The Lost Squadron

Unable to fit back into society after returning home from the front, three WW1 fighter pilots (Richard Dix, Robert Armstrong, and future western star Joel McCrea) end up working as stunt pilots for a tyrannical Teutonic film director (Erich von Stroheim), who, coincidently, is now married to the girl (Mary Astor) who dumped one of the returning flyers....not what I expected given the title. The film's melodramatic style has not aged well but the flying (and crashing) scenes are quite good, Stroheim's slimy villainy is entertaining, and there are some nice vintage aircraft on display. Be warned: the final scene, perhaps considered poignant at the time, is pretty hokey.

Lost Squadron, The (1932)

*** (out of 4)

When WW1 comes to an end, three pilots (Richard Dix, Robert Armstrong, Joel McCrea) find themselves on hard times but they wind up in Hollywood where they work as stunt fliers for a sadistic director (Erich von Stroheim). Problems come up when the director learns that his wife (Mary Astor) had a flame with Dix. When people think of weird movies from 1932 it's usually FREAKS that pops up in the mind but that Browning film has absolutely nothing on this movie. I don't want to react too strongly and call this the weirdest movie I've ever seen but it's certainly one of the most shocking. This movie starts out as a rather light-hearted comedy but quickly it changes pace as murder, suicide and abuse comes into play and in the end we're left with an incredibly dark tragedy. I'm really not sure what the screenwriters or producer David O. Selznick were thinking but they've left a rather bizarre final product for film buffs to enjoy. No matter what half is your favorite I think the film manages to remain very entertaining thanks in large part to the terrific cast. Dix is certainly strong enough as the lead and he manages to turn in a good performance. Armstrong is probably the weakest as the screenplay pretty much makes him play a drunk, which is something he did way too many times. His comic timing as the drunk is alright but at times it feels out of place. McCrea has the smallest of the three pilot roles but he manages to be entertaining as is Astor who is a major part of the film but then her character disappears during the finale for some reason. The stuff with von Stroheim is rather interesting because people obviously know about the sadistic director aspect of his reputation and that's on full display here. As an actor he turns in a very good performance and it's fun to see him "going mad" as you can't help but wonder if that's how he really directed his own pictures. The screenplay throws a couple rather mean spirited gags at him including a minor subplot about him being called away from the set due to his wife being injured, which is something that happened to him in real life. The aerial flights are all rather amazing to watch as the stunt work is quite effective but at the same time the twist in the story is a little disturbing as there were many, many stunt pilots who were killed during this era so seeing that plot in the film was a tad bit hard to take as entertainment. Again, I'm not sure why the film took such a dark and twisted turn but it certainly made for an interesting film. This certainly isn't a classic but the film has such a great cast and bizarre story that most will find themselves entertained.

I found this pre-code movie a tad predictable but still enjoyable on several levels. I thought the behind-the-scenes look at the making of a World War I movie in 1930's Hollywood were quite fascinating. Erich Von Stroheim's autocratic director was both menacing and acerbically funny at the same time, although bordering on the campy. Richard Dix as 'Gibby' was only adequate as the central character, but Joel McCrea's naturalism shone through as 'Red'. I found it interesting too, that one of the central themes of this movie was the inadequacy the flyers suffered in civilian life, becoming tramps before riding the rails to Hollywood. They were trained to fly in war, and they end up flying in war movies...the difficulty of adjusting to peacetime was an issue not touched upon much in Hollywood until "The Best Years of Our Lives", almost 15 years later. Finally, to the delight of those of us who love pre-code movies, we are treated to Robert Armstrong giving Dix the bird as Dix tries to coax Armstrong into landing his sabotaged plane!

This film is an entertaining and well-produced drama about the lingering effects of war, about lost love and betrayal, and about self-sacrifice. Nineteen-thirty-two was the year before Robert Armstrong went on to bigger things with King Kong (1933), and nine years before Mary Astor played the role of femme fatale again in The Maltese Falcon (1941).

Also appearing are Joel McCrea – on his way to be a star of the western genre – and Richard Dix, a well-known star of the silent screen who successfully continued in films when sound came to the movies. Capping such a stellar line-up is Erich von Stroheim, the actor-director appearing as Von Furst, the dictatorial film director everybody loved to hate.

Mixing the camaraderie of The Three Musketeers (1921) with the romantic heroics of Beau Geste (1926), the story follows three ex-air force fliers (Armstrong as Woody, Dix as Gibson and McCrea as Red) cashiered at the end WW1 and who wind up at Hollywood as stunt men for war/action movies produced and directed by a menacing Von Furst. The three friends call themselves part of The Lost Squadron, in memory of those who gave their lives in France; and each is looking for fame and fortune. And, why not?

Gibson, though, is looking for more: having been rejected by his former girl friend, the film star Follette Marsh (Mary Astor), he forms what seems to be a mutually promising attachment to The Pest (Dorothy Jordan), Woody's sister. At the same time, Follette – now married to Von Furst in a typical Hollywood union – gives the impression she is flirting with Gibson; so much so, Von Furst makes it clear he wouldn't be unhappy if Gibson was injured or killed during any one of the stunts in the air. Personal tensions mount; relationships begin to sour; trust is inevitably eroded between Von Hurst on the one hand, and Gibson and his buddies, Red and Woody, on the other.

