Chain Lightning (film)
Encyclopedia
Chain Lightning is a 1950
American aviation film based on the story "These Many Years" by black-listed writer Lester Cole
(under the pseudonym "J. Redmond Prior"); the screenplay was written by Liam O'Brien
and Vincent B. Evans. During World War II
, Evans had been the bombardier on the B-17 Flying Fortress Memphis Belle
. The film stars Humphrey Bogart
as a test pilot
, Eleanor Parker
and Raymond Massey
. Cole's credit on the film was officially restored by the Writers Guild of America
in 1997, although the only screen versions have "suggested by a story by J. Raymond Prior" listed.
Created in the postwar era to reflect the progress in aviation and aeronautics, it is a fictional account of a US company engaged in creating and producing high speed jet aircraft. Completed in early 1949, Chain Lightning was one of Humphrey Bogart's final Warner Bros. films, ending a 20-year association. Due to the appeal of the subject, the film was released in multiple versions for 11 different countries; in Germany, it was known as Des Teufels Pilot.
) after being discharged from the military, and trying his hand at running a civilian flying school, meets an old US Army Air Force buddy, Major Hinkle (James Brown). Brennan is subsequently offered a job at the Willis Aircraft Company as the chief test pilot for an experimental high speed jet fighter known as the JA-3, designed by Carl Troxell (Richard Whorf
). Troxell is also a link to Brennan's past as he had known him in the war when Brennan was a bomber pilot. A flashback to B-17 missions over Germany reveal Brennan is a top-notch pilot.
Another link to his past at the Willis company is his former flame, Jo Holloway (Eleanor Parker
), now Willis' secretary. In order to prove the capabilities of the new JA-3, capable of speeds up to 1400 mph (2,253.1 km/h), Brennan convinces Willis that a record-breaking flight from Nome, Alaska
to Washington DC, via the North Pole, will impress the government. Troxell tries to develop a safer version of the revolutionary aircraft, the JA-4, equipped with an escape pod, but dies during a test flight.
The record flight is a success with Brennan earning a $30,000 paycheck, enough to marry Jo. Then he learns that Troxell has been killed. Despite his earlier reservations about the need for safety systems, Brennan takes another JA-4 out for the official government demonstrations, using the escape pod to prove that the new aircraft is safe. On landing, he falls into the arms of his beloved.
bases including Muroc Army Air Field
where experimental testing took place, as well as location shooting occurring at the San Fernando Valley Airport (now Van Nuys Airport
). A realistic full-scale JA-3/JA-4 model created by Paul Mantz
, the aerial sequence director, was built for $15,000. The origins of the film model stemmed from a derelict P-39 Airacobra fuselage that had been reworked by Vince Johnson, an expert "lofter". The Warner Bros contract called for completion of a realistic (if futuristic) fighter able to taxi and deploy parachutes. Besides the full-scale model used for most of the ground sequences, a number of scale models were built. Recently, a Willis JA-3 fibreglass miniature used in the production, measuring 80 in. long and a wingspan of 59 in., was auctioned for $1,300 USD.
Revisiting his use of the wartime fleet of aircraft he had obtained for films such as Twelve O'Clock High
(1949), Mantz’s B-17F, 42-3369, appearing as “Naughty Nellie”, recreated the wartime missions that the central character recalls in a flashback sequence. Stock footage of bomber missions over Germany includes a brief view of the Messerschmitt Me 163
rocket fighter that is the inspiration for the later postwar supersonic
fighter that one of the central characters envisions.
where location shooting had taken place, veteran pilots such as Chuck Yeager
easily saw through the subterfuge, especially in a scene where the "Willis JA-3" was being towed down the runway with the tow cable clearly evident.
Critically, it was considered one of Bogart's lesser features and although production standards were acceptable, it has the look of a "B" film. The main criticism stems from a limited plotline that does not fully allow the characters' development. The contemporary New York Times review cited the true "star" of the film was the technology on display, "Like its title, this vehicle moves with exciting speed when it is airborne, but it slows down to a plodding walk... when it hits the ground."
With the incorporation of highly advanced technology and equipment including escape pods, braking parachutes, G-suits and mixed jet/rocket powerplants, some reviewers considered the film as an exercise in science fiction. However, Paul Mantz, the film's aviation advisor, in designing the centerpiece aircraft models, had envisioned an "aircraft of tomorrow" and had accurately predicted much of today's modern jet aircraft technology.
1950 in film
The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
American aviation film based on the story "These Many Years" by black-listed writer Lester Cole
Lester Cole
Lester Cole was an American screenwriter.Born in New York City, Lester Cole began his career as an actor but soon turned to screenwriting. His first work was "If I had a Million." In 1933, he joined with John Howard Lawson and Samuel Ornitz to establish the Writers Guild of America.In 1934, Cole...
