My Mother, bless her soul, was 7 years old when this was filmed. I was number 8 of her 9 children. I grew up watching these old movies..... I would still rather watch them than any others...
Helluva Movie. People should realize this film was just one year into the Talkies era. There were still silent movies making the rounds when this came out. Great Aerial footage and even the aircraft model scenes were 20 years ahead of the times. Plus a huge amount of authentic film of real life Marine Aviators being totally Badass. We see "Panama" landing a Boeing FB-3 at the beginning of the film and the recruits washing down (and crashing) a Consolidated NY-1-B trainer. Later we see Vought O2U Corsairs in action over Nicaragua. I'm just in awe of this movie. Thanks Grimault. I would never have seen this if you hadn't posted it. Liked and Subscribed.
I am a big fan of Frank Capra. I never heard of this movie, but really enjoyed the story, Capra's direction, and the flying scenes. Thanks for posting!
If you liked it, you should watch "Dirigible" and "Submarine", two silent movies made by Capra in the 20s sharing this same kind of friendship and adventure atmosphere (with even more epic action scenes in my opinion) :-)
First time I ever saw it too. Brother recommended it. Trying to identify the Marine biplanes in this movie. Any help would be appreciated. We're fr. an aviation family, but aren't familiar with these biplanes. One looked like a Douglas in the very beginning of the Pensacola scene. I "spedread"/ synopsized the movie. lacking time. But loved the flying scenes too. Liked the WWl Lewis gun used in the scout bombers!!
@@samburkes7552 G'day, Sam! The planes shown in the Nicaragua segment are Curtiss F8C-1 Falcons, later designated OC-1 Helldiver by the Marines and employed in the Observation and Dive Bomber roles.
Another great Capra film from this era is 'Dirigible' - also starring Jack Holt and Ralph Graves. An added treat is Fay Wray, Roscoe Karns and Clarence Muse.
Begging your pardon, but “Dirigible” was filmed as a talkie in 1931. It was a remarkable movie with excellent flying footage and great special effects that were done by Ned Mann. You would be well advised to seek it out and watch it. Jack Holt and Fay Wray were in it.
Reading Frank Capra's autobiography. There was a scene in this movie where Jack Holt was supposed to stand up in the tailgunner position of one of the planes and fire the machinegun and they started filming and he wouldn't stand up, no matter what Capra shouted or gestured, he wouldn't stand up and do the scene. Capra was ticked off, until they got back to the airstrip and he found out that Holt had accidentally opened the parachute he was sitting on and he was holding on for dear life for fear of the chute catching some wind and ripping him out of the plane. His hands were bloody from holding onto the plane so hard.
I was stationed at a SAC base in California in the late 70s. That's when they wanted all their pilots to have had a College Degree. There was this one Major, who flew KC-135s or B-52s (can't remember which), who didn't have a degree. He was pressured to get one. So he went and got a degree in Horse Shoeing, absolutely true. It was his way of mocking the system, since he had been a qualified pilot flying the big planes for several years and thought that a degree meant nothing in that regard.
Today people borrowing money to go to college and if the degree buys anything besides big debt. For-profit colleges that make money off of students going into debt and then not even delivering transferable credits should be punished and put out of business, Can you say certified
I did life at Lockheed. 25 years ago it decided, to be promoted into salary position a degree was required. I'm sure all big companies are the same. Look at our workforce now. Nobody wants to WORK. Everybody is too highly educated for WORK.
At Biloxi AF radio school i joined the Aero Club. Instructor was a sr NCO with so many ribbons his command pilot wings just barely fit. Medals included several DFC, Air Medal Bronze star and many others. An ace, flew WW2 over Germany, later Korea and VN. Same stupid thing: friday a LTC ( lt col) , monday a sgt. Had 2 years to 40 years. Now he could only fly in the club! Stupid.
