Jump to content

Lost in the Stratosphere

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 198.163.53.11 (talk) at 21:51, 17 February 2017 (additional detail). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

{{Infobox film | name = Lost in the Stratosphere | image = Screen Shot Lost.png | image_size = thumb | caption = Film poster | director = Melville W. Brown | producer = William T. Lackey

| writer =

| narrator =

| starring =

Lost in the Stratosphere is a 1934 American aviation drama film directed by Melville W. Brown and starring William Cagney, Edward J. Nugent and June Collyer.[1] In one of his few roles in front of the cameras, Cagney was the lookalike younger brother of James Cagney.[2]

Plot

In the mid-1930s, in the early days of military aviation, an era of open cockpits and biplanes, two U.S. Army pilots, in a friendly rivalry, are always trying to get the best of each other.

2nd Lt. Tom Cooper (William Cagney) gets the nickname "Soapy", from his friend, 1st Lt. Richard "Dick" Wood, "Woody" (Edward J. Nugent). Tom's trademark gift to a female friend is an inscribed bar of soap. Tom finds out that "Ida Johnson" (Hattie McDaniel), the girl he's been seeing while Dick has been off the base, is really Dick's fiancée, Evelyn Worthington, June Collyer. She introduced herself as Ida, using her maid's name as a lark. When Dick finds the tell-tale bar of soap from Tom, it's no joke to him, and two friends are at odds. Dick breaks off the engagement while Evelyn is torn between two loves.

The two pilots are picked to go on a dangerous balloon mission launched into the stratosphere, to evaluate high altitude flight capability. Before they get off the ground, the tense relationship has caused friction between the former friends. The generals keep reminding them that the equipment on board is more important than they are.

When a thunderstorm takes them thousands of miles off course, the two flyers are "lost in the stratosphere". It does not look like either of them will survive until Evelyn begs them to bail out. Dick, finally realizing Tom's innocence, knocks him out and throws him off the balloon, so he can come down safely by parachute, thereby jeopardizing his own chances of survival. After a crash landing in Quebec, from his hospital bed, Dick gives his blessing to Tom and Evelyn.

June Collyer and William Cagney in Lost in the Stratosphere.

Cast

Production

Principal photography on Lost in the Stratosphere began August 10, 1934 at RKO Pathé Studios.[3]

Home media

Lost in the Stratosphere was released on DVD on August 23, 2005.[4]

Lost in the Stratosphere is in the Public Domain and is available online at the Internet Archive. [5]

References

Notes

  1. ^ Maltin 1994, p. 121.
  2. ^ Warren and Cagney 1986, p. 143.
  3. ^ "Original print information: 'Lost in the Stratosphere'. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: February 7, 2017.
  4. ^ "Overview: 'Lost in the Stratosphere'." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: February 17, 2107.
  5. ^ "Overview: 'Lost in the Stratosphere'. IMDb. Retrieved: February 17, 2017.

Bibliography

  • Maltin, Leonard. Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia. New York: Dutton, 1994. ISBN 0-525-93635-1.
  • Warren, Doug and James Cagney. Cagney: The Authorized Biography. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1986. ISBN 0-312-90207-7.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lost in the Stratosphere.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lost_in_the_Stratosphere&oldid=766041870"