Emergency Landing (1941)

Perfect cast and a good story

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Forrest Tucker (Jerry Barton), Carol Hughes (Betty Lambert), Evelyn Brent (Maude Lambert), Emmett Vogan (Doc Hughes), William Halligan (George P. Lambert), George Sherwood (Jones), Thornton Edwards (Pedro), I. Stanford Jolley (Karl), Stanley Price (Otto), Budd Buster (Pappy Clayton), Paul Scott (Colonel Lemon), Jack Lescoulie (Captain North), Billy Curtis (Judge Gildersleeve), Joe Hartman (would-be helper).Director: WILLIAM BEAUDINE. Original screenplay: Martin Mooney. Photography: Jack Greenhalgh. Film editor: Robert Crandall. Production manager: Peter Jones. Assistant director: Edward Montford. Sound recording: Buddy Myers. Producer: Jed Buell. Executive producer: George R. Batcheller.Copyright 23 May 1941 by Producers Releasing Corp. No recorded New York opening. U.S. release: 9 May 1941. 7 reels. 64 minutes. Television title: ROBOT PILOT.SYNOPSIS: The inventor of a remote-controlled airplane tries to sell his device to a big manufacturer. COMMENT: Aside from a long and extremely boring scene with Thornton Edwards giving exhaustively stupid directions to our hapless heroines, this little "B" emerges as a surprisingly pleasant romantic comedy (leavened by an extraneous bit of action drama right near the end). Martin Mooney has concocted a reasonably novel, clever story-line, peopled by attractive characters (including the inventor — a pleasingly sizable role for Emmett Vogan) who can handle dialogue with a bit of sparkle. By P.R.C. standards, production values are high. Beaudine's direction is at his most competent level. He draws interesting performances from all his players (except over-hammy Mr. Edwards) and makes good use of real locations.

Let's not beat around the bush here. This film is chronic. Basically an inventor has invented a plane that can be controlled remotely and wants to sell it to some big wig with the help of his eight foot tall buddy, probably named buddy. Basically, there's a point in this when you realise that absolutely nothing is going to happen for the duration of this film except romantic misunderstandings, a crappy battle of the sexes, some slapstick and a healthy dose of racism. Not much action until the last few minutes. Jesus. Only saved from getting a one from the random appearance of Jimmy Krankie at the end.

There is little to recommend this. It's a silly tale of some people trying to develop a remote control plane to be used in war. Most of it is a meaningless romance where spoiled people are holed up in the desert. One is trying to teach the others a lesson. Some gasoline is stolen, some bad guys come to mess things up, but mostly not a thing happens. There is a lot of screaming and pratfalls. The main character is pretty tiresome. The joke goes on and on and on. The plane, which should be the star of the show, is practically non-existent. It would be interesting to see what technology there was at the time. I'm sure the truth of that question would be much more interesting than anything that happens in this film.

Because of a back-log of war orders, the Lambert Airplane factory is unable to try-out the robot-controlled plane developed by test pilot Jerry Barton (Forrest Tucker) and weather bureau observer, "Doc" Williams (Emmett Vogan). The pair lie in wait for factory owner George B. Lambert (William Halligan)while he is playing golf with his spoiled débutant daughter, Betty (Carol Hughes), and send up their radio-controlled model where Lambert cannot fail to notice it. But Jerry sets the model down in a pool of water and douses Betty, in a P.R.C. version of a "cute meeting." Hey, M-G-M has some cute meetings worse than this one, none which provided a lobby card showing skin-up-past the skivvies. In the scene, Carol Hughes is playing golf wearing a short white skirt---real, real short---and Forrest Tucker has picked her up...and the skirt has risen and there is a shot showing most of the bottom half of Miss Hughes' fancy panties and very shapely rear end. The still photographer caught it, and it was used as in inset on the one-sheet poster, the press book cover and on the Title Card of the 12x14 lobby card set, and also as a full scene on the 8th card of the set. The Breen Office also caught it, and P.R.C. had to hire an artist to come in and draw a white skirt extending well past Miss Hughes knees, and that is what is currently shown on the one-sheet, the press book cover and the 12x14 title card. But the Breen censor must have missed seeing lobby card number eight in the set, and Miss Hughes is still shown on it in all of her well-dimpled glory. And a mighty nice card it is. No, of course it's not for sale.Anyway, old dad Lambert authorizes Jerry and Doc to test their remote-controlled robot pilot on one of his planes for the Army. Jerry flies the plane up, bails out and Doc is to land the plane using his remote control box. But foreign agents, wishing to hamper the development of the robot pilot, have tampered with the controls, and Doc is unable to pull the plane out of a spin, and it crashes. Lambert fires Jerry and he and Doc return to the remote weather outpost to do more work on their invention.Cute Meeting number Two occurs when Betty, on her way to Hollywood to be a movie star, is driving across the desert with her Aunt Maude (Evelyn Brent) and runs out of gas,and Betty borrows some gas belonging to the U.S. government, and is caught by Jerry. He decides to place her under arrest, pending the arrival, in a week's time, of the U.S. Marshal. But, alas, nothing happens in this scene to incur the wrath of the Breen office, unless they made Martin Mooney write in Aunt Maude to ensure Betty and Jerry would have a full-time chaperon for the week, although Evelyn Brent is not the run-of-the-mill chaperon type. Patsy Kelly or Mary Treen must have been unavailable...thank goodness.Anyway, Jerry makes Betty and Aunt Maude do housework and chores, and seeing any character played by Evelyn Brent doing housework is, if not cute, unique. And the spies steal a plane, crash in the desert, show up and make some trouble, and try to get away in a car in which Betty and Aunt Maude are hiding in the trunk and some more stuff.