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Jim loses his job at Drake when he clashes with the owner. He gets a job with another outfit, flying a very experimental aircraft. Ann soon finds out how dangerous her husband's occupation is, but she promises Gunner that she will stick to her man. Jim wins the race, but Benson, the man Drake sends
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Reckless test pilot Jim Lane is forced to land on a Kansas farm in his aircraft, the "Drake Bullet", where he meets Ann "Thursday" Barton. They spend the day together and fall in love. Once Jim's best friend and mechanic, Gunner Morris, arrives, Jim ignores Ann. To spur him, she gets engaged to her
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and sandbags (substituting for the weight of bombs) break loose, pinning Gunner. Unwilling to bail out without his buddy, Jim manages to crash land, and pulls a badly injured Gunner out of the wreckage right before it burst into flames, but it is too late for Gunner. When Jim realizes the toll his
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brought together three of the most bankable
Hollywood stars of the period, but while Loy and Gable became friends, an uneasy relationship existed between Tracy and Gable. At the climax of a lengthy take where he was cradling his comrade's head in his arms, Gable was reported to have said, "Die,
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noted that the "story bespeaks authority in detail, obviously explained by the fact that Capt. Frank Wead, who authored the original, has had (a) practical aviation background." Both Loy and Tracy (despite his obvious scene-stealing battles with Gable) later claimed
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called it "a bang-up aviation drama ... It is a generous show by any reckoning, long in its running time, star-studded and spectacular, and Victor
Fleming, its director, has paced it wisely."
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Jim tries to reform his ways and begins by taking a job testing aircraft, even conducting dangerous flights as he wants to give Ann a real home. Gunner remains true to his friend.
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wrote, "Excellent entertainment ... Other air pictures have been made; but for sheer thrills, this one leads them all because of the realistic way it has been done."
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served as the second unit director in charge of the flying sequences. Although uncredited, real-life test pilot Sammy Wroath did the flying sequences.
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airfield settings and was able to obtain rights to film using Boeing's new Y1B-17, which was destined to become the progenitor of the wartime
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NR70Y, a modified civilian racer version of the U.S. Army Air Corps P-35. The other test aircraft that is flown to its top diving speed is a
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Today, it is considered a significant aviation film by historians due to the use of contemporary aircraft. Even at the time of its release,
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wrote that while aviation films with fine flying scenes had already been done, those in this picture were "superior to the average".
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Principal photography took place from
December 1, 1937, to February 18, 1938, at MGM studios and on location at
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The
American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1931-1940
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One day, Gunner accompanies Jim on a test flight of a new bomber (a Y1B-17, a pre-production
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sweetheart. Jim leaves in the morning, but soon comes back for her. They quickly get married.
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earned $ 2,431,000 in the U.S. and $ 1,472,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $ 967,000.
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Nugent, Frank S. "The Screen: 'Test Pilot,' Metro's aviation drama, opens at the
Capitol".
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before Yeager's test flights. This allusion to a chewing gum ritual was later included in
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prototype). Upon reaching 30,000 feet (9,100 m; 9.1 km), the bomber goes into a
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goddamn it, Spence! I wish to Christ you would!" and dropped Tracy's head with a thud.
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When
Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Aviation Film Classics of World War II
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Hardwick, Jack and Ed
Schnepf. "A Buff's Guide to Aviation Movies".
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1023:. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1993.
934:(New York: Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc.), April 15, 1938, p. 7.
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Gunner has a superstitious preflight ritual of putting a piece of
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in Jim's place, dies, leaving a wife and three children behind.
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Gable and Loy acted alongside the racing aircraft of the day.
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Margaret
Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study,
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raved, "Spectacular romance thriller ... It can't miss."
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job has taken on his wife, he gives it up and joins the
295:(Gable), his wife (Loy), and his best friend (Tracy).
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Around the World in 80 Minutes with
Douglas Fairbanks
1045:. Hawthorne, California: Aero Associates Inc., 1984.
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539:, with retakes on March 30 to early April 1938.
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291:-nominated film tells the story of a daredevil
964:(F-R Publishing Corp.), April 23, 1938, p. 68.
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16:1938 American film directed by Victor Fleming
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798:"Beemans Gum Featured In The Right Stuff."
559:attack bomber. Renowned movie stunt pilot
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856:"Test Pilot: Original Print Information."
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949:(New York), April 30, 1938, p. 70.
750:In the film, the A-17 sheds a wing.
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453:as Lingerie Saleslady (uncredited)
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973:Hardwick and Schnepf 1989, p. 61.
