Test Pilot
Starring: Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore, Samuel S. Hinds, Marjorie Main, Ted Pearson, Gloria Holden
Directed by: Victor Fleming
Rating: Passed
Genre: Drama, Romance
1938

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A suave test pilot (Clark Gable) crash lands on a small Kansas farm, where he falls in love with a girl (Myrna Loy), much to the consternation of his mechanic and best friend (Spencer Tracy).

Review:

Tim: I really enjoyed Victor Fleming's Test Pilot. It might not be the greatest film, but the wonderful cast, competent direction, and exciting subject matter make up for an occasionally melodramatic script. I might have liked this movie more than I should, but I did enjoy it.

In general, I'm a huge fan of movies about pilots. Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first flight in human history in 1903. 24 years later, Wings, a film about World War I pilots, won the first Academy Award for Best Picture. 11 years later, we get Test Pilot, a film about pilots testing new experimental aircraft. It's stunning to consider the progression of technology in 35 years. The flight scenes here are well done- it's a mix of actual plane footage and practical visual effects, but it all works fairly well together. There's something so intense and exciting about movies like this- seeing brave men (and eventually, women) flying in unproven aircraft, risking their lives to advance technology for the good of society. I love those scenes, where anything could go wrong, but courage keeps the pilots moving forward. This movie gives us plenty of those kinds of scenes. There's some truly intense moments, some impressive crashes, an air race- this movie certainly doesn't skimp on the heart-pounding sequences.

What really helps this movie for me is the cast. It's fantastic. Clark Gable was so good at this careful, charismatic characters. I never loved Jim Lane as a character, but I recognized it was a part that leveraged all of Gable's strengths. He showed fearlessness, callousness, but ultimately heart. He gives a strong performance and draws attention to himself appropriately in every scene. There's no doubt that all the other characters circle his orbit. Myrna Loy was fantastic. She plays the "love interest", but the script and her excellent acting make Ann a force. She more than holds her own opposite Gable. It's a true delight to see their back-and-forth banter. They have real chemistry together. I was so impressed with Loy- this era feels like it so purposely limited actresses in what they could do on screen. Loy is given a lot to tackle here and she does so flawlessly. She gets to show off her acting ability, which is considerable. Gable and Loy make a fantastic pair. And that brings me to Spencer Tracy, an actor whom I truly love. I think Tracy is one of the all-time greats. He can do absolutely anything. Here, he's the third wheel among this trio, but Gunner Morse emerges as one of the most fascinating, heartfelt characters in the film. I read that Gable and Tracy didn't get along well during the shoot, but their dynamic on screen worked. Gunner is the long-suffering companion of Jim Lane. He loves his friend even as that friendship takes a great personal toll on him. Tracy shows this, as the film progresses and his character undergoes a change, brought down by the constant strain. Their relationship was powerfully depicted and it made me so interested in the film. Tracy brings so much humanity to Gunner, you can't help but love his character. He's the heart of the film in many ways. These three actors are so excellent together, it's the main reason I like this film as much as I do. And then, you add Lionel Barrymore in. Barrymore is another actor I love in nearly everything he does. He's in a smaller supporting role here, but he always makes his presence felt. He's a terrific character actor and he makes an impression with his role here.

Test Pilot does a little bit of everything. It delivers intense, exciting action sequences. It tells a complex romance story. It shows true friendship between two very different men. It ratchets up the drama between well-established characters. Victor Fleming is one of the great directors and I believe this is a really solid effort from him. The film didn't win any Academy Awards, but it was nominated for 3- Best Picture, Best Original Story, and Best Film Editing. I'm not sure it was good enough to win any, so perhaps the Academy made the right decisions. Still, I had a fun time watching this movie and it's yet another solid entry in Hollywood's emerging history of telling fantastic stories about pilots. This movie is well worth watching.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Wings, Captains Courageous, Mutiny on the Bounty, The Thin Man