I worked at an AFB in the mid-'60's, forgot exactly which 3 years that was, but I played the piano at the Officers' Club from 1700-2100 M-F. Best gig I ever had! The guys would go get a pitcher of beer and bring it back to the piano-bar, (I mean a pitcher EACH!); I taught them some songs and they taught me their drinking songs! Great fun. I got to sneak out onto the tarmac once (during the months it wasn't SAC) and got to see the inside of a bomber! I was a GA pilot then, so was thrilled and astounded at the bird! Massive! I couldn't pull myself up into the belly so they pushed and pulled me up inside easily! I'll never forget those guys nor that gig, had a lot before and many since but that was THE BEST job I ever worked, no comparison! It was a 2nd job but a complete 180 from my day job at the hospital 7a to 3p, then hurry to the Base, so it was hardly even work for me, a long day, but a lot of fun and my energy was renewed at the Base! I moved away but hear that the AFB became a big business center with the airport an air-cargo hub.
For 1929 this is a very good movie .considering the times and after watching other early talkies, this is very modern compared to the over theatrical films of that age .
One other interesting bit about this film. According to author Clive Hirschhorn in his book, "The Columbia Story," this film was released in both sound and silent versions. Probably that was the case because in 1929, not all theatre had installed sound equipment in their theatres yet. Universal did the same thing for it's Oscar-winning film, "All Quiet on the Western Front."
Yup, correct. The movies people thought the Talkies was a passing fad! I think they are chalk & cheese, each is a different vogue & the Silent films still stand up but they need music ie a tinkling piano or orchestral. Luv 'em.
This is very Upbeat for 1929, Considering Audio in Movies was a New Feature during the time; just amazes me. This came out a year before "All Quiet On the Western Front", and Its just as good of a story as it is.
Being an Amateur (ham) Radio Operator one thing I noticed was there are no electronics. There is not one radio in this whole movie. Not even a loud spreaker. If they did show a radio it would be big, heavy, and operate Morse Code only.
Never saw this one, was a Station Technical Controller (32D1H, Technical Instructor) and Satellite Ground Station Equipment Maintainer (26Y1H, Technical Instructor) in the Army and as a DoD contractor. Well this is a pretty darn good movie for a 94 year old film !!! It was made before the Army invented the Air Farce₩€□¥}○£|•}\▪︎◇■
Enlisted pilots were part of the US military until early in WW2 when all new pilots became officers upon completion of flight training and all existing enlisted pilots were commissioned as officers.
There were enlisted pilots in the Marines until at least the '50s and warrant officer pilots until the '70s. There were W.O.s in the RIO seat of Phantoms until the mid '80s.
This film was a huge hit for Columbia when the studio wasn't considered a major srudio, Jack Holt was the studio's first star, so good he was lent to mighty MGM for the classsic "San Francisco" with Clark Gable. According to author Bernard Dick, Holt was kept under contract to Columbia by his boss, Harry Cohn, long after his films made profits.
Capra must have read his high school history book to get this slang for a black man. It is in Commangers History text used in HSchools up into the late fifties. I remember it to this day. Also there was a diner called "Sambos" for many years.
@@johngreen3543 Developed by the owner, Sam Battistone. Santa Barbara, Ca. Hence the name “Sambos”. Originally from the kids story “Little black Sambo”. Before people cared so much about the shade of skin tones people had.
Una grata sorpresa volver a ver este clásico del legendario director Frank Capra sobre estos pilotos del naciente cuerpo aéreo de la infantería de marina de los Estados Unidos actuando en Nicaragua. Saludos y bendiciones a todos los cinéfilos de corazón desde Venezuela.
the Marine gunny uniform doesn’t add up. He has Navy aviator wings, the USN had enlisted aviators never heard of Marines having them. he wears the 5th Marines Fourragere and a white waist belt that should be black leather. Life 90 years ago
When flying officers are no longer needed, they are given the opportunity to stay in the service as an NCO, but are still qualified pilots, hence the wings.
