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Devil Dogs of the Air
Devil Dogs of the Air
	Theatrical poster
Directed by	Lloyd Bacon
Written by	Malcolm Stuart Boylan; Earl Baldwin; John Monk Saunders (original story)
Produced by	Hal B. Wallis; Jack L. Warner (Executive producer); Lou Edelman (Associate producer)
Starring	James Cagney; Pat O'Brien
Cinematography	Arthur Edeson
Edited by	William Clemens
Music by	Leo F. Forbstein
Production; company	Warner Brothers Pictures (A Cosmopolitan Production)
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	February 9, 1935 (US);
Running time	86 (90) minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$385,000 (estimated)
Box office	$1,685,000 (worldwide rentals)

Devil Dogs of the Air (a.k.a. Flying Marines) is a 1935 Warner Bros. film, directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring James Cagney and Pat O'Brien, playing similar roles as close friends after making their debut as a "buddy team" in Here Comes the Navy.^{[N 1]} Devil Dogs of the Air was the second of nine features that James Cagney and Pat O'Brien made together.^{[N 2]} The film's storyline was adapted from a novel by John Monk Saunders.

Plot

Lieut. Bill Brannigan (Pat O'Brien) learns friend and hotshot pilot Thomas Jefferson "Tommy" O'Toole (James Cagney), the self-styled "world's greatest aviator", is joining the USMC Reserve Aviator training program. O'Toole arrives at San Diego and promptly starts to move in on Brannigan's love interest, Betty Roberts (Margaret Lindsay), the daughter of the owner of the nearby Happy Landings Cafe. In typical cocky fashion, O'Toole antagonizes nearly everyone else.

Although not temperamentally suited for the military, Tommy completes primary training and after surviving an accident he caused by running out of fuel, eventually realizes that he is willing to change.

Bill is assigned as his instructor, and on the first flight together, when Tommy begins to do some stunt flying, the aircraft has to be abandoned when it catches on fire. Bill bales out, but Tommy defies orders and lands the aircraft, making him a hero. Tommy performs his first solo flight perfectly and then browbeats Betty into attending the solo flight party with him. Bill is not amused.

After a competition in the air with his friend Brannigan flying together, a midair emergency takes place, but it is Bill who saves the aircraft. Tommy makes a good landing, and finds Betty waiting for him. Although their friendship is restored, Bill realizes that Tommy has won Betty and arranges a transfer to another base.

Cast

James Cagney as Thomas Jefferson "Tommy" O'Toole
Pat O'Brien as Lieut. William R. "Bill" Brannigan
Margaret Lindsay as Betty Roberts
Frank McHugh as "Crash" Kelly
John Arledge as "Mac" Macintosh
Helen Lowell as Ma Roberts
Robert Barrat as Commandant
Russell Hicks as Captain
William B. Davidson (as William Davidson) as Adjutant, a captain
Ward Bond as Jimmy, senior instructor
Bill Elliott (as Gordon Elliott) as Instructor
Olive Jones as Mrs. Brown
David Newell as Lieut. Brown
Helen Flint as Mrs. Johnson
Harry Seymour as Officer
Newton House as Officer
Ralph Nye as Officer
Selmer Jackson as Officer
Bill Beggs as Officer
Robert Spencer as Bob
Bud Flanagan as Student
Don Turner as Student
Dick French as Student
Charles Sherlock as Student
Carlyle Blackwell Jr.as Messenger

Production

Principal photography starting on October 1, 1934, was based at the US Naval Base San Diego. Paul Mantz did the aerial stunts for Cagney. One of the featured squadrons stationed there, Marine Attack Squadron 231 (VMA-231) after returning to San Diego in 1928, had traded in its World War I-era O2B-1s for new Curtiss F8C-1s and F8C-3s, which were soon redesignated OC-1s and OC-2s. Equipped with Vought O3U-6 Corsairs, the squadron continued to operate from San Diego and participated in the annual Fleet Problems, operating from the carriers USS Langley, USS Ranger, and USS Saratoga at different times. Shortly after receiving the F8C/OCs, the squadron, along with VO-10M took part in the filming of the 1929 movie Flight and later, prominently appeared in the Devil Dogs of the Air.

The rare U.S. Marine Corps Curtiss RC-1 air ambulance, A-8864, made an appearance in the film.^[3] Other unusual types that appear in the film include:

Loening OL-8 two-seat amphibian biplane
Travel Air D-4000 civilian stunt biplane
Vought O2U Corsair two-seat scout biplane
Boeing F4B single-seat pursuit biplane
Ford Trimotor multi-passenger transport
Douglas Dolphin^[4]

Maneuvers (wargames) by the United States Navy and the USMC are the actual "stars" of the movie. In the film, the USN represented the BLUE Force while the enemy was the BROWN Force. ^{[N 3]}

Reception

Released in an era of patriotic films with overt propaganda themes that set the scene for war preparations, Devil Dogs of the Air received a mildly appreciative public acceptance.^[5] Although it had a major release in 1935, the film was re-released in 1941, just before America's entry into World War II, again finding a receptive audience.^[6] Critic Leonard Maltin described it as a "tiresome potboiler with Marine Air Corps rivalry between Cagney and O'Brien. Their personalities and good stunt-flying scenes are the only saving grace."^[7] Mainly considered hackneyed, it was best considered an aviation film and today, represents an authentic look at the period.^[4]

Box office

According to Warner Bros records, Devil Dogs of the Air earned $1,185,000 domestically and $504,000 foreign.^[2]

References

Notes

^ The film's tagline was: "Bigger Than Here Comes The Navy."
^ Cagney and O'Brien were lifelong close friends in real life.
^ The BROWN Force in WAR PLAN ORANGE actually was the ORANGE Force, Imperial Japan.

Citations

^ ^a ^b Glancy, H. Mark. "Warner Bros Film Grosses, 1921–51: the William Schaefer ledger." Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Volume 15, 1995.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger." Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Appendix 1, 1995, p. 15:sup1, 1-31 p 16 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
^ "Curtiss K through Z." Aerofiles. Retrieved: March 20, 2011.
^ ^a ^b Brooks, Marcus. "Aviation Movie: Devil Dogs of the Air." Area 42, December 13, 2010. Retrieved: March 20, 2011.
^ Beck, Sanderson. "Devil Dogs of the Air." Movie Mirrors, 2001. Retrieved: 20 March 2011.
^ Erickson, Hal. "Review: 'Devil Dogs of the Air'." AllMovie GUide, 2011. Retrieved: March 20, 2011.
^ "Review: 'Devil Dogs of the Air'." TCM, 2019. Retrieved: March 20, 2011.

Bibliography

Dolan, Edward F. Jr. Hollywood Goes to War. London: Bison Books, 1985. ISBN 0-86124-229-7.
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.
Rottman, Gordon L. U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle: Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 - 1945.. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2002. ISBN 0-313-31906-5.
Sherrod, Robert. History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Combat Forces Press, 1952.