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1591:Films directed by Victor Fleming
512:Tracy and Loy at Lindbergh Field
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822:"Credits: 'Test Pilot' (1938)."
672:, while Wead was nominated for
595:also found favor with critics.
459:as Advertising Man (uncredited)
1566:American black-and-white films
904:Retrieved: September 21, 2015.
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812:. Retrieved: August 25, 2013.
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447:Claudia Coleman as Mrs. Barton
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1038:, Vol. 7, No. 1, Spring 1983.
1008:. London: Bison Books, 1985.
861:Retrieved: February 15, 2024.
846:Retrieved: February 15, 2024.
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586:Lobby card with Loy and Gable
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1596:Films scored by Franz Waxman
1561:1930s English-language films
1198:The Lane That Had No Turning
1105:AFI Catalog of Feature Films
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694:Lionel Barrymore filmography
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545:United States Army Air Corps
537:Cleveland National Air Races
359:United States Army Air Corps
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1019:Hanson, Patricia King, ed.
927:"Reviews of the new films."
876:Retrieved: August 25, 2013.
827:Retrieved: January 5, 2013.
784:"The Eddie Mannix Ledger".
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529:Lindbergh Field (San Diego)
350:Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
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1576:American buddy drama films
649:According to MGM records,
183:(New York and Los Angeles)
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171:April 15, 1938
1586:Films about test pilots
1571:American aviation films
1486:Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
1446:The Farmer Takes a Wife
1166:When the Clouds Roll By
885:Orriss 1984, pp. 13–14.
841:"Test Pilot: Articles."
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859:Turner Classic Movies.
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727:(1983), Jack Ridley,
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465:as Grant (uncredited)
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1318:The Way of All Flesh
721:on the aircraft. In
525:Van Nuys, California
305:, Vincent Lawrence,
1454:Captains Courageous
1286:A Son of His Father
733:Beemans chewing gum
670:11th Academy Awards
543:utilized authentic
444:as Mr. Frank Barton
263:is a 1938 American
146:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
1478:Gone with the Wind
1230:Law of the Lawless
1152:Films directed by
1071:TCM Movie Database
946:Harrison's Reports
915:The New York Times
900:The New York Times
803:2013-08-10 at the
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267:directed by
259:
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206:Running time
131:Franz Waxman
69:Howard Hawks
1518:Joan of Arc
1374:Common Clay
1262:Empty Hands
874:Aero Files.
809:Beemans gum
719:chewing gum
619:John Mosher
549:B-17 bomber
533:March Field
469:Lester Dorr
411:as Landlady
381:as Jim Lane
379:Clark Gable
273:Clark Gable
271:, starring
210:118 minutes
157:Loew's Inc.
93:Clark Gable
79:Produced by
39:Directed by
1541:1938 films
1535:Categories
1462:Test Pilot
1112:Test Pilot
1099:Test Pilot
1088:Test Pilot
1077:Test Pilot
1066:Test Pilot
931:Film Daily
700:References
674:Best Story
662:Test Pilot
651:Test Pilot
645:Box office
639:Test Pilot
608:Film Daily
593:Test Pilot
576:Lobby card
561:Paul Mantz
541:Test Pilot
517:Test Pilot
477:Production
451:Fay Holden
371:Test Pilot
311:Frank Wead
299:Test Pilot
293:test pilot
265:drama film
260:Test Pilot
253:Lobby card
239:Box office
193:1938-04-22
175:1938-04-15
138:Production
53:Frank Wead
49:Written by
22:Test Pilot
1510:Adventure
1422:Bombshell
1382:Renegades
1358:Wolf Song
1278:Adventure
758:Citations
567:Reception
426:as Benson
385:Myrna Loy
277:Myrna Loy
197: (US)
117:Edited by
97:Myrna Loy
1438:Reckless
1406:Red Dust
1294:Lord Jim
1093:AllMovie
801:Archived
688:See also
678:Tom Held
438:as Mable
432:as Sarah
399:as Drake
223:Language
127:Music by
121:Tom Held
111:Ray June
89:Starring
1310:Mantrap
1102:at the
1069:at the
987:Variety
741:(1991).
668:at the
633:Variety
226:English
215:Country
191: (
173: (
140:company
1521:(1948)
1513:(1946)
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553:SEV-S2
313:, and
287:. The
231:Budget
825:IMDb.
705:Notes
289:Oscar
1326:Hula
1082:IMDb
1047:ISBN
1025:ISBN
1010:ISBN
680:for
365:Cast
354:spin
321:Plot
279:and
1115:at
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