2 Gunny Sergeants both showing 12 year hass marks but 1 Gunny with no hass marks, maybe a collage grad that was a wash out from pilot school? just gave him E6 just to make him feel hes not a complete was out. But this was a great movie 1 year before the talky The Jazz Singer came out, Thanks Grimult for puting it out
Prior to the creation of the rank of flight officer (warrant officer) there were sergeant pilots in the US Army Air Corp. Among the first newly qualified USAAF pilots commissioned to that rank was Brig. General Chuck Yeager. RIP
At 38:00, Panama pockets a picture. I remember a picture and some later confusion being involved in the classic, silent, WW I story "Wings", don't I? What's going on here boys? Well, we're gon'a find out, by Gum. If we like knowing history, also telling is the open racism of the time, with Panama calling the typically Black rest room attendant "Sambo", and that's normal. Of course Blacks need not apply to the flight corps. 'But don't panic. This is no SJW cancel culture party. We aren't going to throw the baby out with the bath water. The American story has it's serious problems and we know it. They show up along side our triumphs and accomplishments like anywhere else. We work on solving those problems and becoming a better people together, just like our forebears did to the best of their ability. What else worth while is there to do? This is a great film to see preserved and shared for a bunch of good reasons. I could go another couple of paragraphs. Thanks, Grimault.
Thanks Grimault and thanks Oliver! Oliver, your point is well-taken...This movie shows the basic goodness and youthful energy that once was America, and can be again, if desired. All that's needed is the will and motivation to go back to this state. Let's hope that we can all find that will and motivation to do so. Cheers!
Ok, great movie, really enjoyed the Capra-esque lost romance. But @ 1:15:45? As if they would take off in the dark in formation! "Hey, look, planes on strings!" At least it wasn't CGI - it was PGS: Paper, Glue, Scissors!
@@larrykuzniak Huh..hehh...took me better part of 18-20hrs dual before my first supervised solo, back in 1981, in a C-152!! Flight school NW of Tucson in Marana, milked a few of the students to make more money!! Took me a while to piece that together. Sad part was that after I was certified..got my Private Pilots License...only built up about 180hrs of flight time as pilot-in-command...ran out of MONEY..!!
Film makers then and now ignore details far too much. A non stop flight from Pensacola to Managua is over 1250 miles, in planes (Curtis Falcon) with a maximum range of under 650 miles. Later when the plane Lefty is in crashes, it's in a spin and nose-dives into the ground - something nobody could survive, and later it looks like the plane managed to land and both occupants survived the landing. You can argue it's the story that's important - but in a crash where there could be no survivors, that kinda affects how somebody might be experiencing the story. Sloppy work like that is what ends up with movies where Indiana Jones hitches a ride on a German U-boat halfway across the Mediterranean and the boat never dives and none of the crew notice a hitchhiker hanging out on their vessel.
@@suburban404 I think they had already experimented with mid-air refueling by the time this movie was made. Look up the Fokker C-2A "Question Mark" and Maj. Spaatz. But that's not the point, "poetic license" is the point. You need to move the movie along so leave out the long boat trip to Nicaragua and just fly them in.
I was on active duty USMCR from 69-73 and 2 more years in reserve. No way, no how would any Marine refer to another Marine as "soldier"...unless he meant it as an insult. I knew some pretty old Marines, and they would never, ever call another Marine "soldier".
U.S.M.C. after 100 years of same blue A uniform, maybe consider a modern update. Maybe , maybe not. Those uniforms from 1920's look identical to Marine uniforms in 2020's. Even insignia is same. At glance, those NCO's are Marine aviation MOS's.
Two front wast pockets were added somewhere after WWII. Otherwise there isn't any other change. You don't need too when you have the best looking uniform in the world.
@@codyhilton1750 It is a splendid uniform. My favorite class A service uniform is Israeli Defense Forces Land Component. That's right IDF Land does not have a class A uni. They wear clean OD combat uniform at functions. IDF Navy and IAF do have dress slacks and shirt modified Class A without jacket , and even that is for officers only. NCO and enlisted make do with OD fatigues. Simple and inexpensive system. There are no mess uniforms , not even for officers. They figured out that those resplendent uniforms with insignia, awards, badges, chords, brass, just make an individual stand out in crowd ,thus easy to pick out. American Class A service uniforms with rank , branch, insignia, badges, tabs, rockers, chords, award salad, color bands, are basically individual CV and service record. It's kind of silly.
@@dkoz8321 The Marine Corps is simple. No bells and whistles. No sholder platch. Only in WWII when they had six Divisions. Only individual ribbons and medels. Ranks in medal only so they can be removed in combat. Dress Blues are now issued in boot camp. Not in 58 with me. Of course blues are seldom worn until you are in special units. Any uniform changes are very seldom.
