Hell's Angels (1930)

Brothers Monte and Ray leave Oxford to join the Royal Flying Corps. Ray loves Helen; Helen enjoys an affair with Monte; before they leave on their mission over Germany they find her in still another man's arms.

Directors:

Howard Hughes, Edmund Goulding (uncredited)

Writers:

Marshall Neilan (story), Joseph Moncure March (story)

Stars:

Ben Lyon, James Hall, Jean Harlow

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Lyon	...	Monte Rutledge
James Hall	...	Roy Rutledge
Jean Harlow	...	Helen
John Darrow	...	Karl Armstedt
Lucien Prival	...	Baron Von Kranz
Frank Clarke	...	Lt. von Bruen
Roy Wilson	...	Baldy Maloney
Douglas Gilmore	...	Capt. Redfield
Jane Winton	...	Baroness Von Kranz
Evelyn Hall	...	Lady Randolph
William B. Davidson	...	Staff Major
Wyndham Standing	...	RFC Squadron Commander
Lena Malena	...	Gretchen - Waitress
Marian Marsh	...	Girl Selling Kisses (as Marilyn Morgan)
Carl von Haartman	...	Zeppelin Commander (as Carl Von Haartman)

Storyline

Two brothers attending Oxford enlist with the RAF when World War I breaks out. Roy and Monte Rutledge have very different personalities. Monte is a freewheeling womanizer, even with his brother's girlfriend Helen. He also proves to have a yellow streak when it comes to his Night Patrol duties. Roy is made of strong moral fiber and attempts to keep his brother in line. Both volunteer for an extremely risky two man bombing mission for different reasons. Monte wants to lose his cowardly reputation and Roy seeks to protect his brother. Their assignment to knock out a strategic German munitions facility is a booming success, but with a squadron of fighters bearing down on them afterwards, escape seems unlikely.

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Plot Keywords:

femme fatale | profanity | profanity in title | female sexual predator | manipulative female | 

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Taglines:

Worth Waiting Three Years to See -- Worth the Four Million Dollars It Took to Make it -- Worth the Dangers Risked to Film It --

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

15 November 1930 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pekelní andelé

Filming Locations:

Glendale Grand Central Air Terminal - Grandview Avenue, Glendale, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,950,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Caddo Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min 96 min (re-release)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White (tinted) (some sequences) Color (2-strip Technicolor) (some sequences)

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Hell's Angels" was the top movie at the U.S. box office for 1930 by a wide margin.

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Quotes

Monte Rutledge: Come on, oh-la-la-la.

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Alternate Versions

The UCLA Film and Television Archive restored the film to its premiere version, which is the version currently available on DVD. In addition to reinstating the 8-minute two-strip Technicolor sequence, tinting and toning was restored to the duel at sunrise, the Zeppelin battle, the night patrol, and Monte and Roy departing for their bombing run. Note that these sequences were intact on earlier prints, but without color or special processing. The film's Intermission title card, along with Entr'acte music and exit music were reinstated as well.

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Connections

Featured in Arena: Screen Goddesses (2012)

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Soundtracks

Du, du liegst mir im Herzen
(uncredited)
Traditional
Arranged by Hugo Riesenfeld

User Reviews

Its time ahead!

This is a fabulous film, far ahead of its time. The screenplay is outstanding, and all the actors did a marvelous job, and the ones who played Germans as well. There was only one German in a minor role and one Finnish actor, who played a German, all the others were Americans, to my big surprise! I am an Austrian and German is my mother tongue and I would have bet that there were at least half a dozen Germans in this movie! I was also mesmerized by the details of the air battles, which were mostly shot in the air. Jean Harlow was beautiful and gave a persuading performance, not to mention her great looks! I rented this movie, because I heard about it the first time, when I watched "The Aviator" and I have to say that this picture is one of the most entertaining and exciting movies I have seen in a long time and it should be an example how movies should be made as a guideline for modern day Hollywood! It is a perfect example that a great story, action and special effects can live together in a beautiful piece of art without sacrificing anything!