Pirates of the Sky

Pirates of the Sky is a 1926 American silent adventure melodrama film directed by Charles Andrews.[1] The film stars Charles Hutchison, Wanda Hawley and Crauford Kent.[2] In different sources, Pirates of the Sky distributed by Pathé Exchange has conflicting release dates of February 20, 1926 and March 21, 1927.[3][N 1]

Pirates of the Sky
Film poster
Directed byCharles Andrews
Written byElaine Wilmont (story, scenario)
Produced byWilliam Steiner
Starring
CinematographyLeon Shamroy
Production
company
William Steiner Productions (as Hurricane Film Corporation)
Distributed byPathé Exchange
Release date
  • February 20, 1926 (1926-02-20)
Running time
65 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSilent
English intertitles

Plot

Baffled by the mysterious disappearance of a mail plane, the United States Secret Service solicits the aid of Bob Manning (Charles Hutchison), an amateur criminologist. Among the reporters covering the story is Doris Reed (Wanda Hawley), who has previously been engaged to Manning.

Doris watches Manning's house, but Joe Parker and "Slim," two of Bruce Mitchell's gang, are also watching the house. The gang is responsible for the aircraft's disappearance.

Manning goes to her rescue, and both Doris and Manning are captured and taken to a deserted warehouse. Doris convinces gang leader Bruce Mitchell (Crauford Kent) she is working with the criminals.

Manning escapes, however, and with the help of Doris, thwarts the bandits in some daring aerial work. The couple then are happily reunited.

Cast

Production

Male lead Charles Hutchison was known as "Hurricane Hutch", the name of the character he played in three productions.[5]

Reception

Film historian Hugh H. Wynne in The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies (1987) noted that Pirates of the Sky was one of a large group of 1920s and 1930s films where aviation was incidental to the plot, even if the title suggested otherwise.[6]

Pirates of the Sky had an exciting "a repertoire of truly awe-inspiring flying stunts, (where) Manning beats the villains at their own game. Wanda Hawley, a former Cecil B. DeMille leading lady who spent the twilight of her career in inexpensive programmers of this nature, is the fetching heroine, while comic relief is supplied by British music-hall veteran Jimmy Aubrey.[7]

In aviation film historian Stephen Pendo's landmark, Aviation in the Cinema (1985), Pirates of the Sky was not very exciting fare.[8]

References

Notes
  1. Film historian Michael Paris in From the Wright Brothers to Top Gun: Aviation, Nationalism, and Popular Cinema (1995) noted that Pirates of the Sky was one of a number of films that were characterized as 'up-to-date' westerns.[4]

Citations
  1. "Overview: 'Pirates of the Sky' (1926)." TCM.com, 2019. Retrieved: July 16, 2019.
  2. Darby 1991, p. 502.
  3. "Catalog: 'Pirates of the Sky'." Catalog.afi.com, 2019. Retrieved: July 16, 2019.
  4. Paris 1995, p. 64.
  5. "Hurricane Hutch in Many Adventures (1924)." BFI, 2019. Retrieved: July 17, 2019.
  6. Wynne 1987, p. 51.
  7. Erickson, Hal. "Review: 'Pirates of the Skiy'." AllMovie, 2019. Retrieved: July 17, 2019.
  8. Pendo 1985, p. 16.

Bibliography
  • Darby, William. Masters of Lens and Light: A Checklist of Major Cinematographers and Their Feature Films. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1991. ISBN 978-0-58525-089-2.
  • Paris, Michael. From the Wright Brothers to Top Gun: Aviation, Nationalism, and Popular Cinema. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1995. ISBN 978-0-7190-4074-0.
  • Pendo, Stephen. Aviation in the Cinema. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. ISBN 0-8-1081-746-2.
  • 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.
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