@@codyhilton1750 US Armed Forces got it right in late 1930's and 1940's with service universal khaki tropical uni. Best uni in WWII was Ike jacket and slacks. No name tag, no salad, just rank , and service insignia. American uniforms are too flashy, and too heavily influenced by British tradition. Marine Corps Service Green with black subdued insignia is perfect example. It is heavily influenced by British Army and Royal Marines service uniform.
@@dkoz8321 Marine Corps green uniform has Sarlett trim on the chevrons however there isn't any black and never been. The Ike jacket is called the Battle Jacket and was discontinued in the late 50's. I was luckey enough to have one.
I hate Hollywood! At (7:53) Naval air station Pensacola, Florida. Then at (7:59) Airplane flying past airstrip with mountains in the background! Have they ever even seen Florida?
I was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle, east of Naval Air Station Pensacola. Shux, I even went to Pensacola on a field trip and visited the USS Lexington, an aircraft carrier used for training purposes. Although this part of the movie was situated at Pensacola, there were foothills in the background. There are no foothills near Pensacola. Just wanted you to know.
Wow, Amazing film! Great ariel shots.
what a surprise to see a film from back in those days made so very, very well ! Thanks for posting it !
My Mother, bless her soul, was 7 years old when this was filmed. I was number 8 of her 9 children.
I grew up watching these old movies.....
I would still rather watch them than any others...
One of the great flying movies from the early days. Good aerial footage for the time. It's right up there with Howard Huges Hells Angels!
Helluva Movie. People should realize this film was just one year into the Talkies era. There were still silent movies making the rounds when this came out. Great Aerial footage and even the aircraft model scenes were 20 years ahead of the times. Plus a huge amount of authentic film of real life Marine Aviators being totally Badass. We see "Panama" landing a Boeing FB-3 at the beginning of the film and the recruits washing down (and crashing) a Consolidated NY-1-B trainer. Later we see Vought O2U Corsairs in action over Nicaragua. I'm just in awe of this movie. Thanks Grimault. I would never have seen this if you hadn't posted it. Liked and Subscribed.
I am a big fan of Frank Capra. I never heard of this movie, but really enjoyed the story, Capra's direction, and the flying scenes. Thanks for posting!
If you liked it, you should watch "Dirigible" and "Submarine", two silent movies made by Capra in the 20s sharing this same kind of friendship and adventure atmosphere (with even more epic action scenes in my opinion) :-)
First time I ever saw it too. Brother recommended it. Trying to identify the Marine biplanes in this movie. Any help would be appreciated. We're fr. an aviation family, but aren't familiar with these biplanes. One looked like a Douglas in the very beginning of the Pensacola scene. I "spedread"/ synopsized the movie. lacking time. But loved the flying scenes too. Liked the WWl Lewis gun used in the scout bombers!!
@@samburkes7552 G'day, Sam! The planes shown in the Nicaragua segment are Curtiss F8C-1 Falcons, later designated OC-1 Helldiver by the Marines and employed in the Observation and Dive Bomber roles.
Another great Capra film from this era is 'Dirigible' - also starring Jack Holt and Ralph Graves. An added treat is Fay Wray, Roscoe Karns and Clarence Muse.
Begging your pardon, but “Dirigible” was filmed as a talkie in 1931. It was a remarkable movie with excellent flying footage and great special effects that were done by Ned Mann. You would be well advised to seek it out and watch it. Jack Holt and Fay Wray were in it.
Reading Frank Capra's autobiography. There was a scene in this movie where Jack Holt was supposed to stand up in the tailgunner position of one of the planes and fire the machinegun and they started filming and he wouldn't stand up, no matter what Capra shouted or gestured, he wouldn't stand up and do the scene. Capra was ticked off, until they got back to the airstrip and he found out that Holt had accidentally opened the parachute he was sitting on and he was holding on for dear life for fear of the chute catching some wind and ripping him out of the plane. His hands were bloody from holding onto the plane so hard.
Great film. Thanks.
I was stationed at a SAC base in California in the late 70s. That's when they wanted all their pilots to have had a College Degree. There was this one Major, who flew KC-135s or B-52s (can't remember which), who didn't have a degree. He was pressured to get one. So he went and got a degree in Horse Shoeing, absolutely true. It was his way of mocking the system, since he had been a qualified pilot flying the big planes for several years and thought that a degree meant nothing in that regard.
