Dirigible (film)
Encyclopedia
Dirigible is Frank Capra
's 1931 adventure film about the competition between American naval fixed-wing and airship
pilots to reach the South Pole
by air.
Fay Wray
stars, as do Jack Holt
and Ralph Graves
, who also played fliers in Capra's 1929 talkie, Flight. In fact this film had been intended to emulate the success of 1927's Wings
, another movie with a very similar plot. The film was characterized as "marginally science fiction
al" by scifilm.org. (Capra later planned to make a fully science fictional movie but was never able to.)
) requests the U.S. Navy's assistance in reaching the South Pole, officer Jack Bradon (Jack Holt) convinces Rear Admiral John S. Martin (Emmett Corrigan) to offer his dirigible, the USS Pensacola, for the attempt.
Jack requests best friend and glory seeker "Frisky" Pierce (Ralph Graves) to pilot the biplane
carried on the airship. Frisky is eager to go, even though he has just completed another record-setting mission, a coast-to-coast flight, and has barely spent any time with his neglected wife Helen (Fay Wray). She sees Jack without her husband's knowledge and begs him to drop Frisky from the expedition. In love with her himself, Jack agrees to do so, and without letting Frisky know why. Frisky ends their friendship in the belief that Jack does not want to share the fame.
The expedition soon ends in disaster; the Pensacola breaks in two and crashes into the ocean during a storm. Frisky gets a leave of absence from the navy to pilot a Ford Trimotor
transport aircraft for Rondelle's next attempt. This proves too much for Helen. When she is unable to get Frisky to change his mind, she gives him a sealed letter, to be read when he reaches the South Pole. In it, she writes that she will be getting a divorce and that she will ask Jack to marry her.
Frisky, Rondelle, Sock McGuire (Roscoe Karns
), and Hansen (Harold Goodwin
) reach the South Pole. When Frisky suggests setting down, Rondelle accepts his judgment that there will be no danger. However, during the landing, the aircraft flips over and bursts into flames, destroying most of their supplies. Rondelle's leg is broken and Sock's foot is injured.
They attempt to walk the 900 miles back to their base camp, dragging Rondelle on a sled. Rondelle dies the first night and is buried. Later, Frisky has to amputate Sock's foot. When Sock realizes he is too much of a burden, he drags himself away to die while the others are sleeping. The other two carry on, but Hansen breaks down when he finds they have been going in a circle and have returned to Rondelle's grave. Frisky refuses to give up and forces Hansen to continue on.
Meanwhile, Jack talks Rear Admiral Martin into letting him attempt a rescue with his new dirigible, the USS Los Angeles. He retrieves the two survivors. On the way back, Frisky remembers Helen's letter. Because he has snow blindness
, he asks Jack to read it to him. After skimming it, Jack substitutes his own improvised version, in which Helen is proud of his accomplishment and waiting for her husband with undiminished love. When they return, Frisky uncharacteristically skips a ticker tape parade through New York City
to be with his wife. He assures her that his glory-seeking days are over.
at the hangar that would house the U.S. Navy and later the Graf Zeppelin
and Hindenburg
. The Navy gave "its full resources at Lakehurst" including the pride of the fleet, the USS Los Angeles
to lend an air of authenticity to the production. The Los Angeles was featured prominently and also portrayed the fictional USS Pensacola. USN Lieutenant Commander Frank "Spig" Wead
, a former pilot, was given the story credit and stayed on as a technical consultant.
As production began, the old Arcadia airfield was converted into a set, complete with "artificial snow, fake ice mounds and painted backdrop attached to the back side of the dilapidated Army barracks." With principal photography slated for September, dry ice in metal containers stuffed in actor's mouths sufficed for the usual Arctic breath.
, with her 8-inch guns in the background during a takeoff of an aircraft.
The aerial cinematography was by coordinated by Elmer Dyer
.
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
's 1931 adventure film about the competition between American naval fixed-wing and airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
pilots to reach the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
by air.
Fay Wray
Fay Wray
Fay Wray was a Canadian-American actress most noted for playing the female lead in King Kong...
stars, as do Jack Holt
Jack Holt (actor)
Jack Holt was an American motion picture actor. He was a leading man of silent and sound films, and was known for his many roles in Westerns.-Early life:...
and Ralph Graves
Ralph Graves
Ralph Graves was an American screenwriter, film director, and actor who appeared in 93 films between 1918 and 1949....
