Aerial Gunner

Aerial Gunner is a 1943 American black-and-white World War II propaganda film produced by William C. Thomas and William H. Pine, who also directed. The film stars Chester Morris, Richard Arlen, and Jimmy Lydon. This was the first feature film directed by Pine, who produced other films through his company, Pine-Thomas Productions. Aerial Gunner was distributed by Paramount Pictures.[1]

This article is about the 1943 film. For other uses, see Air gunner.
Aerial Gunner
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWilliam H. Pine
Written byMaxwell Shane
Based onan idea suggested by Jack F. Dailey
Produced byWilliam H. Pine
William C. Thomas
StarringChester Morris
Richard Arlen
Jimmy Lydon
CinematographyFred Jackman Jr.
Edited byWilliam H. Ziegler
Music byDaniele Amfitheatrof
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
9 May 1943
Running time
78 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Policeman Jon Davis (Richard Arlen) informs "Foxy" Pattis (Chester Morris) at his shooting gallery, that his criminal father has died. Foxy blames all policemen, feeling they harassed him all his life and were responsible for his death. John Davis enlists and "Foxy" Pattis is drafted into the United States Army Air Forces where Foxy becomes the instructor at an aerial gunnery school. He makes life miserable for Jon, now a "Flying Sergeant" student, trying to force the former policeman to resign.

Despite Foxy's hostility, Jon is able to pass the course. He later befriends a young Texas gunnery candidate, Sandy (Jimmy Lydon), whose father was an airman killed at Hickam Field during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Sandy invites Jon and Foxy to his family's ranch, where both men fall for Sandy's sister Peggy (Amelita Ward).

After graduation, Jon is commissioned as a lieutenant and is assigned as a pilot of a light bomber, with many of his classmates now his crew. A belligerent Foxy serves as his gunner and is not accepted as a team player by the other members of the aircrew. During a bombing mission against the Japanese, however, he makes the ultimate sacrifice in trying to protect the other crew members when the bomber is shot down behind enemy lines.

Cast

Production

The film was announced in August 1942 and was based on an idea by Army lieutenant Jack Dailey, who had worked in public relations for Paramount; after joining the service, he worked in public relations for Harlingen Air Force Base.[3][4] It became a vehicle for Richard Arlen and Chester Morris, who were the two top stars of Pine-Thomas Productions.[5]

In October, Jimmy Lydon, who played Harry Aldrich in a series of B movies for Paramount, joined the cast. William Pine directed; it was his first film, though he had directed several wartime propaganda shorts. Thomas announced he would direct Alaska Highway, but he ended up not doing it, making his directorial debut on a different feature.[6]

The use of USAAF aircraft in the film elevated Aerial Gunner from the standard B film of the era.[7]

Principal photography for Aerial Gunner by the Paramount Pictures Pine-Thomas Productions unit took place over from October 21 to mid-November 1942.[8] Location work was done at the air gunner training school at Harlingen Air Force Base, Texas. Many of the USAAF trainees from the base are used in the film as extras.[9]

Lita Ward made her film debut as the female lead. She lived in Texas and was cast while the film was shooting on location.[10]

With the assistance of the USAAF, aerial scenes featured North American T-6 Texan and Beech AT-11 Kansan trainers at Harlingen Air Force Base, and Lockheed B-34 Lexington bombers. The use of operational aircraft lent an air of authenticity to this low-budget B film feature, although a number of ground scenes that were later added had to rely on studio rear projection work.[7]

The film was rushed into theatrical release to beat another World War II feature to theaters, which focused on a B-17 Flying Fortress air crew, Howard Hawks' production of Air Force (1943). Paramount authorized an extra $75,000 to help promote Aerial Gunner.[11]

Reception

Aerial Gunner had its world premiere on May 9, 1943, at Harlingen Air Force Base, where much of the film is set.[12][13][14] Other premieres at major cities followed.

Box Office

The film was very popular in army camps, despite being a relatively low budget B film.[15]

Critical

Reception by film critics was mixed, with Kate Cameron of The New York Daily News describing the film as the "most ambitious picture" that Paramount producers William Pine and William Thomas had turned out.[14]

Bosley Crowther completely disagreed in his review for The New York Times; he dismissed the effort as nothing more than "... heroics for the bumpkins in one-syllable clichés. There are a few interesting sequences in it of training at an aerial gunnery school and some routine, but always pretty pictures of planes climbing up and setting down. But never do they rise above the ceiling prescribed by a normal B-film. This is strictly a picture for the shooting-gallery trade".[16]

The Chicago Daily Tribune called the film "a forthright little number very well acted and directed".[17]

The Los Angeles Times called it "well acted...perhaps it is a little too grim".[18]

Pine-Thomas were so impressed with the performance by Morris that they signed him to a new three-picture contract, which began after Tornado.[19]

References

Notes
  1. Later film stars Kirk Alyn and Jeff Corey make uncredited appearances.[2]

Citations
  1. "Aerial Gunner." London: Monthly Film Bulletin, Vol. 10, Issue 109, January 1, 1943, p. 62.
  2. "Cast: Aerial Gunner (1943)." IMDb. Retrieved: August 27, 2014.
  3. "Aerial; Funner starts shooting at Texas field." Variety, October 28, 1942, p. 20.
  4. "Screen news here and in Hollywood: Paramount will make 'Night Plane From Chungking'; Chester Morris Cast." The New York Times, August 6, 1942, p. 23.
  5. "Drama: Cesar Romero to Play 'Coney Island' threat. Los Angeles Times, September 15, 1942, p. 13.
  6. "Film Assignments." The Christian Science Monitor, October 27, 1942, p. 14.
  7. Hardwick and Schnepf 1989, p. 51.
  8. "Original Print Information: Aerial Gunner (1943)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: August 27, 2014.
  9. Orriss 1984, p. 72.
  10. Schallert, Edwin. "Drama: Texas again supplies photogenic beauty; Another sister debuts; Male Stars Get 'Breaks'; Naval Officer 'Find'; 'Cyclone'; Much Astir Hitler Satire on Way." Los Angeles Times, November 2, 1942, p. 18.
  11. "Inside Stuff." Variety, February 24, 1943, p. 21.
  12. "Aerial Gunner Preem." Variety, May 12, 1943, p. 17.
  13. "Take Part in Texas Premiere." The Washington Post, June 12, 1943, p. B4.
  14. Orriss 1984, p. 73.
  15. "Stage Door Canteen Fave in Camps/ Variety, July 14, 1943, p. 4.
  16. Crowther, Bosley. "Aerial Gunner (1943): The screen." The New York Times, June 26, 1943.
  17. Tinee, Mae. "Aerial Gunner: an interesting little 'B' film." Chicago Daily Tribune, October 10, 1943, p. E8.
  18. Scott, John. "Paramounts Pair Music, War Films." Los Angeles Times, June 18, 1943, p. 15.
  19. Schallert, Edwin. "Drama and Film: Young Producer Plans Hollywood Invasion; Chester Morris Wins Three-Picture Contract With Pine and Thomas/" Los Angeles Times, March 16, 1943, p. 13.

Bibliography
  • Hardwick, Jack and Ed Schnepf. "A Viewer's Guide to Aviation Movies". The Making of the Great Aviation Films, General Aviation Series, Volume 2, 1989.
  • Orriss, Bruce. When Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Aviation Film Classics of World War II. Hawthorne, California: Aero Associates Inc., 1984. ISBN 0-9613088-0-X.
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