Today people borrowing money to go to college and if the degree buys anything besides big debt. For-profit colleges that make money off of students going into debt and then not even delivering transferable credits should be punished and put out of business, Can you say certified
I did life at Lockheed. 25 years ago it decided, to be promoted into salary position a degree was required. I'm sure all big companies are the same. Look at our workforce now. Nobody wants to WORK. Everybody is too highly educated for WORK.
Excellent movie, depicting Marine Corps Aviation as well as the only one I'm aware of of the Marine Corps during the Banana Wars in Central America.
At Biloxi AF radio school i joined the Aero Club. Instructor was a sr NCO with so many ribbons his command pilot wings just barely fit. Medals included several DFC, Air Medal Bronze star and many others. An ace, flew WW2 over Germany, later Korea and VN. Same stupid thing: friday a LTC ( lt col) , monday a sgt. Had 2 years to 40 years. Now he could only fly in the club! Stupid.
I worked at an AFB in the mid-'60's, forgot exactly which 3 years that was, but I played the piano at the Officers' Club from 1700-2100 M-F. Best gig I ever had! The guys would go get a pitcher of beer and bring it back to the piano-bar, (I mean a pitcher EACH!); I taught them some songs and they taught me their drinking songs! Great fun. I got to sneak out onto the tarmac once (during the months it wasn't SAC) and got to see the inside of a bomber! I was a GA pilot then, so was thrilled and astounded at the bird! Massive! I couldn't pull myself up into the belly so they pushed and pulled me up inside easily! I'll never forget those guys nor that gig, had a lot before and many since but that was THE BEST job I ever worked, no comparison! It was a 2nd job but a complete 180 from my day job at the hospital 7a to 3p, then hurry to the Base, so it was hardly even work for me, a long day, but a lot of fun and my energy was renewed at the Base! I moved away but hear that the AFB became a big business center with the airport an air-cargo hub.
Thank you, a great movie!
Thanks for the upload!
For 1929 this is a very good movie .considering the times and after watching other early talkies, this is very modern compared to the over theatrical films of that age .
Those 1920s women's hairdos I have only seen in photographs before.
Enjoyable stuff!
An absolutely great movie. Genius Frank Capra.
A really great touching and enjoyable movie! The acting and Arial scenes were really good! Thank you so much for Posting it!
One other interesting bit about this film. According to author Clive Hirschhorn in his book, "The Columbia Story," this film was released in both sound and silent versions. Probably that was the case because in 1929, not all theatre had installed sound equipment in their theatres yet. Universal did the same thing for it's Oscar-winning film, "All Quiet on the Western Front."
Thanks for sharing this !
Yup, correct. The movies people thought the Talkies was a passing fad! I think they are chalk & cheese, each is a different vogue & the Silent films still stand up but they need music ie a tinkling piano or orchestral. Luv 'em.
Yes, notice the British Film title card passed this version as Flight (Synchronized).
This is very Upbeat for 1929, Considering Audio in Movies was a New Feature during the time; just amazes me. This came out a year before "All Quiet On the Western Front", and Its just as good of a story as it is.
Ten hours flying time, ready to solo. Gota love it!!
A great film.
Great fun! Full marks!
Awesome filmed at MCRD San Diego. I think the hangars must be from NAS North Island on Coronado.
North Island and MCRD
At 17:10 you can see the tip of Point Loma.
Great Picture Thank you.
Being an Amateur (ham) Radio Operator one thing I noticed was there are no electronics. There is not one radio in this whole movie. Not even a loud spreaker.
If they did show a radio it would be big, heavy, and operate Morse Code only.
Never saw this one, was a Station Technical Controller (32D1H, Technical Instructor) and Satellite Ground Station Equipment Maintainer (26Y1H, Technical Instructor) in the Army and as a DoD contractor. Well this is a pretty darn good movie for a 94 year old film !!! It was made before the Army invented the Air Farce₩€□¥}○£|•}\▪︎◇■
Just had to go there didn't you. USAF 1970-1991. You guys kinda like A-10s and AC-130s don't you?
