Women in the Wind

Most of six previous reviewers - yes, only six - spend time bemoaning that this is only a B movie, and suggest that the shorter length made it a waste of Kay Francis' time and talent. Unless you're a big KF fan - I'm not - that shouldn't bother you here. No, she doesn't get to wear a lot of extravagant gowns, and her character is not glamorous. If that's what you watch a Kay Francis movie for, this will really disappoint you.

The first 40 of the just past 60 minutes are uninteresting melodrama, based largely on one of the most annoying devices in movie dramadom: the character who doesn't finish their explanation of some misunderstanding, allowing that misunderstanding to continue for another character. Suffice it to say that it's about two women who love, or loved, one man, and the jealousy that results.

The last 20 minutes is the air race in biplanes solo-piloted by women (Francis and her rival, Sheila Bromley) from California to Cleveland. I was hoping that somewhere in there Warner Brothers might have used some real female aviators from the era (yes, aviatrixes, or whatever the plural is). Evidently not. More's the shame.

We do get to see some period bi-planes, which is mildly interesting.

The race ends in Cleveland, where we see mountains in the distance behind the airport. I wonder what became of those mountains??? Guess who wins the race.