Sky Bandits (1940 film)
| Sky Bandits | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ralph Staub |
| Written by | Edward Halperin (screenplay) |
| Produced by | Phil Goldstone |
| Starring | James Newill Louise Stanley Dewey Robinson William Pawley |
| Cinematography | Mack Stengler |
| Edited by | Martin G. Cohn |
| Music by | Betty Laidlaw Robert Lively Lew Porter Johnny Lange |
Production company | Criterion Pictures Corp. |
| Distributed by | Monogram Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 62 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Sky Bandits (aka Renfrew of the Royal Mounted in Sky Bandits) is a 1940 American film directed by Ralph Staub and released by Monogram Pictures, starring James Newill, Louise Stanley, Dewey Robinson and William Pawley.[1] The film is a remake of the film Ghost Patrol (1936) with a musical/action formula, similar to the format of the "singing cowboy" films of the era.[2]
Plot
Sergeant Renfrew (James Newill) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Constable Kelly (Dave O'Brien) fly in search of a missing aircraft flown by Buzz Murphy (Eddie Featherston). Murphy was carrying a shipment of gold from the Yukon Mine Company. Local radio announcer Uncle Dimwittie (Dewey Robinson), has bugged the mine office, and is secretly transmitting information about gold shipments, in the guise of reading children's stories on the air.
The messages are picked up by a gang led by a crook named Morgan (William Pawley). They have forced Professor Lewis (Joe De Stefani) to work on a powerful ray gun invented by a scientist named Speavy (Dwight Frye). The radio beam the weapon sends out disables aircraft engines. Speavy is worried that his invention is being used by the crooks, and tries to warn Renfrew, but the scientist is killed by Morgan.
Madeleine (Louise Stanley), the daughter of Professor Lewis, tries to help Renfrew who finds a laboratory that Morgan is operating but it is destroyed. When no one on the force believes he has discovered the secret of the lost aircraft, Renfrew volunteers to fly the next gold shipment. Madeleine stows away on board the aircraft Renfrew is piloting. Morgan and his gang are also in the air, and while the professor can bring down Renfrew with the ray gun, but he turns it, instead on Morgan's aircraft. Constable Kelly then rides to Morgan's hideout and, with the professor's help, arrests the rest of the gang.
Cast
- James Newill as Sgt. Renfrew
- Louise Stanley as Madeleine Lewis
- Dewey Robinson as Uncle Dinwiddie
- William Pawley as Morgan
- Joe De Stefani as Professor Burton Lewis
- Jim Farley as Inspector Warner, RCMP
- Dave O'Brien as Constable Kelly
- Karl Hackett as Hawthorne
- Ted Adams as Henchman Gary
- Dwight Frye as Speavy
- Jack Clifford as Whispering Smith
- Bob Terry as Henchman Hutchins
- Kenne Duncan as Henchman Brownie
- Eddie Featherston as Pilot Buzz Murphy
Production
Sergeant Renfrew of the Royal Mounted was a character created by Laurie York Erskine in 1922 and continued in books, stories and on radio for many years. Sky Bandits was the last in Monogram's Renfrew series. Some scenes were shot at Big Bear Lake, California, standing in for the Yukon.[3] Renrew's character flies a Waco RNF (NC860V) while the crooks fly a Travel Air 4000 (c/n 868, NC9087).[4]
Soundtrack
- James Newill - "Mounted Men" (Written by Betty Laidlaw and Robert Lively)
- James Newill - "Lady in the Clouds" (Written by Betty Laidlaw and Robert Lively)
- James Newill - "Alley-Oop" (Written by Betty Laidlaw and Robert Lively)
Reception
Sky Bandits was not reviewed in trade sources.[3]
See also
References
Notes
- ^ The aircraft carries a NC-number, not a Canadian registration.
Citations
- ^ Farmer 1984, p. 323.
- ^ ""Movie connections for Sky Bandits." IMDB. Retrieved: December 28, 2011.
- ^ a b "Notes: Sky Bandits (1940)." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: November 2, 2014.
- ^ "Sky Bandits." aeromovies.fr. Retrieved: November 2, 2014.
Bibliography
- Farmer, James H. Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation. Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: Tab Books Inc., 1984. ISBN 978-0-83062-374-7.
External links
- Sky Bandits at the TCM Movie Database
- Sky Bandits at IMDb
- Sky Bandits is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