Enlisted pilots were part of the US military until early in WW2 when all new pilots became officers upon completion of flight training and all existing enlisted pilots were commissioned as officers.
There were some legacy enlisted pilots into the 50s in the USMC. They called themselves the Flying Peons
This was filmed my neighborhood, cool
Was Your Neighborhood Near Parris Island?
92 years ago. John Wayne was 22, Bette Davis was 21, Marilyn Monroe was 3 and Shirley Temple was 1.
Magnifique ! Du grand Capra ! Merci à Grimault pour le partage.
I remember seeing this about 25 years ago and being blown away. I thought it was a great film.
Enlisted pilots were a thing back then. Cool
There were enlisted pilots in the Marines until at least the '50s and warrant officer pilots until the '70s. There were W.O.s in the RIO seat of Phantoms until the mid '80s.
@Gerald Miller I’m extremely aware of that. Was an attack crew chief.
This film was a huge hit for Columbia when the studio wasn't considered a major srudio, Jack Holt was the studio's first star, so good he was lent to mighty MGM for the classsic "San Francisco" with Clark Gable. According to author Bernard Dick, Holt was kept under contract to Columbia by his boss, Harry Cohn, long after his films made profits.
I'm
Interesting info...Was Holt the actor that played Phelps??
@@samburkes7552 No, that wasRalph Graves. Holt played Panama Williams.
Harry Cohn was a real s**t. He did the same to The Three Stooges.
Excellent movie
LOL , entertaining for a 92 yr old flick! :)
A pretty darn good movie for a ninety-two-year-old film!
Top Gun 1929
...such drama!
Thanks.
Good movie!
Ive not heard those bugle calls before. Nicaragua those aircraft resemble Curtiss Helldivers from that era.
Got to be thee best movie I've watched in a long time, such decent people! Great morals, no swearing no disgusting sex scenes!
Actually Pre-code films were notorious for having sexual situations
A great movie from a different time. Listen to what Panama calls the rest room attendant at 4:32.
I wonder how many Marines wear their dress blues as often as these guys do in the movie. Once or twice a year was about all I could manage.
Times sure have changed. The Marine ("Panama") at the beginning calls the black washroom attendant "Sambo" when he asks him for a towel.
Capra must have read his high school history book to get
this slang for a black man. It is in Commangers History
text used in HSchools up into the late fifties. I remember
it to this day. Also there was a diner called "Sambos" for
many years.
@@johngreen3543
Developed by the owner, Sam Battistone. Santa Barbara, Ca. Hence the name “Sambos”. Originally from the kids story “Little black Sambo”. Before people cared so much about the shade of skin tones people had.
26:09 I didn't know the U.S. Marine Corps used 9 A. M. I always thought it was 0900.
No fact checking in 1929
Una grata sorpresa volver a ver este clásico del legendario director Frank Capra sobre estos pilotos del naciente cuerpo aéreo de la infantería de marina de los Estados Unidos actuando en Nicaragua. Saludos y bendiciones a todos los cinéfilos de corazón desde Venezuela.
Great movie for being 94 years very advance for filming flight attack scenes.
Loved it!
Great film!
Great entertainment! thanks for uploading this . . . I'm glad those pesky rebals got what was coming to them!
the Marine gunny uniform doesn’t add up. He has Navy aviator wings, the USN had enlisted aviators never heard of Marines having them. he wears the 5th Marines Fourragere and a white waist belt that should be black leather. Life 90 years ago
When flying officers are no longer needed, they are given the opportunity to stay in the service as an NCO, but are still qualified pilots, hence the wings.
I have heard of Marine Flying Sergeants. Marine dress blue uniform has a white belt.
Dogsoldier. USMC 64 -- 68. The 6Th Marine Regiment also wears them. I still have the one I was issued back in 64.
2 Gunny Sergeants both showing 12 year hass marks but 1 Gunny with no hass marks, maybe a collage grad that was a wash out from pilot school? just gave him E6 just to make him feel hes not a complete was out. But this was a great movie 1 year before the talky The Jazz Singer came out, Thanks Grimult for puting it out
I was Air Force in the 70's and the only enlisted man who flew a plane was a re-fueler Sergent.
Maybe it was different 50 years ago
Prior to the creation of the rank of flight officer (warrant officer) there were sergeant pilots in the US Army Air Corp. Among the first newly qualified USAAF pilots commissioned to that rank was Brig. General Chuck Yeager. RIP
@@michaelK3148 RIP Chuck Yeager, one of the last pioneers.
The USMC developed and refined close air support before anyone else did
Is this Pensacola or North Island, San Diego? At 17:10 that’s the tip of Point Loma.
Dig those crazy tail draggers!
the flying dance...
Not bad for a nearly 100 year sold movie....
At 38:00, Panama pockets a picture. I remember a picture and some later confusion being involved in the classic, silent, WW I story "Wings", don't I? What's going on here boys? Well, we're gon'a find out, by Gum.
If we like knowing history, also telling is the open racism of the time, with Panama calling the typically Black rest room attendant "Sambo", and that's normal. Of course Blacks need not apply to the flight corps. 'But don't panic. This is no SJW cancel culture party. We aren't going to throw the baby out with the bath water. The American story has it's serious problems and we know it. They show up along side our triumphs and accomplishments like anywhere else. We work on solving those problems and becoming a better people together, just like our forebears did to the best of their ability. What else worth while is there to do? This is a great film to see preserved and shared for a bunch of good reasons. I could go another couple of paragraphs. Thanks, Grimault.
Thanks Grimault and thanks Oliver! Oliver, your point is well-taken...This movie shows the basic goodness and youthful energy that once was America, and can be again, if desired. All that's needed is the will and motivation to go back to this state. Let's hope that we can all find that will and motivation to do so. Cheers!
Ok, great movie, really enjoyed the Capra-esque lost romance. But @ 1:15:45? As if they would take off in the dark in formation! "Hey, look, planes on strings!" At least it wasn't CGI - it was PGS: Paper, Glue, Scissors!
@37:40 - Friendzone: occupant, Panama, in person, not the canal.
Where can i get it (DVD or VHS)?
Excellent students only need 10 hours of flight training..
That’s about what you get now before you solo.
Yeah , different times, different requisite standards .
@@larrykuzniak Huh..hehh...took me better part of 18-20hrs dual before my first supervised solo, back in 1981, in a C-152!! Flight school NW of Tucson in Marana, milked a few of the students to make more money!! Took me a while to piece that together. Sad part was that after I was certified..got my Private Pilots License...only built up about 180hrs of flight time as pilot-in-command...ran out of MONEY..!!
The WW2 Japanese Kamakazi pilots took off with 4-8 hours of training. Of course, their training did not include instructions on landing.
Film makers then and now ignore details far too much. A non stop flight from Pensacola to Managua is over 1250 miles, in planes (Curtis Falcon) with a maximum range of under 650 miles. Later when the plane Lefty is in crashes, it's in a spin and nose-dives into the ground - something nobody could survive, and later it looks like the plane managed to land and both occupants survived the landing.
You can argue it's the story that's important - but in a crash where there could be no survivors, that kinda affects how somebody might be experiencing the story. Sloppy work like that is what ends up with movies where Indiana Jones hitches a ride on a German U-boat halfway across the Mediterranean and the boat never dives and none of the crew notice a hitchhiker hanging out on their vessel.
Mid air refueling, 30 years early.
@@suburban404 I think they had already experimented with mid-air refueling by the time this movie was made. Look up the Fokker C-2A "Question Mark" and Maj. Spaatz.
But that's not the point, "poetic license" is the point. You need to move the movie along so leave out the long boat trip to Nicaragua and just fly them in.
Relax
A Marine calling another Marine "soldier"... never happened, never going to happen!
@Fly Oz Not in real life...ever.
@@keithhunter3910 Yes, yes it did.
@@Mishn0 Yeah...in Hollywood.
I was on active duty USMCR from 69-73 and 2 more years in reserve. No way, no how would any Marine refer to another Marine as "soldier"...unless he meant it as an insult. I knew some pretty old Marines, and they would never, ever call another Marine "soldier".
Virtually any damned fool can become a soldier, a Marine earns the right to be a Marine. Semper Fi To The Day I Die. USMC 74-78.
