Central Airport

Director: William A. Wellman William A. Wellman

Overview

Aerial footage distinguishes this romantic-triangle melodrama set among pilots in a flying circus. Jill (Sally Eilers) loves Jim (Richard Barthelmess), but he insists that fliers shouldn't marry, so the disappointed Jill marries his younger brother Neil (Tom Brown) instead. The resulting tensions disrupt their lives and careers. Bit-part alert: Watch for John Wayne as Neil's co-pilot.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/02/2010
UPC:	0883316232392
Original Release:	1933
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:15:00
Sales rank:	48,465

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Richard Barthelmess	James 'Jim' Blaine
Tom Brown	Neil 'Bud' Blaine
Sally Eilers	Jill Collins
Grant Mitchell	Mr. Blaine
John Wayne	Co-Pilot in Wreck
James Murray	Eddie
Claire McDowell	Mrs. Blaine
Willard Robertson	Havana Manager
Arthur Vinton	Amarillo Manager
Charles Sellon	Man in Wreck
Glenda Farrell	Girl in wreck
Harold Huber	Swarthy Man

Technical Credits

James Seymour

Rian James

Fred Jackman	Special Effects
Hal B. Wallis	Producer
William A. Wellman	Director
James Seymour	Screenwriter
Frank Jackman	Special Effects
Rian James	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Someone once remarked that Hollywood movies weren't so much made as remade, or words to that effect. One of the most often "remade" stories was the one about two friends in love with the same girl. Sometimes, as in Central Airport, they were brothers even, but whatever their familial relationship, they were always engaged in jobs calling for bravery and excitement: airline pilots, stevedores, linesmen, and even tuna fishermen. Usually star billing would denote the outcome, but not always, and Central Airport remains as one of the exceptions. Director William Wellman flew with the famous Lafayette Escadrille during World War I and the flying scenes are top-notch, as you would expect. The drama, however, comes to a screeching halt once the cast is back on solid ground, but that, too, is par for the course. An entire scene depicting the outcome of the crash of a passenger plane was omitted prior to release lest the public should doubt the safety of air travel, and such performers as Glenda Farrell and John Vosper consequently ended up on the cutting room floor.

All Movie Guide - Hans J. Wollstein