User Reviews

WINGS IN THE DARK (Paramount, 1935), directed by James Flood, is an agreeable little story that centers upon a pilot named Ken Gordon (Cary Grant), attempting to perfect instruments for safe flying through darkness and fog. While working with some chemicals, a gas explosion occurs, blinding him before he can ever prove his experiments successful.

Top billing goes to MGM star Myrna Loy, in her first film for Paramount since LOVE ME TONIGHT (1932) where she played the secondary role opposite Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald in the now regarded classic musical. Seeing Loy in this Paramount programmer comes as a surprise, especially since the studio had a roaster of contract players ranging from major names as Sylvia Sidney or Carole Lombard, to less important but familiar actresses as Frances Drake or Mary Brian (all who have worked opposite Grant at one time or another), but for the standpoint of the story as to whom would possibly be more satisfactory and believable in assuming the role as an aviatrix, or whose name on the marque would be important enough to draw attention, Loy, reaching the height of her career, became the chosen one. She is well cast as Sheila Mason, an woman flier whose initial meeting with Ken becomes turbulent, and even more of a problem after Sheila, feeling responsible for his accidental blindness, acquires a seeing eye dog for Ken. As he did earlier with Sheila, Ken, now taking up residence in the country with his faithful mechanic/ friend, Mac (Hobart Cavanaugh), and working on becoming a writer, rejects the faithful German Shepherd, not wanting to be pitied by anyone and to make it on his own. In time he comes to accept both as they each guide him every step of the way. The story finally gets off the ground as Sheila takes a big risk by flying her airplane from Moscow to New York through intense fog and darkness in order to earn back the finances she secretly supplied to Ken as well as putting his experiment to the test. Her flight is broadcast coast to coast on national radio and makes headlines in every major newspaper. When Sheila's plane gets lost through intense fog over Boston, Ken takes control of his airplane, flying blind through the clouds (hense the title), hoping to reach her in time before any danger occurs and lead her to safety.

The supporting players consist of Roscoe Karns as Nick Williams, Sheila's manager; Dean Jagger as Tops Harmon; Bert Hanlon as Yipp Morgan; Russell Hopton as Jake; and radio broadcaster Graham McNamee appearing as himself. Hobart Cavanaugh, a familiar face of countless movies throughout most of the 1930s and '40s, usually appearing without credit from minor to bits parts, ranging from drunks to mousy husbands, plays up his role to good advantage. This, along with I COVER THE WATERFRONT (United Artists, 1933), ranks one of the few opportunities in finding Cavanaugh leading fine support.

Not an important film by any means in spite of a its two leading actors, WINGS IN THE DARK could have been an important project with such a fine premise that might have worked into an powerful and dramatic theme dealing with one man coping with blindness as with John Garfield's character in THE PRIDE OF THE MARINES (Warners, 1945), or a top-notch aviation story combining adventure and romance as with Grant's ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (Columbia, 1939). Grant's skills as a dramatic actor are properly showcased here, especially with one particular key scene where he tries to rehabilitate himself through the course of his blindness, roaming about and bumping into things, along with his rejection towards his seeing eye dog, as enacted by Lightning.

Grant and Loy, in their initial screen performance, are best remembered for their two future unions together, THE BACHELOR AND THE BOBBY SOXER (1947) and MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE (1948), both RKO Radio releases. While these films have become notable comedy classics, thanks to frequent television revivals and availability on video cassette and later DVD, their initial pairing, having played sporadically on commercial television during the afternoon or late night movie era back in the 1960s and 70s, remains in the dark as being their least known of their three on screen partnerships.

Close to being largely forgotten today, WINGS IN THE DARK, which runs at 75 minutes, is cliché at best but watchable, thanks to the know how combination of Myrna Loy and Cary Grant early in their movie careers. A little item from the 1930s worthy of rediscovery now that it's available on DVD. (***)

I noticed that one of the reviewers thought this was one of Cary Grant's and Myrna Loy's best films. Well, I am glad they liked it, but can't see why they were this enthusiastic about a film that looked an awful lot like a B-movie despite having Ms. Loy in the film. Now in 1935, Cary was still not a major star, so his playing lead in this decent time-passer isn't all that surprising. But, with Loy reaching great heights with her THIN MAN film the year before, it's surprising to see her in such an ordinary film. In quality and number of bad clichés, this film isn't nearly the film you'd expect for her in 1935.