Fast forward to 2021, there’s war planes that are like drones. Un maned. 😜
Don't you mean "unmanned"?
I soloed after 4-1/2 hours - no, really, I did.
Me to I have the logbook to prove it.
Ah, yes, beautiful Pensacola with its snow capped mountains. LMAO!
Jack Holt was superb. Panama Williams. In person. Not a canal.
Like to see more Jack Holt movies, i'll see what RUclips has
Turned way off at 47:24 and 47:30
1:29:21 Saluting with left hand.
Top Gun 1929
U.S.M.C. after 100 years of same blue A uniform, maybe consider a modern update. Maybe , maybe not. Those uniforms from 1920's look identical to Marine uniforms in 2020's. Even insignia is same. At glance, those NCO's are Marine aviation MOS's.
Two front wast pockets were added somewhere after WWII. Otherwise there isn't any other change. You don't need too when you have the best looking uniform in the world.
@@codyhilton1750 It is a splendid uniform. My favorite class A service uniform is Israeli Defense Forces Land Component. That's right IDF Land does not have a class A uni. They wear clean OD combat uniform at functions. IDF Navy and IAF do have dress slacks and shirt modified Class A without jacket , and even that is for officers only. NCO and enlisted make do with OD fatigues. Simple and inexpensive system. There are no mess uniforms , not even for officers. They figured out that those resplendent uniforms with insignia, awards, badges, chords, brass, just make an individual stand out in crowd ,thus easy to pick out. American Class A service uniforms with rank , branch, insignia, badges, tabs, rockers, chords, award salad, color bands, are basically individual CV and service record. It's kind of silly.
@@dkoz8321 The Marine Corps is simple. No bells and whistles. No sholder platch. Only in WWII when they had six Divisions. Only individual ribbons and medels. Ranks in medal only so they can be removed in combat. Dress Blues are now issued in boot camp. Not in 58 with me. Of course blues are seldom worn until you are in special units. Any uniform changes are very seldom.
@@codyhilton1750 US Armed Forces got it right in late 1930's and 1940's with service universal khaki tropical uni. Best uni in WWII was Ike jacket and slacks. No name tag, no salad, just rank , and service insignia. American uniforms are too flashy, and too heavily influenced by British tradition. Marine Corps Service Green with black subdued insignia is perfect example. It is heavily influenced by British Army and Royal Marines service uniform.
@@dkoz8321 Marine Corps green uniform has Sarlett trim on the chevrons however there isn't any black and never been. The Ike jacket is called the Battle Jacket and was discontinued in the late 50's. I was luckey enough to have one.
RALPH GRAVES CHARACTER ACTS VERY DISRESPECTFULL.... NOT a Bad film.. just my opinion..😊
I hate Hollywood!
At (7:53) Naval air station Pensacola, Florida.
Then at (7:59) Airplane flying past airstrip with mountains in the background!
Have they ever even seen Florida?
Some of the shots look like MCRD San Diego. @38:20 for example.
I was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle, east of Naval Air Station Pensacola. Shux, I even went to Pensacola on a field trip and visited the USS Lexington, an aircraft carrier used for training purposes. Although this part of the movie was situated at Pensacola, there were foothills in the background. There are no foothills near Pensacola. Just wanted you to know.
Maybe used NAS North Island as a stand in.
Satisfying to see real men playing the game wearing no..helmet. Guy probably played rugby as a hobby..
Lewis guns on the plane’s
A Columbia Picture.
I stopped watching at 17:45 when the sergeant calls the trainee "soldier" rather than "marine".
Irish ☘️ free state distribution
Always gotta be a dame. Is it me or were women cuter back then?
Frank Capra is not in this movie
Well, as a director he never did.
He directed and did the dialog.
this should have been called GROUND,not flight,takes more place on the ground not the air.a real ,real talkie.
Capra went to do better than this turkey.
Chewing tobacco- absolutely vile! Spitting all the time makes people look stupid.
USA.life
I missed the anthem part...did the whole team virtue signal and take a knee? if not i can’t mentally process the rest of this film
Games change over time
I hate football. Stupid game..
talk about stupid...anything went during the depression. much like nowadays..anything goes..at any cost to society morals