6.9/10
1,885
30 user 13 critic

Test Pilot (1938)

Passed | | Drama, Romance | 22 April 1938 (USA)
Test Pilot Poster
Jim is a test pilot. His wife Ann and best friend Gunner try their best to keep him sober. But the life of a test pilot is anything but safe.

Director:

Victor Fleming

Writers:

Vincent Lawrence (screen play), Waldemar Young (screen play) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy | See full cast & crew »
Reviews
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 nomination. See more awards »

Photos

See all 27 photos »
Learn more

More Like This 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
Too Hot to Handle (1938)
Certificate: Passed Adventure | Comedy | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

Two rival newsreel photographers join forces to find the an aviatrix's missing brother, who has disappeared in the Amazon rainforest.

Director: Jack Conway
Stars: Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Walter Pidgeon
Next »
Libeled Lady (1936)
Comedy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

A newspaper man, his ignored fiancée, and his former employee, a down on his luck reporter, hatch an elaborate scheme to turn a false news story into the truth in order to prevent a high-society woman from suing for libel.

Director: Jack Conway
Stars: Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy
Next »
The Citadel (1938)
Certificate: Passed Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Andrew Manson, a young, enthusiastic doctor takes his first job in a Welsh mining town, and begins to wonder at the persistent cough many of the miners have. When his attempts to prove its ... See full summary »

Director: King Vidor
Stars: Robert Donat, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Richardson
Next »
Wife vs. Secretary (1936)
Certificate: Passed Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

The wife of a publishing executive mistakenly believes that her husband's relationship with his attractive secretary is more than professional.

Director: Clarence Brown
Stars: Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy
Next »
San Francisco (1936)
Drama | Musical | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A Barbary Coast saloonkeeper and a Nob Hill impresario are rivals for the affections of a beautiful singer, both personally and professionally in 1906 San Francisco.

Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Stars: Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy
Next »
Renegades (1930)
Certificate: Passed Action | Adventure | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.1/10 X  

Four one-for-all and all-for-one privates in the French Foreign Legion are all in jail for disorderly conduct, but they break out and rejoin their regiment and fight off a band of marauding... See full summary »

Director: Victor Fleming
Stars: Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy, Noah Beery
Next »
Saratoga (1937)
Certificate: Passed Drama | Comedy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

After winning a stud farm in lieu of gambling debts, bookie Duke Bradley turns an eye to the daughter of the now deceased gambler and her millionaire fiancée.

Director: Jack Conway
Stars: Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Lionel Barrymore
Next »
Strange Cargo (1940)
Certificate: Passed Adventure | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

Convicts escaping from Devil's Island come under the influence of a strange Christ-like figure.

Director: Frank Borzage
Stars: Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Ian Hunter
Next »
Cain and Mabel (1936)
Comedy | Musical | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

A talented boxer and a gifted dancer hope to increase their waning popularity by inventing a fictitious love affair for the benefit of the tabloids.

Director: Lloyd Bacon
Stars: Marion Davies, Clark Gable, Allen Jenkins
Next »
Adventure (1945)
Drama | Romance | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.2/10 X  

Dark, romantic, complicated drama about a rowdy merchant mariner and sophisticated librarian who clash over their lifestyles and values - and then fall in love.

Director: Victor Fleming
Stars: Clark Gable, Greer Garson, Joan Blondell
Next »
Boom Town (1940)
Certificate: Passed Adventure | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

Two buddies who rise from fly-by-night wildcatters to oil tycoons over a twenty year period both love the same woman.

Director: Jack Conway
Stars: Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert
Next »
They Met in Bombay (1941)
Certificate: Passed Adventure | Comedy | Crime
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

A jewel thief and a con artist are rivals in the theft of a valuable gem as the Japanese army invades China.

Director: Clarence Brown
Stars: Clark Gable, Rosalind Russell, Peter Lorre
Edit

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Clark Gable ... Jim Lane
Myrna Loy ... Ann Thurston Barton
Spencer Tracy ... Gunner Morse
Lionel Barrymore ... Howard B. Drake
Samuel S. Hinds ... General Ross
Marjorie Main ... Landlady
Ted Pearson ... Joe
Gloria Holden ... Mrs. May Benson
Louis Jean Heydt ... Greg Benson
Virginia Grey ... Sarah
Priscilla Lawson ... Mabel
Claudia Coleman ... Mrs. Frank Barton
Arthur Aylesworth ... Mr. Frank Barton
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

Jim Lane is a test pilot, whose professional life is dangerous, and whose personal life compensates for that danger by fast living and recklessness. As such, he lives from paycheck to paycheck, and is often in debt, but knows his lucrative job will eventually get him out of those debts. On a coast to coast record attempt speed flight, Jim's plane, the Drake Bullet (named after the company's owner), hits some mechanical problems and Jim is forced to make an emergency landing on a farmer's field in Kansas. The farm belongs to the Barton family, whose straight talking daughter, Ann Barton, falls for Jim, and visa versa. They impulsively decide to get married and live in New York. Jim's sidekick and mechanic, "Gunner" Morris, doesn't know if Jim and marriage go hand in hand, both because of the type of person he is and his profession. Ann too soon learns that she plays second fiddle to Jim's work, she referring to the sky as Jim's mistress. Ann also truly comes to understand the dangers ... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

homosexual subtext | pilot | marriage | danger | mechanic | See All (16) »

Taglines:

They're yours... in a heart-walloping love story! See more »

Genres:

Drama | Romance

Certificate:

Passed | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 1938 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Der Testpilot See more »

Filming Locations:

Lake Norconian Club, Norco, California, USA See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

(Turner library print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The aircraft that Clark Gable took Myrna Loy up for her first flight was a Ryan Model ST-A, Ryan serial number 128, registered NC-16037. The aircraft owner was "Tex" Rankin an aerobatic pilot, barnstormer, air racer, and flight instructor from the 1920s to the 1940s. Rankin was an uncredited stunt pilot in three films, "Men With Wings" in 1938 and "Flying G-Men" and "Sky Patrol" in 1939. The aircraft was subsequently sold in Brazil. See more »

Goofs

Early in the movie, the "Drake Bullet" plane which Jim Lane is piloting springs an oil leak, which blows back on the cowling and side of the plane, clearly staining it with black oil. However, when we see the plane land in the Kansas wheat field and taxi to a stop, the side of the plane now has no signs of any oil stains whatsoever. But when the camera angle goes to a close-up of Jim climbing out of the plane, varying degrees of the oil stains on the side of the plane are again visible. See more »

Quotes

Ann Thurston Barton: You're a funny looking gazabo
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Thousands Cheer (1943) See more »

Soundtracks

Goodbye Blues
(uncredited)
Written by Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields and Arnold Johnson
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Just a great film...
11 September 2008 | by cordaro9418 – See all my reviews

I list this under my 'Best' category for the simple fact that it's one of the best 'Buddy' pics of all time.

Tracy and Gable had already been on screen together, and both had already been award winners, but this one was just fun.

The story allows them to play off themselves with great range, and adding Myrna Loy only helps. The interaction is coy, innocent yet feisty, and lays a lot of groundwork for what 'buddy' comedy films still strive for.

Paced fairly well, with just a dash of drama, the film hits on all cylinders and is definitely a popcorn movie.

If you like this one, don't miss 'Boomtown' either.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 30 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Stream Popular Action and Adventure Titles With Prime Video

Explore popular action and adventure titles available to stream with Prime Video.

Start your free trial


Clear your history

Recently Viewed