Men with Wings
| Men with Wings | |
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Photobook image derived from theatrical poster
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| Directed by | William A. Wellman |
| Produced by | William A. Wellman William LeBaron (Executive Producer) |
| Written by | Robert Carson |
| Starring |
Fred MacMurray Ray Milland Louise Campbell |
| Music by | Boris Morros |
| Cinematography |
W. Howard Greene Charles A. Marshall |
| Edited by | Thomas Scott |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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105 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2 million |
Men With Wings is a 1938 American Technicolor film, directed by William A. Wellman and starring Fred MacMurray, Ray Milland, and Louise Campbell. Donald O'Connor also has a small part as the younger version of MacMurray's character. The two would soon star in the film Sing You Sinners together along with Bing Crosby.
In 1903, the Wright Brothers set the scene for aviation's advances and influence barnstormer, Pat Falconer (Fred MacMurray) and his friend, engineer Scott Barnes (Ray Milland). Falconer marries childhood sweetheart Peggy Ransom (Louise Campbell) although Barnes also loves her, but is unwilling to jeopardize his relationship with his friend.
During World War I, Falconer becomes a fighter pilot and after the war continues to fly by "the seat-of-his-pants" rather than do the methodical work of flight research like Barnes. As the 1930s come to a close, restless Falconer leaves his family and friend behind, taking off for China to fight Japanese invaders.
For Men with Wings, Wellman was able to utilize a vast amount of talent and resources to stage the epic. Besides the impressive array of movie talent, the film was one of the first Hollywood productions to utilize the Technicolor three-strip camera process pioneered by the Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation.
Wellman had a special affinity to both the story and aviation in general. In World War I, earning himself the nickname "Wild Bill", Wellman was first an ambulance driver in the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps, then joined the French Foreign Legion. On December 3, 1917, assigned as the first American fighter pilot to join N.87 escadrille in the Lafayette Flying Corps, Wellman went on to score three recorded "kills", along with five probables and to receive the Croix de Guerre with two palms.
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Wikipedia