Gibson, all the while, tries to maintain a sense of honor and decorum. But, his efforts to dispel Von Furst's jealous rage are in vain. Matters come to a head when Gibson is once again rejected in love by The Pest who favors Red, sending Gibson into quiet, controlled despair; at the same time, Von Furst's insane jealousy results in tragedy for all of the friends, setting the stage for a plan to exact revenge upon Von Furst. The denouement, although highly contrived, is nevertheless in the finest tradition Wren's classic story of the Foreign Legion.

Overall, while the sound was scratchy at times, the cinematography, editing and direction are up to the mark. Of the actors, von Stroheim towers over them all with the intensity of his presence; while Dorothy Jordan overshadows Mary Astor, for sure – no mean feat, I think. The dialog is particularly good for the first and second acts; only during the final act does the script seem to fall into a deep, unbelievable hole. Still, the final scenes make up for those shortcomings, in my opinion.

Of further interest is the fact that this is very much a self-referential – perhaps even self-parody – film about Tinsel Town with much of the action being directed by Von Furst as we look on, thus giving the viewer a look at how things were done back in the thirties and hence allowing for some occasional, comic relief. Special mention goes to the aerial stunts and battle scenes.

Von Strohiem, of course, went on to star in Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard (1950) where he again played the part of a film director, but reduced to working as a chauffeur for Gloria Swanson and her part-time gigolo, William Holden.

The Lost Squadron is not a great movie, but it is well worth watching; and it's suitable for all to see. Give this a solid seven out of ten.

October 3, 2012

THE LOST SQUADRON (RKO Radio, 1932), directed by George Archainbaud, is not exactly a full-fledged war story dealing with ace pilots captured by the enemy or one about a military search for a lost patrol. It's one about veteran war pilots who become stunt pilots in aviation movies. Richard Dix, a leading man for the studio, highly popular due to his Academy Award winning epic western CIMARRON (1931), heads the cast playing the captain who risks everything for those under his command, the very same men who happen to be his closest friends in both squadron and civilian life.

Taken from the story by pilot/author, Dick Grace (who also appears in the movie as one of the pilots), the story focuses on ace pilots stationed in France shooting enemies followed by crash landings in air battle during the World War. A treaty has been signed naming November 11, 1918, as Armistice Day. With the war over, Christopher Gibson (Richard Dix), a captain in charge of his command, gathers together with pals Lieutenant "Woody Curwood (Robert Armstrong), 'Red" (Joel McCrea) and airplane mechanic, Fritz (Hugh Herbert) for one last drink of liquor before heading out for civilian life. Back in the states, the men return to find life they had known is not the same: Red returns to Sharkley and Company to inquire about his old job, only to refuse his position when it means an employer friend of his with a baby on the way will have to be let go; Woody discovers he is now broke when his business partner embezzles his funds; and Gibson returns to Follette Marsh (Mary Astor), a stage actress and the girl he loves, only to find she has another suitor (William B. Davidson) and learning they now have nothing in common. The four men gather together with a clause to simply stick together. Through the passage of time, with newspaper headlines reading about war veterans victims of the Depression when seen on bread lines, Gibson, Red and Fritz, now hobos, bum a freight train ride to Los Angeles to locate Woody. They find him in Hollywood escorted by two ladies attending a premiere of "Sky Heroes," an independent aviation war movie directed by Arthur Von Furst (Erich Von Stroheim), starring his wife, Follette Marsh. With Woody doing well in the movie business, he unionizes his war buddies employment working with him as stunt pilots for the upcoming aviation movie under Von Furst's direction. Problems arise when the insanely jealous director discovers his actress wife's past romance with 'Gibby," leading to his "accidental" airplane crackups and dangerous aerial scenes intended for Gibson to put him out of the way. Others in the cast include Dorothy Jordan (Woody's sister, alias "The Pest"); Ralph Ince (Jettick of the Homicide Squad); Marjorie Peterson (The Stenographer); and Ralph Lewis.

THE LOST SQUADRON has the distinction of having three separate stories for one motion picture. It starts off like a war drama, becomes a movie within a movie, and finishing off as a murder mystery. Of the co-stars, the sixth billed Erich Von Stroheim, a former actor/director himself of the silent screen, notably for GREED (1923), gives a notable performance doing a parody of himself of a tyrant director with unlikable personality. Von Stroheim's sarcasms with critical outbursts toward his staff simply earn him that distinction of "The Man You Love to Hate." Mary Astor gives a fine performance as the woman with acting ambition. Sadly her character disappears long before the movie's finish. Robert Armstrong, a pilot with his love for flying and boozing, is routinely played. Joel McCrea, early in his career, is satisfactory as the handsome young pilot pal while Hugh Herbert, famous for his befuddled characters in comedies for Warner Brothers and Universal, offers a rare treat in a straight role with some doses of comic touches early in the story. Let's not overlook Richard Dix, the hero in both war and civilian life, who gathers enough attention and likability during its 79 minutes.

Distributed on video cassette in the 1980s, and later on DVD decades later, THE LOST SQUADRON had the rare distinction of being one of the true vintage RKO movies (prior to 1933) to continue its New York City broadcasts on WOR, Channel 9 (home of the RKO Radio film library) well into 1974, It was also broadcast around the same time with its dubbed Spanish prints for the Spanish TV station of WNJU, Channel 47 (Newark, New Jersey). Once shown regularly on cable television's American Movie Classics prior to 2001, THE LOST SQUADRON, along with similar theme drama about movie stunt pilots, LUCKY DEVILS (RKO, 1933) starring William Boyd, can both be shown occasionally on Turner Classic Movies. (***)