Polio breaks out in Rio de Janeiro, the serum is in Santiago and there's only one way to get the medicine where it's desperately needed: flown in by daring pilots who risk the treacherous we... Read allPolio breaks out in Rio de Janeiro, the serum is in Santiago and there's only one way to get the medicine where it's desperately needed: flown in by daring pilots who risk the treacherous weather and forbidding peaks of the Andes.Polio breaks out in Rio de Janeiro, the serum is in Santiago and there's only one way to get the medicine where it's desperately needed: flown in by daring pilots who risk the treacherous weather and forbidding peaks of the Andes.
- Nightclub Manager
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIt was originally planned to show Clark Gable's character parachuting from his abandoned plane at an altitude of 25,000 feet. However, stuntman Ivan Unger, who was doubling for Gable, passed out at 20,000 feet due to lack of oxygen and the shot was never captured.
- GoofsAt about the 10-minute mark, the shadow of the Patagonia biplane (the one piloted by J. Fabian, played by Clark Gable) is shown over various parts of the pasture-lands of Argentina. The shadows cast over the horse and herd of cattle below are that of a biplane, but the shadow going over the flock of sheep is clearly that of a monoplane, not a biplane.
- Quotes
Wife of Brazilian Pilot: What's it all for? Just so somebody in Paris can get a postcard on Tuesday instead of Thursday?
- Crazy creditsDuring opening credits, the film title is done as "sky writing" by an airplane, and the plane is just finishing the last "T" on "flight".
- ConnectionsFeatured in Maltin on Movies: Super 8 (2011)
In Rio de Janeiro, bedridden Buster Phelps may die because his hospital has run out of the serum needed to keep the little boy alive. The desperately needed medicine is to be flown in from a hospital in Santiago, Chile. The first leg of the trip is given to pilot Robert Montgomery (as Auguste Pellerin), who encounters dangerous flying conditions. Rookie pilot Clark Gable (as Jules Fabian) also treads dangerous airwaves, while wife Helen Hayes frets over dinner. Another wife, Myrna Loy, worries the last leg of the trip could kill husband William Gargan. On the ground, the mission is controlled by hard-nosed Trans-Andean Airlines director John Barrymore (as Riviere), who must also keep itchy airline inspector Lionel Barrymore (as Robineau) at bay...
This star-studded offering from MGM, David O. Selznick and Clarence Brown must have disappointed many contemporary viewers. There are some exciting sequences, but narrative and characterizations are weak...
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, who wrote the original 1931 book, disliked this adaptation enough to prevent its distribution until Turner Classic Movies (TCM) obtained permission to screen "Night Flight" during their 2011 "TCM Classic Film Festival". It was also released on home video and had a world premiere showing on the TCM TV channel August 10, 2012. While not a great film, banishing "Night Flight" for this length of time was far too harsh.
****** Night Flight (10/6/33) Clarence Brown ~ John Barrymore, Helen Hayes, Lionel Barrymore, Clark Gable
- wes-connors
- Aug 12, 2012
Details
- Runtime1 hour 24 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1