Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery

Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery

Directed by	Ray Taylor
Produced by	Henry MacRae
Written by	Raymond Cannon (screenplay) Ella O'Neill (screenplay) Basil Dickey Robert Hershon George H. Plympton Hal Forrest (comic strip)
Starring	Clark Williams Jean Rogers Noah Beery, Jr.
Music by	David Klatzkin Clifford Vaughan Oliver Wallace
Cinematography	Richard Fryer Leonard Galezio John Hickson William A. Sickner
Edited by	Albert Akst Saul A. Goodkind Alvin Todd Edward Todd
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	March 5, 1935 (1935-03-05)
Running time	15 chapters (300 min)
Country	United States
Language	English

Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery is a 12-episode 1935 Universal movie serial based on the Tailspin Tommy comic strip by Hal Forrest and starring Clark Williams, Jean Rogers and Noah Beery, Jr.. The picture was the 96th of the 137 serials released by the studio (the 28th of which to be made with sound).^[1]

Plot

"Tailspin" Tommy (Clark Williams) and his fellow pilots prevent a group of corrupt businessmen, Manuel Casmetto (Herbert Heywood) and Horace Raymore (Matthew Betz ) from stealing Nazil Island's oil reserves. They are aided in their efforts by news reporter Milt Howe (Pat J. O'Brien). When Tommy is triumphant, he also finds he has a movie contract.

Chapter titles

Wreck of the Dirigible
The Roaring Fire God
Hurled from the Skies
A Bolt from the Blue
The Torrent
Flying Death
The Crash in the Clouds
Wings of Disaster
Crossed and Double Crossed
The Dungeon of Doom
Desperate Changes
The Last Stand

_Source:^[2]

Cast

Clark Williams as "Tailspin" Tommy Tompkins
Jean Rogers as Betty Lou Barnes, one of "Tailspin" Tommy's companions
Delphine Drew as Inez Casmetto
Noah Beery, Jr. as Skeeter Milligan, one of "Tailspin" Tommy's companions
Bryant Washburn as Ned Curtis, Betty's uncle and a heroic oil tycoon
Pat J. O'Brien as Milt Howe, a masked mystery plot known as The Eagle and El Condor
Herbert Heywood as Manuel Casmetto, villainous half-brother of Don Alvarado Casmetto
Matthew Betz as Horace Raymore, villainous oil tycoon
Paul Ellis as Enrico Garcia, Don Casmetto secretary and Manuel Casmetto's henchman
Harry Worth as Don Alvarado Casmetto, Nazil Island's ruler
Manuel López as Gomez
Charles A. Browne as Paul Smith
James P. Burtis as Bill McGuire, a reporter
Frank Mayo as the Dirigible Captain
Frank Clarke as a flyer, billed as "Air Ace Frank Clark"

Production

Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery used a number of aircraft including a Fleet biplane, a Stearman C3 and a Fairchild cabin monoplane.^[3] A mock-up of a dirigible included an interior section.^[4]

Stunts

Frank Clarke, stunt pilot
George DeNormand

Critical reception

Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery is considered to be an improvement on the previous Tailspin Tommy serial.^[5]^[6]

References

Notes

↑ Weiss and Goodgold 1973, p. 74.
↑ Cline 1984, p. 213.
↑ Wynne 1987, p. 107.
↑ Farmer 1984, p. 330.
↑ "DVD Serial Review." In The Balcony, December 30, 2008. Retrieved: November 1, 2014.
↑ Blake, Jerry. "Serial review." filesofjerryblake.netfirms.com, December 30, 2008. Retrieved: November 1, 2014.

Bibliography

Cline, William C. "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. Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: Tab Books Inc., 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.

External links

Universal serials

Serials

Silent Serials (1914-1929)	Lucille Love, Girl of Mystery The Master Key The Trey o' Hearts The Black Box The Broken Coin Graft Under the Crescent The Adventures of Peg o' the Ring Liberty The Mystery Ship The Red Ace The Gray Ghost The Voice on the Wire The Brass Bullet Bull's Eye The Lion's Claws Lure of the Circus The Red Glove The Great Radium Mystery The Lion Man The Midnight Man The Flaming Disc The Moon Riders King of the Circus The Vanishing Dagger The Dragon's Net The Diamond Queen Do or Die The Secret Four Terror Trail The White Horseman Winners of the West The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe In the Days of Buffalo Bill Perils of the Yukon The Radio King With Stanley in Africa Around the World in Eighteen Days Beasts of Paradise The Eagle's Talons The Ghost City In the Days of Daniel Boone The Oregon Trail The Phantom Fortune The Social Buccaneer The Steel Trail The Fast Express The Fighting Ranger The Iron Man The Riddle Rider Wolves of the North Ace of Spades The Great Circus Mystery The Scarlet Streak Fighting with Buffalo Bill Strings of Steel The Winking Idol Blake of Scotland Yard The Fire Fighters The Return of the Riddle Rider The Trail of the Tiger Whispering Smith Rides Haunted Island Tarzan the Mighty The Vanishing Rider The Diamond Master A Final Reckoning The Pirate of Panama

Part-sound Serials (1929-1930)	The Ace of Scotland Yard Tarzan the Tiger The Jade Box The Lightning Express Terry of the Times The Indians Are Coming

Pre-war Sound Serials (1931-1942)	Finger Prints Heroes of the Flames Danger Island Battling with Buffalo Bill The Spell of the Circus Detective Lloyd The Airmail Mystery Heroes of the West The Jungle Mystery The Lost Special Clancy of the Mounted The Phantom of the Air Gordon of Ghost City The Perils of Pauline Pirate Treasure The Vanishing Shadow The Red Rider Tailspin Tommy Rustlers of Red Dog The Call of the Savage The Roaring West Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery The Adventures of Frank Merriwell Flash Gordon The Phantom Rider Ace Drummond Jungle Jim Secret Agent X-9 Wild West Days Radio Patrol Tim Tyler's Luck Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars Flaming Frontiers Red Barry Scouts to the Rescue Buck Rogers The Oregon Trail The Phantom Creeps The Green Hornet Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe Winners of the West Junior G-Men The Green Hornet Strikes Again! Sky Raiders Riders of Death Valley Sea Raiders

War-time Serials (1942-1945)	Don Winslow of the Navy Gang Busters Junior G-Men of the Air Overland Mail The Adventures of Smilin' Jack Don Winslow of the Coast Guard Adventures of the Flying Cadets The Great Alaskan Mystery Raiders of Ghost City Mystery of the River Boat Jungle Queen The Master Key Secret Agent X-9

Post-war Serials (1945-1946)	The Royal Mounted Rides Again The Scarlet Horseman Lost City of the Jungle The Mysterious Mr. M

See also

Film serials List of film serials List of film serials by studio

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