(under the pseudonym "J. Redmond Prior"); the screenplay was written by Liam O'Brien
Liam O'Brien
Liam Christopher O'Brien is an American voice actor and voice director perhaps best known for his roles as Gaara of the Sand in Naruto, Captain Jushiro Ukitake in Bleach, War in the video game Darksiders, 'Vincent Law' in Ergo Proxy and 'Illidan Stormrage' in the 'Warcraft' game series...
and Vincent B. Evans. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Evans had been the bombardier on the B-17 Flying Fortress Memphis Belle
Memphis Belle (B-17)
Memphis Belle is the nickname of a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress during the Second World War that inspired the making of two motion pictures: a 1944 documentary film, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress, and a 1990 Hollywood feature film, Memphis Belle...
. The film stars Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
as a test pilot
Test pilot
A test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
, Eleanor Parker
Eleanor Parker
Eleanor Jean Parker is an American screen actress. Her versatility led to her being dubbed Woman of a Thousand Faces, the title of her biography by Doug McClelland.- Early life :...
and Raymond Massey
Raymond Massey
Raymond Hart Massey was a Canadian/American actor.-Early life:Massey was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Anna , who was born in Illinois, and Chester Daniel Massey, the wealthy owner of the Massey-Ferguson Tractor Company. Massey's family could trace their ancestry back to the American...
. Cole's credit on the film was officially restored by the Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
in 1997, although the only screen versions have "suggested by a story by J. Raymond Prior" listed.
Created in the postwar era to reflect the progress in aviation and aeronautics, it is a fictional account of a US company engaged in creating and producing high speed jet aircraft. Completed in early 1949, Chain Lightning was one of Humphrey Bogart's final Warner Bros. films, ending a 20-year association. Due to the appeal of the subject, the film was released in multiple versions for 11 different countries; in Germany, it was known as Des Teufels Pilot.
Plot
Lt Colonel Matt Brennan (Humphrey BogartHumphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
) after being discharged from the military, and trying his hand at running a civilian flying school, meets an old US Army Air Force buddy, Major Hinkle (James Brown). Brennan is subsequently offered a job at the Willis Aircraft Company as the chief test pilot for an experimental high speed jet fighter known as the JA-3, designed by Carl Troxell (Richard Whorf
Richard Whorf
Richard Whorf was an American actor, author, director, and designer.Richard was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts to Harry and Sarah Whorf. Richards's older brother was the well-known American linguist, Benjamin Lee Whorf. Whorf began his acting career on the Boston stage as a teenager then moving...
). Troxell is also a link to Brennan's past as he had known him in the war when Brennan was a bomber pilot. A flashback to B-17 missions over Germany reveal Brennan is a top-notch pilot.
Another link to his past at the Willis company is his former flame, Jo Holloway (Eleanor Parker
Eleanor Parker
Eleanor Jean Parker is an American screen actress. Her versatility led to her being dubbed Woman of a Thousand Faces, the title of her biography by Doug McClelland.- Early life :...
), now Willis' secretary. In order to prove the capabilities of the new JA-3, capable of speeds up to 1400 mph (2,253.1 km/h), Brennan convinces Willis that a record-breaking flight from Nome, Alaska
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
to Washington DC, via the North Pole, will impress the government. Troxell tries to develop a safer version of the revolutionary aircraft, the JA-4, equipped with an escape pod, but dies during a test flight.
The record flight is a success with Brennan earning a $30,000 paycheck, enough to marry Jo. Then he learns that Troxell has been killed. Despite his earlier reservations about the need for safety systems, Brennan takes another JA-4 out for the official government demonstrations, using the escape pod to prove that the new aircraft is safe. On landing, he falls into the arms of his beloved.
Cast
As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified):| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Humphrey Bogart Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema.... |
Lt Colonel Matthew "Matt" Brennan |
| Eleanor Parker Eleanor Parker Eleanor Jean Parker is an American screen actress. Her versatility led to her being dubbed Woman of a Thousand Faces, the title of her biography by Doug McClelland.- Early life :... |
Joan "Jo" Holloway |
| Raymond Massey Raymond Massey Raymond Hart Massey was a Canadian/American actor.-Early life:Massey was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Anna , who was born in Illinois, and Chester Daniel Massey, the wealthy owner of the Massey-Ferguson Tractor Company. Massey's family could trace their ancestry back to the American... |
Leland Willis |
| Richard Whorf Richard Whorf Richard Whorf was an American actor, author, director, and designer.Richard was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts to Harry and Sarah Whorf. Richards's older brother was the well-known American linguist, Benjamin Lee Whorf. Whorf began his acting career on the Boston stage as a teenager then moving... |
Carl Troxell |
| James Brown | Major Hinkle |
| Roy Roberts Roy Roberts Roy Roberts was an American character actor. Over his more than 40-year career, he appeared in more than nine hundred productions on stage and screen.-Biography:... |
Major General Hewitt |
| Morris Ankrum Morris Ankrum Morris Ankrum was an American radio, television and film character actor.-Early life:Born Morris Nussbaum in Danville, Illinois, Ankrum originally began a career in academics. After graduating from USC with a law degree, he went on to an associate professorship in economics at the University of... |
Ed Bostwick |
| Fay Baker Fay Baker Fay Baker was an American stage, film and television actress, and a successful author under the pen name Beth Holmes. Her novel, , made the Los Angeles Times bestseller list in 1978... |
Mrs. Willis |
| Fred Sherman | Jeb Farley |
Production
Principal filming took place from April 16, 1949 to July 1949, but the final production was held back from release until 1950. In order to realistically depict the flight testing, permission was obtained to film at various United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
bases including Muroc Army Air Field
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
where experimental testing took place, as well as location shooting occurring at the San Fernando Valley Airport (now Van Nuys Airport
Van Nuys Airport
Van Nuys Airport is a public airport located in Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley section of the city limits of Los Angeles, California, United States. No major commercial airlines fly into this airport; it is used by private, chartered, and small commercial aircraft...
). A realistic full-scale JA-3/JA-4 model created by Paul Mantz
Paul Mantz
Albert Paul Mantz was a noted air racing pilot, movie stunt pilot and consultant from the late 1930s until his death in the mid-1960s. He gained fame on two stages: Hollywood and in air races.-Early years:...
, the aerial sequence director, was built for $15,000. The origins of the film model stemmed from a derelict P-39 Airacobra fuselage that had been reworked by Vince Johnson, an expert "lofter". The Warner Bros contract called for completion of a realistic (if futuristic) fighter able to taxi and deploy parachutes. Besides the full-scale model used for most of the ground sequences, a number of scale models were built. Recently, a Willis JA-3 fibreglass miniature used in the production, measuring 80 in. long and a wingspan of 59 in., was auctioned for $1,300 USD.
Revisiting his use of the wartime fleet of aircraft he had obtained for films such as Twelve O'Clock High
Twelve O'Clock High
Twelve O'Clock High is a 1949 American war film about aircrews in the United States Army's Eighth Air Force who flew daylight bombing missions against Nazi Germany and occupied France during the early days of American involvement in World War II. The film was adapted by Sy Bartlett, Henry King ...
(1949), Mantz’s B-17F, 42-3369, appearing as “Naughty Nellie”, recreated the wartime missions that the central character recalls in a flashback sequence. Stock footage of bomber missions over Germany includes a brief view of the Messerschmitt Me 163
Messerschmitt Me 163
The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Lippisch, was a German rocket-powered fighter aircraft. It is the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational. Its design was revolutionary, and the Me 163 was capable of performance unrivaled at the time. Messerschmitt...
rocket fighter that is the inspiration for the later postwar supersonic
Supersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
fighter that one of the central characters envisions.
Reception
The film fared well with the public as the subject of record-breaking aircraft was typical of many of the headlines of the day. Most viewers were convinced that the aircraft in the film was a new United States Air Force fighter. However, when Chain Lightning was premiered at the recently renamed Edwards Air Force BaseEdwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
where location shooting had taken place, veteran pilots such as Chuck Yeager
Chuck Yeager
Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager is a retired major general in the United States Air Force and noted test pilot. He was the first pilot to travel faster than sound...
easily saw through the subterfuge, especially in a scene where the "Willis JA-3" was being towed down the runway with the tow cable clearly evident.
Critically, it was considered one of Bogart's lesser features and although production standards were acceptable, it has the look of a "B" film. The main criticism stems from a limited plotline that does not fully allow the characters' development. The contemporary New York Times review cited the true "star" of the film was the technology on display, "Like its title, this vehicle moves with exciting speed when it is airborne, but it slows down to a plodding walk... when it hits the ground."
With the incorporation of highly advanced technology and equipment including escape pods, braking parachutes, G-suits and mixed jet/rocket powerplants, some reviewers considered the film as an exercise in science fiction. However, Paul Mantz, the film's aviation advisor, in designing the centerpiece aircraft models, had envisioned an "aircraft of tomorrow" and had accurately predicted much of today's modern jet aircraft technology.