, who also played fliers in Capra's 1929 talkie, Flight. In fact this film had been intended to emulate the success of 1927's Wings
Wings (film)
Wings is a silent film about World War I fighter pilots, produced by Lucien Hubbard, directed by William A. Wellman and released by Paramount Pictures. Wings was the first film, and the only silent film, to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Wings stars Clara Bow, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, and...
, another movie with a very similar plot. The film was characterized as "marginally science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
al" by scifilm.org. (Capra later planned to make a fully science fictional movie but was never able to.)
Plot
When famed explorer Louis Rondelle (Hobart BosworthHobart Bosworth
Hobart Bosworth was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer.-Early life:Born Hobart Van Zandt Bosworth, he was a direct descendant of Miles Standish and John and Priscilla Alden on his father's side and of New York's Van Zandt family, the first Dutch settlers to land in the New...
) requests the U.S. Navy's assistance in reaching the South Pole, officer Jack Bradon (Jack Holt) convinces Rear Admiral John S. Martin (Emmett Corrigan) to offer his dirigible, the USS Pensacola, for the attempt.
Jack requests best friend and glory seeker "Frisky" Pierce (Ralph Graves) to pilot the biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
carried on the airship. Frisky is eager to go, even though he has just completed another record-setting mission, a coast-to-coast flight, and has barely spent any time with his neglected wife Helen (Fay Wray). She sees Jack without her husband's knowledge and begs him to drop Frisky from the expedition. In love with her himself, Jack agrees to do so, and without letting Frisky know why. Frisky ends their friendship in the belief that Jack does not want to share the fame.
The expedition soon ends in disaster; the Pensacola breaks in two and crashes into the ocean during a storm. Frisky gets a leave of absence from the navy to pilot a Ford Trimotor
Ford Trimotor
The Ford Trimotor was an American three-engined transport plane that was first produced in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and that continued to be produced until June 7, 1933. Throughout its time in production, a total of 199 Ford Trimotors were produced...
transport aircraft for Rondelle's next attempt. This proves too much for Helen. When she is unable to get Frisky to change his mind, she gives him a sealed letter, to be read when he reaches the South Pole. In it, she writes that she will be getting a divorce and that she will ask Jack to marry her.
Frisky, Rondelle, Sock McGuire (Roscoe Karns
Roscoe Karns
Roscoe Karns was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964.He played the title role in the popular DuMont Television Network series Rocky King, Inside Detective from 1950 to 1954...
), and Hansen (Harold Goodwin
Harold Goodwin
Harold Goodwin was an American film actor who performed in over 225 films.Born in Peoria, Illinois, Goodwin began his film career while still in his teens in the 1915 film short Mike's Elopement. One of his most popular roles of the silent era was that of Jeff Brown in the 1927 Buster Keaton...
) reach the South Pole. When Frisky suggests setting down, Rondelle accepts his judgment that there will be no danger. However, during the landing, the aircraft flips over and bursts into flames, destroying most of their supplies. Rondelle's leg is broken and Sock's foot is injured.
They attempt to walk the 900 miles back to their base camp, dragging Rondelle on a sled. Rondelle dies the first night and is buried. Later, Frisky has to amputate Sock's foot. When Sock realizes he is too much of a burden, he drags himself away to die while the others are sleeping. The other two carry on, but Hansen breaks down when he finds they have been going in a circle and have returned to Rondelle's grave. Frisky refuses to give up and forces Hansen to continue on.
Meanwhile, Jack talks Rear Admiral Martin into letting him attempt a rescue with his new dirigible, the USS Los Angeles. He retrieves the two survivors. On the way back, Frisky remembers Helen's letter. Because he has snow blindness
Snow blindness
Photokeratitis or ultraviolet keratitis is a painful eye condition caused by exposure of insufficiently protected eyes to the ultraviolet rays from either natural or artificial sources. Photokeratitis is akin to a sunburn of the cornea and conjunctiva, and is not usually noticed until several...
, he asks Jack to read it to him. After skimming it, Jack substitutes his own improvised version, in which Helen is proud of his accomplishment and waiting for her husband with undiminished love. When they return, Frisky uncharacteristically skips a ticker tape parade through New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to be with his wife. He assures her that his glory-seeking days are over.
Cast
- Jack HoltJack Holt (actor)Jack Holt was an American motion picture actor. He was a leading man of silent and sound films, and was known for his many roles in Westerns.-Early life:...
as Jack Bradon - Ralph GravesRalph GravesRalph Graves was an American screenwriter, film director, and actor who appeared in 93 films between 1918 and 1949....
as 'Frisky' Pierce - Fay WrayFay WrayFay Wray was a Canadian-American actress most noted for playing the female lead in King Kong...
as Helen Pierce - Hobart BosworthHobart BosworthHobart Bosworth was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer.-Early life:Born Hobart Van Zandt Bosworth, he was a direct descendant of Miles Standish and John and Priscilla Alden on his father's side and of New York's Van Zandt family, the first Dutch settlers to land in the New...
as Louis Rondelle - Roscoe KarnsRoscoe KarnsRoscoe Karns was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964.He played the title role in the popular DuMont Television Network series Rocky King, Inside Detective from 1950 to 1954...
as Sock McGuire - Harold GoodwinHarold GoodwinHarold Goodwin was an American film actor who performed in over 225 films.Born in Peoria, Illinois, Goodwin began his film career while still in his teens in the 1915 film short Mike's Elopement. One of his most popular roles of the silent era was that of Jeff Brown in the 1927 Buster Keaton...
as Hansen - Clarence MuseClarence MuseClarence Muse was an actor, screenwriter, director, composer, and lawyer. He was inducted in the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1973. Muse was the first African American to "star" in a film. He acted for more than sixty years, and appeared in more than 150 movies.-Life and career:Born in...
as Clarence - Emmett Corrigan as Rear Admiral John S. Martin
Production
Capra and Columbia considered Dirigible as a step forward into the big time, with a $650,000 budget, the highest amount the studio had ever invested. Shot at Lakehurst, New JerseyLakehurst, New Jersey
Lakehurst is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,654.Lakehurst was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 7, 1921, from portions of Manchester Township, based on the results of a...
at the hangar that would house the U.S. Navy and later the Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German built and operated passenger-carrying hydrogen-filled rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a Graf or Count in the German nobility. During its operating life,...
and Hindenburg
LZ 129 Hindenburg
LZ 129 Hindenburg was a large German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship, the lead ship of the Hindenburg class, the longest class of flying machine and the largest airship by envelope volume...
. The Navy gave "its full resources at Lakehurst" including the pride of the fleet, the USS Los Angeles
USS Los Angeles (ZR-3)
The second USS Los Angeles was a rigid airship, designated ZR-3, that was built in 1923-1924 by the Zeppelin factory in Friedrichshafen, Germany, where it was originally designated LZ-126...
to lend an air of authenticity to the production. The Los Angeles was featured prominently and also portrayed the fictional USS Pensacola. USN Lieutenant Commander Frank "Spig" Wead
Frank Wead
Frank Wilbur "Spig" Wead was a U.S. Navy aviator turned screenwriter who helped promote United States Naval aviation from its inception through World War II.-Military service:A 1916 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Wead began to promote Naval Aviation after World War...
, a former pilot, was given the story credit and stayed on as a technical consultant.
As production began, the old Arcadia airfield was converted into a set, complete with "artificial snow, fake ice mounds and painted backdrop attached to the back side of the dilapidated Army barracks." With principal photography slated for September, dry ice in metal containers stuffed in actor's mouths sufficed for the usual Arctic breath.
Aviation aspects
This film is historically important to aviation buffs. A mid-air docking/recovery of a fighter plane with a dirigible is shown. The crash of an airship during a storm is accurately depicted. One can also spot the aircraft carrier USS LexingtonUSS Lexington (CV-2)
USS Lexington , nicknamed the "Gray Lady" or "Lady Lex," was an early aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the , though her sister ship was commissioned a month earlier...
, with her 8-inch guns in the background during a takeoff of an aircraft.
The aerial cinematography was by coordinated by Elmer Dyer
Elmer Dyer
Elmer Dyer, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer, the first film cameraman to specialize in aerial photography.Dyer was born in Lawrence, Kansas and died in Hollywood.-External links:...
.