Ace of Aces (1933)

Director:

J. Walter Ruben

Writers:

John Monk Saunders (story)
John Monk Saunders (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 October 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

A sculptor who doesn't want to have any part of World War I is shamed by his girlfriend into joining the army. He becomes a fighter pilot, and undergoes a complete personality change.

Plot Keywords:

Sculptor | Transformation | Melodrama | Nurse | Pig

Cast

Richard Dix	...	2nd Lt. Rex 'Rocky' Thorne
Elizabeth Allan	...	Nancy Adams
Ralph Bellamy	...	Capt. / Maj. Blake
Theodore Newton	...	Lt. Foster 'Froggy' Kelley
Nella Walker	...	Mrs. Adams
Anderson Lawler	...	2nd Lt. Tim 'Tombstone' Terry, aka 'Dracula' (as Anderson Lawlor)
Frank Conroy	...	Maj. / Lt. Col. Wentworth
Joe Sawyer	...	Capt. Daly (as Joe Sauers)
Arthur Jarrett	...	2nd Lt. James 'Jenny' Lind
Claude Gillingwater Jr.	...	1st Lt. Tommy Gray
Clarence Stroud	...	2nd Lt. Billy Winstead
Claude Stroud	...	2nd Lt. Carroll Winstead
Frank Clarke	...	German cadet
Helmut Gorin	...	German cadet

Also Known As:

Bird of Prey (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

76 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #1494, 11 September 1935 for re-release)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Even though the film takes place in 1917-1918, all of Elizabeth Allan's clothing and hairstyles are strictly early 1930s, the year the film was produced.

Quotes:

Nancy Adams: Rocky, you're making me ashamed of you. Nobody believes you're sincere and honest about what you say.

Movie Connections:

Edited from Hell's Angels (1930)

Soundtrack:

The Stars and Stripes Forever

A Richard Dix Ace

I never liked Richard Dix very much. He's just awful in the wonderful film, Cimarron, which earned him an Oscar nomination. Any other film I've seen in him seems to show him off as a hammy, middle-aged actor just going through the paces. But Ace of Aces was a slight surprise. This WW I story about a pacifist artist who joins up and become a bloodthirsty killer under the guise of being a flying "ace" seems like the kind of role he needed. In a way it's similar to the role of Yancy in Cimarron, but minus the "Wahoos" he lets out sporadically in that film. Plus in Cimarron Dix pales in comparison to the great performance turned in by Irene Dunne. In Ace of Aces, Dix is the star. No one else registers very strongly. Elizabeth Allan is the girl friend, Ralph Bellamy the commanding officer, Theodore Newton the best friend, Nella Walker the socialite, and the Stroud twins (Claude and Clarence) play fellow flyers. Not a great film by any means, but a solid story certainly helps. The aerial dogfights are good but not as good as in Hell's Angels. Check it out.