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Tailspin Tommy (serial)

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Director
  
Lew Landers

Duration
  

Country
  
United States

6.8/10
IMDb

Genre
  
Action, Drama, Crime

Language
  
English

Tailspin Tommy (serial) movie poster

Writer
  
Vin Moore
,
Basil Dickey
,
Norman S. Hall
,
Robert Hershon
,
George H. Plympton
,
Hal Forrest

Release date
  
October 29, 1934 (1934-10-29)

Sequel
  
Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery

Screenplay
  
George H. Plympton, Robert Hershon, Ella ONeill, Norman S. Hall, Basil Dickey, Vin Moore

Cast
  
Maurice Murphy
(Tailspin Tommy Tompkins),
Noah Beery, Jr.
(Peter 'Skeeter' Milligan),
Patricia Farr
(Betty Lou Barnes),
Walter Miller
(Bruce Hoyt),
Grant Withers
(Milt Howe)

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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
Mission: Impossible

Tagline
  
Hal Forrest's great cartoon heroes on the screen in a screaming serial of the skyways!...Breathless excitement awaits you. Come! TWELVE TERRIFIC EPISODES!

Tailspin tommy in danger flight 1939


Tailspin Tommy is a 12-episode 1934 Universal film serial based on the Tailspin Tommy comic strip by Hal Forrest. It was the 97th serial of the 137 released by that studio (and the 24th with sound). The plot concerns a conflict over a government airmail contract.

Contents

Plot

Two cargo airlines clash over a government mail contract. "Tailspin" Tommy (Maurice Murphy), a young mechanic, gets a job with Three Points Airlines, who win the contract. Their opponents resort to sabotage in order to have the contact for themselves. Wade "Tiger" Taggart (John Davidson) becomes their enemy, a man who will do anything to stop the airline from doing business.

After Tommy becomes a pilot, he prevents a runaway aircraft from crashing into a crow of children, among other adventures that put him into the public eye. Eventually Taggert and his gang are brought to justice. Tommy goes on to win a movie contract, and win the heart of his sweetheart Betty Lou Barnes (Patricia Farr).

Chapter titles

  1. Death Flies the Mail
  2. The Mail Goes Through
  3. Sky bandits
  4. The Copper Room
  5. The Night Flight
  6. The Baited Trap
  7. Tommy to the Rescue
  8. The Thrill of Death
  9. The Earth God's Roar
  10. Death at the Controls
  11. Rushing Waters
  12. Littleville's Big Day

Source:

Cast

  • Maurice Murphy as "Tailspin" Tommy Tompkins
  • Noah Beery, Jr. as Peter "Skeeter" Milligan
  • Patricia Farr as Betty Lou Barnes
  • Walter Miller as Bruce Hoyt
  • Grant Withers as Milt Howe
  • Charles A. Browne as Paul Smith
  • Bryant Washburn as Mr Grant, director of Midnight Patrol
  • Belle Daube as Mrs Martha Tompkins, Tommy's mother
  • John Davidson as Wade "Tiger" Taggart
  • Harrison Greene as the Air circus announcer
  • William Desmond as Sloane, Taggart's office henchman
  • Lew Kelly as Victor Martin, Three Point airport dispatcher
  • John Ince as Eric Peabody, one of Taggart's henchmen
  • Lee Beggs as Deacon Grimes
  • Ethan Laidlaw as Bart Dirk, one of Taggart's henchmen
  • Production

    Tailspin Tommy was the first serial to be based on a comic strip. From 1936 to 1945, Universal almost made more serial adaptations of comic strips than both of their rivals, Columbia and Republic, combined. Jimmy Allen was a rival radio serial character to the Tailspin Tommy newspaper strip. He featured in the film Sky Parade. Grant Withers played the sidekick in this film as well as both Tailspin Tommy serials.

    Stunts

  • George DeNormand
  • George Magrill
  • Critical reception

    Tailspin Tommy was a success, partly due to name recognition.

    References

    Tailspin Tommy (serial) Wikipedia
    Tailspin Tommy (serial) IMDb Tailspin Tommy (serial) themoviedb.org