The Lady Takes a Flyer

I really don't know why the other reviews show this as such a badly made movie. I really enjoyed it. Jeff Chandler is terrifically masculine, and Lana Turner is his female counterpart. The ending has a lot of suspense, which I thoroughly enjoyed. And, as I've said already, I watch the ending repeatedly.

The war is over and there are still some heroes left. A few of these former military pilots get together to deliver war-surplus aircraft to their new (mostly civilian) owners, and these deliveries take them around the world. As a wanna-be (or wish-I-could-have-been) combat pilot I got to see some of the true aircraft stars of WWII. Even the soap-opera romance scenes were kinda cute and light-hearted. I actually enjoyed the movie and think it was very entertaining. The 3 stars interacted well and the movie was not too unbalanced. Was the plot familiar and the ending predictable ?? ABSOLUTELY !!!! So what ?? Name a single Elvis Presley or James Bond movie that wasn't as well ?? This film was not Academy Award material but it is much better than several films I have seen that have won Academy Awards. It is also much better than most of the trash that is being produced for TV and movie theaters today. I, for one, hope it makes it to DVD. If you don't like it...(heck, this IS America)...don't watch it !!

This film was not particularly well-made or entertaining. However, if you enjoy vintage airplanes and aviation, it might be worth viewing. The plot premise is a husband and wife team who ferry surplus World War II aircraft. There are some wonderful shots of aircraft of the era. Also, the final scene involves an aircraft being guided through a GCA (Ground Controlled Approach) at Bovington Air Force Base, England (it existed but has long since closed). While not completely accurate, it does give a nice view of the radar equipment of the day, and includes a handoff from the tower/approach controller to the GCA controller. Overall, I enjoyed the film. As a bonus, you will see a young Alan Hale and younger Jerry Paris in minor roles.

Mike Dandridge (Jeff Chandler) has a most unusual job. He earns money shuttling various WWII surplus airplanes all over the world. Maggie (Lana Turner) works with him and after a whirlwind courtship, the pair marry. However, the pair never really seemed to have talked about marriage...their expectations, how their lives will change, etc.. Not surprisingly, when Maggie gets pregnant, she has to stay home with the baby...but Mike wants to continue living as before...spending days on end away from home shuttling planes for his business. In essence, Mike needs to grow up and face his responsibilities...which he steadfastly refuses to do. And, not surprisingly, the marriage is on the rocks. Is there any hope for Maggie, Mike and the baby?

This film has 'time-passer' written all over it. There is a certain ordinariness and blandness that the formula has in this film that kept me from really caring about any of the antics of this couple. Bland characters (with Chandler occasionally being rather bombastic) and pedestrian direction didn't help any. The climactic and exciting ending really was neither. The only thing I really liked was seeing all the nice WWII-era planes....and you know the film isn't much when you look forward to seeing the planes.

The s reenplay is a bore. The conflict an old tired story. Lana took herself far too seriously to even grasp the concept of comedy. Chandler isn't much better.