Dead on Course (1952)
"Wings of Danger" (original title)

When his girlfriend's brother's cargo plane is lost at sea, nagging questions arise, and pilot Richard Van Ness gets caught in a web of blackmail and smuggling.

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

John Gilling, Trevor Dudley Smith (novel),

Stars:

Zachary Scott, Robert Beatty, Naomi Chance

Cast

Cast overview:
Zachary Scott	...	Richard Van Ness
Robert Beatty	...	Nick Talbot
Naomi Chance	...	Avril Talbot
Kay Kendall	...	Alexia LaRoche
Colin Tapley	...	Inspector Maxwell
Arthur Lane	...	Boyd Spencer
Harold Lang	...	Snell, the blackmailer
Diane Cilento	...	Jeannette

Storyline

When Richard Van Ness tries to ground dashing pilot Nick Talbot, his girlfriend's brother, from flying an unimportant cargo run in foul weather, he is blackmailed into allowing it because Nick threatens to tell airline boss Boyd Spencer about Van's intermittent blackouts. When Nick's plane apparently crashes near the Channel Islands, there are many nagging questions about the circumstances. Although he is innocent himself of wrongdoing, Van Ness is pressured by the police to aid them in uncovering some of the criminal activities associated with the operation, including blackmail, smuggling gold, and counterfeiting. In order to obtain the information he needs, Van Ness is forced into romancing Boyd's grasping girlfriend, who finds herself very attracted to the flier.

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Plot Keywords:

blackmail | pilot | channel islands | blackout | gold | 

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Taglines:

COUNTERFEIT CARGO! ...a fortune in loot...a fabulous woman...a sinister fugitive!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead on Course

Filming Locations:

Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Film Productions, Lippert Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Alexia LaRoche: [getting no response to her advances] You really keep yourself on ice, don't you, Van?
Richard Van Ness: Do I?
Alexia LaRoche: Don't you ever melt?
Richard Van Ness: Yes... sometimes... in the dark.

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Connections

Featured in Trailer Cinema (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Cuyaba"
(uncredited)
Music by De Paula Bana (pseudonym of Winifred Palmer)
Paxton Music Ltd

User Reviews

Blackmailing, Counterfeiting, and Smuggling

Zachary Scott comes over from across the pond to star in this British noir film about a pilot investigating the crash of another pilot whom he supervised that he let go up in a storm over the English Channel. As it turned out Scott was between a rock and a hard place, he has to let Robert Beatty fly because Beatty knows that Scott suffers from occasional blackouts and the Board of Trade wouldn't like that if they heard about it.

Why does Beatty go up. The more Scott digs on his own he uncovers, blackmail, counterfeiting, and smuggling. And a few more surprises before this film ends.

Although Hammer Films before it started doing horror films and became known for same, they turned out some decent low budget noir films that the British call quota quickies. This isn't one of them it drags in many spots and such talented folk as those already mentioned are wasted. Even Kay Kendall who plays the gangster's moll in this and well doesn't spark this film at all.

I think most will be bored with this one.