Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

Only Angels Have Wings
Directed by Howard Hawks
Written by Jules Furthman
1939/USA
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
#131 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

[box] Bonnie Lee: I’m hard to get, Geoff. All you have to do is ask me.[/box]

This is another 1939 example of the Hollywood studio system at its height.

Piano player Bonnie Lee (Jean Arthur) gets off the ship during a port call in a South American town.  There she becomes fascinated by the pilots who make dangerous mail runs over the Andes.  She rapidly falls for no-nonsense Geoff Carter (Cary Grant) who manages the fledging airline.  He has been wounded in love and now “wouldn’t ask any woman” for anything.  For her part, Bonnie has problems coping with Geoff’s ultra-dangerous test flights.

Into this mileu comes pilot Bat MacPherson (Richard Barthelmess) and his wife Judy (Rita Hayworth).  It turns out that Bat bailed out of a plane and left his co-pilot to die.  This co-pilot was the brother of Geoff’s loyal sidekick Kid (Thomas Mitchell) and the other pilots want nothing to do with Bat.  Judy is the woman who broke Geoff’s heart.  The rest of the story is taken up with some dynamite flying sequences, Bat’s attempted redemption, Kid’s problems, and the central love story.    With Sig Ruman as a bar owner and Noah Beery, Jr. as a doomed pilot.

I love this film though on this repeat viewing the plot seemed to be all over the place.  Not so the crackling dialogue by To Have and Have Not co-writer Furthman.  The cinematography is just luscious.

I never thought I would say this but I kept envisioning Clark Gable in the lead and how he would have been better suited to the role than Grant (whom I generally adore).  Thomas Mitchell is so outstanding in this movie it is difficult to believe that he didn’t win his Oscar for this part.  Richard Barthelmess gives an excellent understated performance as the disgraced pilot.

Only Angels Have Wings was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Black and White Cinematography and Best Special Effects.

Clip – Cary Grant and Jean Arthur at the piano