The film begins with both stars playing great pilots. Loy is a barnstormer while Grant is more sophisticated and is famous for his heroics and aviation pioneering work. Loy is clearly smitten by him, though he has little idea who she is. When Grant suffers a terrible eye injury that blinds him, she comes to his aid and he comes to love her. However, he's a bit of a fat-head about accepting help from her at first, so she secretly helps fund his research, as now that he's blind no one wants to risk the funds on his idea to perfect "flying blind"--no, not letting blind folks fly but allowing pilots to fly in foggy weather that would normally ground them.

The romance aspect of the film is pretty good and the film is an amiable movie until near the very end. In a very difficult to believe twist, blind Cary flies up to save Loy! And, in a scene that made me want to scream, although he had just announced his intention to kill himself due to his blindness, in the final scene (where Loy saved him from this), Cary announces "I am beginning to see!!!!"--and his blindness is lifting!! I half expected to hear a chorus of angels and the sky open up with this abysmally clichéd finale. Before this terrible ending, the film would have earned a 6 or maybe 7. BUT, with this finale I think I am being very generous in giving it a 5.

By the way, this is on the same DVD as "Cary Grant: Disc 2--The Screen Legend Collection. I advise you try to get it, as the other film (BIG BROWN EYES) is a wonderful and seldom seen gem.

A rather preposterous melodrama on the surface, WINGS IN THE DARK manages to retain a surprising amount of credibility due to solid direction and convincing performances. The far-fetched storyline of a recently blinded pilot Ken Gordon (Cary Grant) relying on newly-created aviation software to guide fellow pilot and girlfriend Sheila Mason (Myrna Loy) through deadly fog is brimming full with gaping plot holes and ham-fisted dialogue, which typically spell serious trouble for most productions. However, the film is salvaged, and even made thoroughly enjoyable, by the compelling, believable performances of Loy and Grant and director James Flood's brisk direction, which moves the picture along at a steady rate and helps to minimize much of the script's potential schmaltz. The combined efforts of Loy, Grant, and Flood make an entertaining and sometimes compelling little aviation drama out of what could have been a total disaster, which is quite an amazing feat on each individual's part!

Copyright 1 February 1935 by Paramount Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Paramount: 1 February 1935. Australian release: 8 May 1935. Sydney opening at the Prince Edward: 4 May 1935 (ran 2 weeks). 8 reels. 75 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Ken Gordon is a flier attempting to perfect instruments for safe flying in the dark or fog. Sheila Mason, barnstorming sky-writing stunter, managed by Nick Williams, falls in love with him. Her affection is coldly received. At the moment when triumph for his devices seems just ahead, Gordon is blinded by a gas explosion.

Gordon, who has retired to the country accompanied only by his faithful mechanic, Mac, gets a seeing-eye dog to lead him around. Trying to be a writer, but only getting rejection slips, he never knows that the checks he cashes are the result of Sheila's taking any kind of a breakneck job that manager Williams can conceive.

COMMENT: Attractive photography by William Mellor on the ground and Dewey Wrigley in the air; but otherwise this is a somewhat less than routine suds opera, pedestrianly directed by James Flood. Admittedly, the script is no help. It's one of those turns in which the characters stand around and talk a lot, but actually say nothing of real interest at all.

The movie starts off quite promisingly too. The director gives the opening scenes extra liveliness by using a large number of camera set-ups, employing angles that are very smoothly edited. The players are not unattractive either. This first teaming of Loy and Grant (later to pair in such box-office winners as The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer and Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House) has considerable curiosity value.

Alas, once the Grant character goes blind, the soap opera takes over, leading direction, performances - and audience interest - right down into a deep, dark decline.

Long before "The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer" and "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dreamhouse", Myrna Loy and Cary Grant were paired only once together, in this somewhat unbelievable aerial drama about a cocky thrill pilot (Grant) who suddenly looses his eyesight in a freak accident and with the help of fellow pilot Loy and pal Roscoe Karns, ends up back in the cockpit. Loy, playing a variation of Amelia Earhart and Katharine Hepburn's "Christopher Strong", tries to break a transit record, and in the climactic sequence, is believed missing. The blind Grant sets out to find her, leading to one of the most ridiculous abuses of reality on film.

Best known for comedy, the two have proved themselves in dramatic roles, so that is not the issue here. What is obvious is that they are playing a story that needs far more reality than the script delivered, so the result is as absurd as anything you've seen on film. Grant starts off as rather obnoxious; In fact, there's nothing in his character to suggest, other than his looks, that Loy would fall in love with him. But once blind, he looses all hope, even initially rejecting the seeing eye dog Loy and Karns bring him. This leads to sequences of obvious "cuteness", and how can you not love this Rin-Tin-Tin pooch. But the star power of the leads and the dog aside, I have to mark this one as a disappointment that fails even in spite of some thrilling flight scenes and bits of amusing dialog.

