Two young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I.
A round of "Never Have I Ever" with the star of "The Morning Show" leads to some unexpected Hollywood mix-ups.
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Clara Bow | ... | Mary Preston | |
| Charles 'Buddy' Rogers | ... | Jack Powell (as Charles Rogers) | |
| Richard Arlen | ... | David Armstrong | |
| Jobyna Ralston | ... | Sylvia Lewis | |
| El Brendel | ... | Herman Schwimpf | |
| Richard Tucker | ... | Air Commander | |
| Gary Cooper | ... | Cadet White | |
| Gunboat Smith | ... | The Sergeant | |
| Henry B. Walthall | ... | David's Father | |
| Roscoe Karns | ... | Lt. Cameron | |
| Julia Swayne Gordon | ... | David's Mother | |
| Arlette Marchal | ... | Celeste | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
 |
Rod Rogers | ... | Aviator |
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Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (69) »
Storyline
Two young men from the same town but different social classes end up as fighter pilots in WW1. Jack Preston is a keen auto mechanic, building and modifying cars. David Armstrong comes from a wealthy family. They are both in love with the same woman, Sylvia. Her heart belongs to David but she doesn't let Jack know and plays along with his infatuation. Meanwhile, Jack's neighbour, Mary, is deeply in love with him but he just views her as a friend. WW1 interrupts the romantic entanglements as Jack and David enlist in the US Army Air Service (Air Service of the AEF at the time). They are initially bitter enemies, due to them both vying for Sylvia's affections. Over time, however, they become very good friends. They are both posted to the same fighter squadron in France, where being a fighter pilot means every day could easily be your last. Written by grantss
Plot Keywords:
world war one | friendship | military training | airplane shot down | unrequited love |Taglines:
The Sensational Romance of the War Fliers! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
5 January 1929 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Alas See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$2,000,000 (estimated)Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$746Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (musical score and sound effects)| Silent | Dolby Digital (2012 restoration edition)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1
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(credited on 2012 restored score only)
Written by Leo Kempinski (as Leo A. Kempinski)
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Richard Arlen, whose character is a fighter pilot, had actually been a pilot with the Royal Canadian Flying Corps in World War I (though he never saw combat). See more »Goofs
When Schwimpf is punched and falls down, he drops his coat on the ground, but is on the table in a following shot. See more »Quotes
Title Card: Paris in war-time... the capital of the world's gayety crowded with soldiers of all races - on furlough from Death... trying to forget...See more »
Alternate Versions
For opening "roadshow" engagements, some of the battle scenes were shown in color, and half the film was screened in Magnascope (a forerunner to modern widescreen processes). Roadshow presentations also included an overture, intermission, and entr'acte music, all of which were dropped for the general release. See more »Soundtracks
Incidental Symphonies #3(credited on 2012 restored score only)
Written by Leo Kempinski (as Leo A. Kempinski)
See more »
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For a feeling of what the silents were really like, look for the version of this film with Gaylord Carter performing the score on a Wurlitzer Theater Organ. Carter recorded this version in the 1980's when he was in his 80's. Amazing performance - basically 120 minutes of live, somewhat improvised music with establihed themes for each character. Incidental music was improvised live combining themes from the various characters.
Carter was one of the last musicians that performed during the silent era. Very few musicians understand how difficult this art form was, and Gaylor was one of the best. Each showing of the film was an original, never before heard version due to the improvisational nature of the music. The stamina required to play live music, on 3, 4 or even 5 keyboards with a pedal board and dozens of stops, thousands of pipes for over two hours cannot be overstated. Especially when one of these performers were expected to do so 3 or more times a day!
Orchestras are all well and good, but few theaters could afford them - Wurlitzer (and a few other companies) sold 40,000 instruments to theaters world wide during the 20's, and chances are, 90% of screenings of this film were accompanied by a theater organ.