Al Wilson Movies

No one was surprised in 1929 that aviation mogul Howard R. Hughes would produce a paean to World War I flying aces like Hell's Angels. Given Hughes' comparative inexperience as a moviemaker, however, everyone was taken slightly aback that the finished film was as good as it was. The very American Ben Lyon and James Hall play (respectively) Monte and Roy Rutledge, a couple of British brothers who drop out of Oxford to join the British Royal Flying Corps. Several early scenes establish Lyon and Hall's romantic rivalry over two-timing socialite Helen (Jean Harlow). While flying a dangerous bombing mission over Germany, the brothers are shot down. The commandant (Lucien Prival), who'd earlier been cuckolded by one of the brothers, savors his opportunity for revenge. He offers the boys their freedom if they'll reveal the time of the next British attack; if they don't cooperate, they face unspeakable consequences. Roy, driven mad by his combat experiences, is about to tell all when he is shot and killed by Monte. The latter is himself condemned to a firing squad by the disgruntled commandant -- who, it is implied, will soon meet his own doom at the hands of the British bombers. Nobody really cares about this hoary old plot, however; Hell's Angels culls most of its strength from its crackerjack aerial sequences. The highlight is a Zeppelin raid over London, one of the most hauntingly effective sequences ever put on film. From the first ghost-like appearance of the Zeppelin breaking through the clouds, to the self-sacrificing behavior of the German crew members as they jump to their deaths rather than provide "excess weight," this is a scene that lingers in the memory far longer than all that good-of-the-service nonsense in the finale. Also worth noting is the star-making appearance of Jean Harlow. When Hell's Angels was begun as a silent film, Norwegian actress Greta Nissen played the female lead. During the switchover to sound, producer Hughes decided that her accent was at odds with her characterization, so he reshot her scenes with his latest discovery, Harlow. While she appears awkward in some of her scenes, there's no clumsiness whatsoever in her delivery of the classic line about slipping into "something more comfortable." Originally, Marshall Neilan was signed to direct the film, but became so rattled by Howard Hughes' interference that he handed the reins to Hughes himself, who was in turn given an uncredited assist by Luther Reed. Also ignored in the film's credits are the dialogue contributions by future Frankenstein director James Whale, who'd been hired as the film's English-dialect coach. Modern audiences expecting a musty museum piece are generally surprised by Hell's Angels' high entertainment content: they are also startled by the pre-code frankness of the dialogue, with phrases like "The hell with you" bandied about with reckless abandon. In recent years, archivists have restored the film's two-color Technicolor sequence, providing us with our only color glimpses of the radiant Jean Harlow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Real-life flyboy Al Wilson starred in a string of successful silent aviation epics, of which Air Patrol was typical. Wilson is cast as special agent Al Langdon, at present pursuing elusive gem smuggler Michael Revere (Jack Mower). Going undercover, Langdon joins Revere's gang, and in this capacity is obliged to rescue their beautiful hostage, Mary Lacy (Elsa Benham). When his ruse is discovered, our hero is bound hand-and-foot and locked in a shack, while Revere escapes by air with Mary still in his clutches. But Langdon escapes in time to give chase to Revere, leading to a thrill-packed conclusion high above the clouds. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fans of stunt pilot Al Wilson had no reason for complaint when their favorite flyboy brought forth his 1928 vehicle Won in the Clouds. There's a plot of sorts, as Wilson tries to save the heroine -- and his father's diamond mine -- from the clutches of the villains. Other than that, the film is virtually all action, with most of that action taking place thousands of feet above the clouds. The highlight is a brutal fistfight on the wing of Wilson's plane, with nary a stunt double or process screen to be found anywhere. Won in the Clouds was one of the few Al Wilson films to enjoy a "second life" on the 8-millimeter home-movie market of the 1960s and 1970s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Stunt pilot Al Wilson is right in his element in the Universal actioner Three Miles Up. Wilson plays a former criminal who distinguishes himself as an air ace during WWI. Upon returning home, however, Wilson is unable to get a job, forcing him back into his old crooked ways. Hoping to escape his larcenous cronies, our hero fakes his own death in a parachute accident. The plan goes awry, and Wilson is nearly killed for real. Nursed back to health by the daughter of a former army officer who greatly admires Wilson, the young flyboy vows to go straight -- and he does. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Real-life stunt pilot Al Wilson heads the cast of the aerial melodrama The Flying Mail. Hero Wilson gets into trouble early in proceedings when he's convinced by the crooks that he's gotten married while under the influence of a powerful drug. It's all part of a scheme to keep him grounded while his mail plane is used as a getaway vehicle for a robbery. With the help of heroine Carmelita Geraghty and comic-relief detective Eddie Gribbon, Wilson proves that he's not wed to gun moll Kathleen Myers and that he's been set up as a fall guy by criminal mastermind Harry von Meter. The nail-biting climax finds Wilson and Von Meter duking it out while both are parachuting to earth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Famed stunt flyer Al Wilson was handsome and personable enough to successfully star in a series of fast-moving silent actioners in the 1920s. In The Air Hawk, Wilson plays the titular character, a secret service agent posing as a "regular Joe" flyboy. It is Wilson's task to track down some platinum thieves who have murdered heroine Virginia Browne Faire's father. The film's highlight is a fistfight between Wilson and the chief villain, staged on the wing of a plane in flight. As brave as Al Wilson obviously was in Air Hawk, mention should also be made of the equally fearless cinematographer Bert Longenecker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide