Director: Victor Fleming
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Top Billed Actors: Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy
Won 0 Oscars
Nominated for 3 more:
Outstanding Production - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Best Original Story - Frank Wead
Best Film Editing - Tom Held
Plot: A test pilot has to land in the middle of nowhere but then marries a girl on his way home to New York. His buddy third wheels him for the duration of the film.
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Top Billed Actors: Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy
Won 0 Oscars
Nominated for 3 more:
Outstanding Production - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Best Original Story - Frank Wead
Best Film Editing - Tom Held
Plot: A test pilot has to land in the middle of nowhere but then marries a girl on his way home to New York. His buddy third wheels him for the duration of the film.
Man, look at this cast. Test Pilot (1938) is loaded with the guaranteed money-making stars of the day with Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy, and Lionel Barrymore. Add in prolific director Victor Fleming and we have the recipe for a successful box office as well as Oscar clout. This is Fleming's second year in a row directing a Best Picture nominee (the prior year's film, Captains Courageous (1937), also features Tracy). However, it's with Gable that he achieves the ultimate success by directing the following year's Best Picture winner, Gone with the Wind (1939). Apparently, Gable and Tracy had some professional rivalry involved during the shoot, but both Tracy and Loy have stated that this was their favorite film they were in. If you're a plane junkie, this might be your favorite aviation film. Although there were many movies that dealt with aviation before this (see the very first Best Picture winner, Wings (1927)), this has the added bonus of the screenwriter having a legitimate aviation background. I'm no fly guy, but apparently, the planes in this would interest anyone with that type of background.
You don't have to be an airplane enthusiast to appreciate these flying sequences. It's no wonder this was nominated for Best Film Editing as each sequence gets your heart pumping and your palms sweaty. The cuts between miniatures and real flying footage are seamless and evocative. Although the cockpit seemed a little flimsy in the final sequence ("30!"), it felt every bit as real as any movie made in modern times. Crash landings and parachute deployments add to the thrills in the air. What's also enjoyable is the chemistry Loy has with both of the leading men. She's not shy to say what she feels and she very believable as the first woman to not only understand Gable's character but the first woman to essentially tame him. There's a struggle with Gable of doing what he wants to do with disregard for others and cutting back on his passion if it means he's safer. It's an age-old conflict that's clearly presented here.
There are a few detractors that hold this back from being a contender in my year-end wrap up. First of all, the running time is felt. This clocks in at nearly two hours and it feels that long. When Loy starts saying "tick tock" in reference to Gable's life ending, I could also feel the clock ticking in my head. I think it's because the first act shows Gable charming the pants off of Loy until their eventual (and off-screen) marriage. Then, he suddenly becomes a raging alcoholic. Sure, there were moments that eluded to that before, but it takes a long time until we get to a drawn-out bender. It also doesn't help that Loy flips back and forth every so often on her viewpoint of Gable's dangerous job. Another aspect that detracts from the overall experience are a few choice lines that don't age well at all. I know this is a sign of the times, but when Loy calls the Black man who is pushing their cart "boy" and when Gable tells Loy to "go into the kitchen and make some sandwiches" as a means to calm her down, I had to squirm in my seat.
Overall, this trio of actors is endearing as ever and the laughs and thrills come at you a mile a minute. It's a little too long and a few pieces of dialogue don't stand the test of time, but the flying sequences will keep you at the edge of your seat.
My Score: 6/10
You don't have to be an airplane enthusiast to appreciate these flying sequences. It's no wonder this was nominated for Best Film Editing as each sequence gets your heart pumping and your palms sweaty. The cuts between miniatures and real flying footage are seamless and evocative. Although the cockpit seemed a little flimsy in the final sequence ("30!"), it felt every bit as real as any movie made in modern times. Crash landings and parachute deployments add to the thrills in the air. What's also enjoyable is the chemistry Loy has with both of the leading men. She's not shy to say what she feels and she very believable as the first woman to not only understand Gable's character but the first woman to essentially tame him. There's a struggle with Gable of doing what he wants to do with disregard for others and cutting back on his passion if it means he's safer. It's an age-old conflict that's clearly presented here.
There are a few detractors that hold this back from being a contender in my year-end wrap up. First of all, the running time is felt. This clocks in at nearly two hours and it feels that long. When Loy starts saying "tick tock" in reference to Gable's life ending, I could also feel the clock ticking in my head. I think it's because the first act shows Gable charming the pants off of Loy until their eventual (and off-screen) marriage. Then, he suddenly becomes a raging alcoholic. Sure, there were moments that eluded to that before, but it takes a long time until we get to a drawn-out bender. It also doesn't help that Loy flips back and forth every so often on her viewpoint of Gable's dangerous job. Another aspect that detracts from the overall experience are a few choice lines that don't age well at all. I know this is a sign of the times, but when Loy calls the Black man who is pushing their cart "boy" and when Gable tells Loy to "go into the kitchen and make some sandwiches" as a means to calm her down, I had to squirm in my seat.
Overall, this trio of actors is endearing as ever and the laughs and thrills come at you a mile a minute. It's a little too long and a few pieces of dialogue don't stand the test of time, but the flying sequences will keep you at the edge of your seat.
My Score: 6/10