"Wings in the Dark" is a very good drama and romance, with one of Myrna Loy's better dramatic roles. While billed as an adventure, the film is a sort of heroine film and fictional story of an aviation inventor. It has some very good flying scenes and a final nail-biting drama in the air.

Myrna Loy stars as Sheila Mason, the daring female barnstorming pilot. She will take about any job from sky-writing with smoke, to circus shows and county fairs, to daring bridge passes. Cary Grant's famous Ken Gordon, a pilot and inventor, has developed an instrument control system that would allow a blind person to fly and land a plane. He plans to make such a trans-Atlantic flight with his plane's windows covered. But a small stove lighting accident blinds him.

Mason and Gordon's partner and mechanic, Mac (played by Hobart Cavanaugh) keep encouraging Gordon to write and work on his invention. And, unbeknownst to him, Mason flies extra gigs to raise the money to keep him going. When the aviation company that had loaned him the plane for his tests reclaims the plane, Mason takes up a challenge that their friend and occasional promoter Nick Williams, arranged. She will fly non-stop from Moscow to New York in a large well-equipped plane sponsored by an oil company. Her payoff would be $25,000.

The gig gets international attention and press coverage. People listen in on their radios to the latest updates of Sheila Mason's whereabouts. But she runs into heavy fog on the last leg from Boston to New York, and with a dwindling fuel supply, she has no way to tell where she is. Gordon and Mac race to the hanger where the aviation company had reclaimed his plane. He takes off, flying blind, gets in the vicinity where Sheila's plane should be, contacts her on the radio and tells her to climb above the clouds. When she sees him above the clouds, he tells her to close in on him and follow him down through the fog and for a safe landing.

Myrna Loy had top billing for this film over Cary Grant, and it was her film all the way. Grant's star was firmly set by 1935, and so was Loy's. Grant would get top billing in their next two films together. Those were the first-rate comedy-romance films, "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer" of 1947, and "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" of 1948.

Here are some favorite lines from this film.

Nick Williams, "Now look, there's a little joint out in New Jersey, see, and they got a bridge." Sheila Mason, "And they want somebody to fly under it." Williams, "Yes" Mason, "What'd they build the bridge for anyway?" Williams, "Civic Pride. Now look, you can do it with your eyes closed - about 20 feet high and 40 feet wide and a nice little river underneath." Mason, "That's in case I miss?" Williams, "You can't miss. After that all you gotta do is a parachute jump." Mason, "Oh, that's all?" Williams, "Sure!" Mason, "Is that, uh, before the bridge or after the bridge, or under the bridge?" Williams, "Now, Sheila, it's a cinch." Mason, "Okay."

Sheila Mason, "What time does this cinch take place?" Nick Williams, "Four o'clock - the sun's right at your back." Mason, "You think of everything, don't you?" Top Harmon, "Why don't ya hire this guy to shoot ya, Sheila - save a little trouble?" Williams, "Ahh, quiet, Top."

The only thing good about being stuck in the house due to the Coronavirus is catching up with movies. This is especially true when it comes to seeing films of Myrna Loy that have escaped me. Including Wings In The Dark. Now is it the best movie of hers ( or for that matter Cary Grant)? Not even close ( in fact it is not their best aviation pictures ( Test Pilot with Loy and Only Angels Have Wings with Grant are superior). But it is still worthwhile ( especially because it is a rarity ( based on the few comments here)). This is film 55 of hers that I am have seen ( I am not counting movies where she was an extra ( like the silent Ben Hur). As for the movie she plays aviator Sheila Mason, and Grant plays aviator Ken Gordon who loses his sight. Some of the best scenes involve a seeing eye dog that Sheila gives Ken. The dog really attaches himself to Ken to such an extent, he cannot get rid of him ( even though he wants to). Spoilers ahead: trying to get $25,000 Sheila goes on a solo flight from Moscow to Roosevelt Field, New York ( a place I grew up very close to), but she cannot land because of thick fog, so despite being blind, Ken goes up in his plane to bring her down. He admits he loves her but he wants to die after getting her down. However when they get down she crashes her plane into his so he cannot. When they are leaving someone snaps a picture and he can see the light from the bulb so his sight is coming back, as they embrace as the movie ends. I am one who thinks Loy ( after the dog of course) is best, but I am a Myrna fan, so I am biased. But, you are a fan of hers, Grant's or even aviation, you should look for it, especially because you can catch this movie online. Again, a good movie. 8/10 stars.