Clouds Over Europe (1939)

Clouds Over Europe (AKA “Q Planes”)
Directed by Tim Whelan and Arthur B. Woods
Written by Ian Dalrymple; Story by Brock Williams et al
1939/UK
Irving Asher Productions
First viewing; streaming on Hulu Plus

[box] Mr. Barrett: Alright! Alright! Will you as a personal favour take that plane up?

Tony McVane: Well of course I will, you parboiled, pudding-minded, myopic deadhead![/box]

This 82 minute spy comedy/thriller was iPad bedtime viewing for me but it turned out to be better than that.

Secret agent Maj. Charles Hammond (Ralph Richardson) is on the trail of the cause of the disappearance of several airplanes bearing experimental equipment.  One particular British firm loses two of its planes but the owner will not admit this is more than just coincident.  Hammond smells a rat and pilot Tony McVane (Laurence Olivier) shares his opinion.  A woman who works behind the tea counter at the airfield (Valerie Hobson) is grilling the staff with pointed questions.  A couple of flights supposedly bearing a top-secret supercharger are used as bait for the bad guys.

Laurence Olivier, as usual, gets top billing but this is really Ralph Richardson’s movie.  He is wonderful in a part that allows him to show a real flare for comedy.  Olivier, of course, isn’t too shabby either.  This is pure fun with the method of causing the planes to disappear bordering on science fiction.  The nefarious foreign power remains unnamed.

Montage of clips