I Wanted Wings ** (1941, Ray Milland, William Holden, Wayne Morris, Brian Donlevy, Constance Moore, Harry Davenpor) – Classic Movie Review 8786

Veronica Lake stars as Sally Vaughn, who vamps her way into the affections of three US Army Air Corps air cadets – wealthy playboy Jeff Young (Ray Milland), college jock Al Ludlow (William Holden) and auto mechanic Tom Cassidy (Wayne Morris) – in director Mitchell Leisen’s 1941 aviation romance drama I Wanted Wings, fine in the air (thanks to aerial photographer Elmer Dyer), a belly flop on the ground (thanks to the struggling script).

The long (135 minutes) film does take flight for the well-staged plane action and air training scenes. And overall Leisen tries hard, but Howard Hawks was needed as director. Five writers (Frank Wead, Eleanore Griffin, Richard Maibaum, Beirne Lay Jr and Sig Herzig) vainly struggle with the script in an uphill battle to adapt the book I Wanted Wings by Lieutenant Beirne Lay Jr to the screen.

Nevertheless, it was the start of a decade of hits for the 22-year-old Lake (real name Constance Ockleman). Constance Moore provides the other love interest, as Carolyn Bartlett. And it won an Oscar for Best Effects, Special Effects (Farciot Edouart and Gordon Jennings (photographic) and Louis Mesenkop (sound)).

Also in the cast are Brian Donlevy, Harry Davenport, Phil Brown, Hedda Hopper, Edward Fielding, Addison Richards, Hobart Cavanaugh, Douglas Aylesworth, John Trent, Willard Robertson, Richard Webb, Archie Twitchell and Richard Lane.

I Wanted Wings is directed by Mitchell Leisen, runs 131 minutes, is made and released by Paramount Pictures, written by Frank Wead, Eleanore Griffin, Richard Maibaum and Beirne Lay Jnr, Sig Herzig, based on the the book I Wanted Wings by Lieutenant Beirne Lay Jr, shot in black and white by Leo Tover and Elmer Dyer (aerial photographer), produced by Arthur Hornblow Jr and scored Victor Young, with Art Direction by Hans Dreier and Robert Usher.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8786

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