Only Angels Have Wings

[Indy Magnoli]

Just saw this one for the first time the other night. It was better than I thought it was going to be from reading the box. Definitely recommended viewing. Oh... and lots of leather jackets.

Kind regards,
Indy

 

[scotrace]

I just saw this - it's really a well made, fantastic film. Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth. And yes, LOTS of GREAT leather jackets! Look at this high-pocket A1!

 

[Hemingway Jones]

This one is on my list and I haven't seem it yet. I have seen the famous scene where they are talking poorly of the dearly departed to soften the blow, but that's it. It's one of those great films TCM rarely plays.

 

[Feraud]

A fine film. TCM certainly does not play this one enough!

 

[scotrace]

Still impressed

The day after watching it it is still going through my mind.
It's the story of a group of pre-WWII pilots who deliver the mail over the treacherous Andes in South America. Jean Arthur finds herself dropped at an airport waiting for her boat to come in and meets Cary Grant. Immediately taken with him, she "accidentally" misses her boat to try and catch him. Grant is uninterested, a wounded fellow never recovered from a previous bad romance. Here she is in a pretty smart suit. That's Noah Beery Jr. on the right in another swell high-pocket A1 jacket:

(You remember him as Jim Rockford's dad in The Rockford Files)

It's a Guy Film. Lots of bonding and brawling and risk-taking and the feeling of any of them being willing to lay their life on the line for one another.

Rita Hayworth, in a fairly early performance. She is stunning, but her best work was yet to come:

One performance, in my opinion, surpassed all others in this film. I kept watching him, thinking "this guy is outstanding." Even Cary Grant can't top him for presence. A beautiful, believable, subtle and watchable performace. Who is this?? Then it hit me. Richard Barthelmess!

He was at the top of the heap in Hollywod during the silent era. Lillian Gish said he was the handsomest actor she had ever worked with, and best. This was one of his final roles before enlisting during the war. After VJ day, he retired from films completely. Only Angels Have Wings is worth seeing for Barthlemess alone. To our eyes, many performances from the 1930's feel stagey and contrived. Barthelmess is natural, and inhabits his character completely. He would be a star in 2006 as well. You can see that he cut his teeth on roles that required telling a story without speaking.
There are lots of great (rather too long) shots of early aircraft, plenty of grand character actors (Thomas Mitchell in another fine performance), some of the best cinematography of the Golden Era, and of course all the great costumes.
Only Angels Have Wings (1939).

 

[The Reno Kid]

This is one of my favorites. Any movie with Jean Arthur and Rita Hayworth is a must see.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Saw this a few nights ago on DVD and just was impressed by the story. Cary Grant in one of his earlier leading roles... made the same year as Gunga Din.

He runs an air strip in South America and does what he can to keep it running while the women in the lives of the pilots look on in dispair as their men put their lives at risk on the tretcherous airfiend and in the dangerous mountain ranges to make deliveries.

Watch it. Right now I can't do it justice.

 

[Feraud]

A great film! I too give it a recommendation.
Dircted by Howard Hawks who brought us such classics as His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby, Sergent York, The Big Sleep, The Thing From Another World, and many other great movies. Co-starring Jean Arthur, who had the cutest voice!

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Heyyyyyyy, I saw this DVD a few nights ago too! I posted a quote from it and an observation about the quote in the 'classic one-liners' thread. Loved this movie. Wow, Cary acted like a first-class heel as Geoff.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Heyyyyyyy, I saw this DVD a few nights ago too! I posted a quote from it and an observation about the quote in the 'classic one-liners' thread. Loved this movie. Wow, Cary acted like a first-class heel as Geoff.

I thought he acted quite well... though that's me.

 

[Hondo]

Yes a great early film of Cary Grant (look how he wears his leather jacket) and not only that but a young, beautiful, I believe 18 year old Rita Hayworth in her first major role, well done indeed :eusa_clap

 

[BegintheBeguine]

I thought he acted quite well... though that's me.

Geoff was the heel. People actually call him a heel in the movie. Cary Grant did such a great job I got confused as to which was the heel, the actor or the character. Or maybe I am seeing heels everywhere I look lately. Or was Geoff really a stand-up guy to Bonnie?

 

[ShanghaiJack]

I loved this movie!
I first saw it back in 92/93?
And enjoy watching it every
year since.

Try "Test Pilot" with Myrna Loy,
Clark Gable, and Spencer Tracy.

This too is another favorite from
the Golden Era of Aviation.

 

[Tomasso]

a young, beautiful, I believe 18 year old Rita Hayworth in her first major role, well done indeed :eusa_clap

This was before her hairline was raised and her hair lightened.

 

[Gray Ghost]

I just loved this movie the first tiime I saw it. I belive it was on Turner Classics or AMC that I saw it a few years ago while channel surfing at 4 in the morning. Thanks for the reminder, Mat.

Gray Ghost

 

[Feraud]

Just a little update for those who missed it.
Only Angels Have Wings is running this Tuesday the 2nd on TCM @10 p.m.
Enjoy!

 

[Matt Deckard]

I myself rented the movie after it playe on TCM. Gunga Din was made the same year and is an interesting early Grant piece.

 

[Panamabob]

It is on Comcast On-Demand FREE right now, too.

 

[Zemke Fan]

Enjoying it again tonight...

Any of you leather jacket fans able to tell me something about the one CG wears in the film? I'd definitely go for one of those! (Jean Arthur IS pretty darn cute, isn't she?)

EDIT: Found the thread I was looking for... the jacket is an A-1. (Looks like it had nose-art painted on it... Would love to see a still from the film.)

 

[taggers]

This was on BBC2 in the UK the other day, it's an A1 with squadron patches showing an angry looking chief in a feather bonnet:

http://www.doctormacro1.info/Images...- Grant, Cary (Only Angels Have Wings)_01.jpg