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Wings Overview:

Wings (1927) was a Drama - Romance Film directed by William A. Wellman and produced by Lucien Hubbard and B.P. Schulberg.

SYNOPSIS

This is the winner of the first Best Picture Oscar and the story of its production is by now well-known Hollywood lore, but as pure cinematic excitement, it still leaps off the screen. Directed by 28-year-old "Wild Bill" Wellman (a former flier with the Lafayette Escadrille) who marshaled the resources of the War Department to create what remains among the most thrilling aerial sequences on film. The story follows two friends as they prepare to become fliers in WWI. Rogers and Arlen leave for camp where they meet a young veteran (Cooper, in his breakthrough role), whose death doesn't quench their thirst for action. Their pal Bow follows the two to France as a Red Cross nurse so she can keep her eye on Rogers. After engaging in aerial combat, Arlen's plane is shot down over German lines. Thinking his friend is dead, Rogers rushes to his plane to wreak revenge. Meanwhile, Arlen has commandeered a German triplane and heads toward base, leading to a fateful confrontation. Wellman planted cameras in real planes so none of the action is faked; some of the fliers went on to illustrious Air Force careers. A stirring, emotional film and one of the silent greats.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Wings was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1997.

Academy Awards 1927/28 --- Ceremony Number 1 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best PictureParamount Famous LaskyWon
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Wings BlogHub Articles:

Watching 1939: The Lion Has Wings (1939)

on Nov 14, 2019 From Comet Over Hollywood

In 2011, I announced I was trying to see every film released in 1939. This new series chronicles films released in 1939 as I watch them. As we start out this blog feature, this section may become more concrete as I search for a common thread that runs throughout each film of the year. Right now, th... Read full article

Only Angels Have Wings (1939): Hawks’ Greatest Adventure Movie

By 4 Star Film Fan on Aug 6, 2019 From 4 Star Films

Howard Hawks always had a knack for creating worlds and subsequently building camaraderie between his characters simply by stringing scenes together one after the other. Only Angels Have Wings sets up a premise — revolving around a South American outpost — then settles in on two fl... Read full article

Watching 1939: Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

on Jul 4, 2019 From Comet Over Hollywood

In 2011, I announced I was trying to see every film released in 1939. This new series chronicles films released in 1939 as I watch them. As we start out this blog feature, this section may become more concrete as I search for a common thread that runs throughout each film of the year. Right now, th... Read full article

Wings of Mystery ( 1963 )

By The Metzinger Sisters on Apr 12, 2019 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film Lovers

The Children's Film Foundation made a number of good little mysteries in the 1960s, one of which was Wings of Mystery, released in 1963. This British film tells the story of a brother and sister ( Hennie Scott and a young Judy Geeson ) who try to help their brother Ted ( Richard Carpenter ) when he ... Read full article

Only Angels Have Wings (1939, Howard Hawks)

By Andrew Wickliffe on Oct 17, 2018 From The Stop Button

The first forty-five minutes of Only Angels Have Wings is mostly continual present action. Jean Arthur arrives in a South American port town, looking around–followed by two possible ne’er-do-wells (Allyn Joslyn and Noah Beery Jr.)–and the film tracks her experience. Great direction from Hawks,... Read full article

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Wings Quotes:

Mary Preston: D'you know what you can do when you see a shooting star?
John "Jack" Powell: No, what?
Mary Preston: You can kiss the girl you love.
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Wings Facts
Was the only silent movie to win the Best Picture Oscar until The Artist won Best Picture in 2012.
In contrast to co-star Richard Arlen, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers did not know how to fly a plane when production began, but he learned how to do so by the end of it. In the close-up scenes where Jack and David (and other characters) are flying, the actors are actually working the planes themselves. To shoot these scenes, the actors had to get the plane up in the air, keep it up, turn on the (motorized) camera and land the plane-and act at the same time.
Richard Arlen, whose character is a fighter pilot, had actually been a pilot in World War I (though he never saw combat).
Chocolate syrup was used as blood in the movie.
Director William A. Wellman based much of his work in the film on his experiences as a combat pilot during World War I. While stationed in France, Wellman joined the French Foreign Legion's Lafayette Flying Corps, N.87, les Chats Noir (Black Cat Group). The plane he flew was Nieuport 24 fighter, which he named "Celia" after his mother. He was credited with three recorded "kills" of enemy aircraft, plus five probable kills. Wellman was shot down in combat and survived the crash, but walked with a limp for the rest of his life. He received the Croix du Guerre for his service. After the war, Wellman returned home and joined the U.S. Army Air Corps for two years, where he taught combat tactics to new pilots at Rockwell Field in San Diego.
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