Emergency Landing

1941

1h 4m

IMDb RATING

5.8/10

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Romance

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A test pilot and his weather observer develop a "robot" control so airplanes can be flown without pilots, but enemy agents get wind of it and try to steal it or destroy it.

Directors

William Beaudine

Writers

Martin Mooney(screenplay by)

Martin Mooney(screenstory by)

Stars

Forrest Tucker

Carol Hughes

Evelyn Brent

See production, box office & company info

Top cast

Jerry Barton

Betty Lambert

Maude Lambert

'Doc' Williams

George B. Lambert

Jones

Pedro

Karl

Otto

Judge

Capt. North

Col. Lemon

Radio Operator on Field

Budd Buster

'Pappy' Clayton

Jack Gardner

Radio Operator on Plane

Joe Hartman

Cowboy Offering Help

Directors

William Beaudine

Writers

Martin Mooney(screenplay by)

Martin Mooney(screenstory by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Though I greatly dislike dogs (I'm a cat person), I have always admired their loyalty--definitely an underrated trait in the fickle, Johnny-come-lately environment of 2016 society. This film (which was titled 'Robot Pilot' in my Mill Creek 50-pack called 'Nightmare Worlds') started rather slowly, and I didn't think I was going to end up liking it. Though director Beaudine had made a ton of films (he has over 370 directing credits on IMDb), I had only previously seen his 'The Old Fashioned Way', from 1934 and starring W.C. Fields, which I had absolutely loved. So I was patient with it, even though Thornton Edwards' character 'Pedro' was crassly demeaning to Mexicans, and many early sequences that featured him were glaringly awful. I had also loved Evelyn Brent, who had IMHO been an outstandingly sexy and provocative presence in two of Josef von Sternberg's silent masterpieces ('Underworld' and 'The Last Command'), and it intrigued me to see her this much after those glory days. I am glad that I stuck with the film. The last two-thirds more than made up for the picture's slow start, and ended up combining a then-topical plotline of enemy foreign agents stealing an experimental plane with a fun, enjoyable and entertainingly comical subplot 'morality tale' of the airplane manufacturer's spoiled daughter being made a prisoner for stealing gasoline and getting her comeuppance. Beaudine's taut direction cleverly brought together the disparate threads into a satisfying whole--and the hilarious ending made my belly ache from laughter. If you can handle B-pictures from the 30's and 40's and the aforementioned slow start, it's well worth your time and you won't be disappointed.

talisencrw15 Apr, 2016