WINGS IN THE DARK (1935)

In 1935, the New York Times said of WINGS IN THE DARK:

“High altitudes have a tendency to make scenarists just a trifle giddy, with the result that the big climax of Paramount’s new photoplay has the appearance of having been composed during a tail spin.”

The film stars CARY GRANT as Ken Gordon, an aviator who is trying to develop technology for flying blind in bad weather.

MYRNA LOY is Sheila Mason, also a pilot, but Sheila does stunt flying. As she says, jobs in aviation or even flying the mails exclude women.

Myrna Loy

This film is a long 75 minutes. Ken is blinded in an accident and gets a guide dog. Sheila undertakes even more stunt work around county fairs to secretly support Ken’s continued research. When she is offered $25,000 for a non-stop flight from Moscow to New York, she accepts.

The ending is poor and the whole thing is a waste of Myrna and Cary. Why MGM loaned Myrna to Paramount is a mystery. (She was top billed.)

The supporting cast includes Hobart Kavanaugh, as Ken’s Scottish assistant,Mac. (Hobart’s Scottish accent is dubious!)

The only levity in the story is provided by Roscoe Karns as Sheila’s manager.

Roscoe Karns, Myrna Loy, Cary Grant

Myrna and Cary got together in the 1940s to much greater success in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House and Bachelor Knight. Next on my Cary Grant list is The Last Outpost. It’s Cary and Claude Rains. Could it be up there with Notorious? Doubtful.