Chester Morris plays drunk pilot bingo: crash, guilt, jungle redemption arc.
A cocky pilot at a Panama Canal bomber station clashes with his trainer over recklessness and a woman. After causing a fatal crash while hungover, he seeks redemption when his rivals crash in the jungle.
Acting
Larry Parks pre-'Jolson' energy steals scenes.
Practical Effects
Real aircraft stunts over actual canal footage.
Production
RKO's B-unit squeezes spectacle from spare parts.
Director
Lew Landers
Chester Morris
'Hardtack' Hamilton
Harriet Nelson
Susan Merrill
John Hubbard
Harley Ames
Larry Parks
Recruit Kincaid
Forrest Tucker
Recruit Madigan
Eddie Laughton
Recruit Hughes
Lloyd Bridges
Recruit Baldwin - Insurance Man
John Tyrrell
'Red' Connors - Mechanic
Stanley Brown
Pilot Jones
Hugh Beaumont
The Radio Operator (uncredited)
Louis Jean Heydt
Ralph Merrill (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Larry Parks became RKO's biggest star two years later in 'The Jolson Story,' making this a fascinating pre-fame time capsule.
Shot during WWII but set in peacetime Panama, the film awkwardly straddles adventure escapism and emerging military propaganda needs.
US
