Central Airport

Jim Blaine dares death every day as a barnstorming aviation pioneer. But when it comes to marrying the beautiful parachute jumper he's gone loop-de-loop for...well, that's scary. As Jim, Richard Barthelmess dons goggles and leather cap for adventure in the wild blue yonder under the brawny direction of a real aviation pioneer: World War I pilot William A. Wellman, whose Wings (1927) sent box office receipts into the stratosphere and won the first Best Picture Academy Award. In Central Airport, Wellman displays his genius for creating action aloft with hold-your-breath aerial stunts and expert miniature work. Don't let the thrills distract you during the climax or you'll miss John Wayne as the heroic co-pilot of a downed plane.

Aerial footage distinguishes this romantic-triangle melodrama set among pilots in a flying circus. Jill (Sally Eilers) loves Jim (Richard Barthelmess), but he insists that fliers shouldn't marry, so the disappointed Jill marries his younger brother Neil (Tom Brown) instead. The resulting tensions disrupt their lives and careers. Bit-part alert: Watch for John Wayne as Neil's co-pilot.