since no film elements are known to survive. No copies of the film are known to exist. However, the complete soundtrack survives on Vitaphone disks.
Contents
Production
The original story and music were written by Otto A. Harbach and Jerome Kern. The film was originally intended to be released, in the United States, early in 1931, but was shelved due to public apathy towards musicals. Despite waiting a number of months, the public proved obstinate and the Warner Bros. reluctantly released the film in June 1931 after making some cuts. The film was released outside the United States (since there was no backlash against musicals outside the United States) as a full musical early in 1931. The film was originally intended to be photographed entirely in Technicolor, but this was dropped midway into production when the studio realized the public was growing sour on musicals. The film was originally titled: "Call of the East" but was retitled before release. This was to have been the first of three of musicals to be written by Otto A. Harbach and Jerome Kern for Warner Bros. Due to the public apathy for musicals, however, Warner Bros. bought out their contract and the team returned to Broadway. Warner Bros. did not debut this film in the usual prestigious movie theaters. The film was immediately placed in general release with no fanfare.
Synopsis
In this drama, the love affair between an American pilot named Jack Ames (Jack Whiting) and a French spy named Madeleine Aubert (Irene Delroy) is chronicled. Madeleine leaves her American boyfriend to join her father (John Sainpolis), another agent, as a spy for France at an estate in Germany. She is supposed to seduce a German officer (Bramwell Flecther) in order to gain information on a set of secret plans that another spy will steal after landing on the grounds. That spy turns out to be Jack. Madeleine is supposed to signal her compatriot to advance by playing a certain style of song on the piano, but the Germans have found out about the scheme, and Jack is exposed. In the tragic ending, the pair of lovers are led out to a firing squad.
Songs
- "Every Little While"
- "Boys March"
- "Stolen Dreams"
- "You Ought to See Sweet Marguerite"
- "All's Well with the World"
External links
1920s Through the Back Door (1921) · Little Lord Fauntleroy (1921) · The Ghost Breaker (1922) · Irene (1926) · Disraeli (1929)1930s The Green Goddess (1930) · The Man from Blankley's (1930) · Sweet Kitty Bellairs (1930) · Men of the Sky (1931) · Smart Money (1931) · Union Depot (1932) · The Rich Are Always with Us (1932) · The Dark Horse (1932) · Parachute Jumper (1933) · Baby Face (1933) · Housewife (1934) · A Lost Lady (1934) · Gentlemen Are Born (1934) · The Girl from 10th Avenue (1935) · Dangerous (1935) · Colleen (1936) · The Golden Arrow (1936) · Two in a Crowd (1936) · More Than a Secretary (1936) · The League of Frightened Men (1937) · Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937)1940s Flowing Gold (1940) · The Mayor of 44th Street (1942) · Mr. Winkle Goes to War (1944) · A Thousand and One Nights (1945) · The Jolson Story (1946) · The Fabulous Dorseys (1947) · Copacabana (1947) · Four Faces West (1948) · Cover Up (1949)1950s Categories:- English-language films
- 1931 films
- Films made before the MPAA Production Code
- Lost films
- Warner Bros. films
- American films
- Musical films
- Films directed by Alfred E. Green
- Aviation films
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