Wings in the Dark (1935)

Wings in the Dark (1935) *** (out of 4) Ken Gordon (Cary Grant) is a pilot who is trying to use technology so that other pilots will be able to fly blind. He meets stunt pilot Sheila Mason (Myrna Loy) but soon afterwards Ken is blinded in an accident. He soon hits depression but he believes now that he's really blind he can prove his technology.WINGS IN THE DARK isn't a masterpiece or even a classic Hollywood picture but it's certainly an entertaining if rather routine drama that features two great stars and enough entertainment to make it worth watching. The film isn't one that was made to be an "A" picture but as far as a "B" film goes there's no doubt that it's very much worth watching.There are a lot of cliché things in the picture even for 1935 standards. For starters, the entire story is rather predictable and especially in the way that it plays out. I'm not going to ruin the ending but you'll see it coming from a mile away and what happens at the very end was silly enough to where you'd have to right to boo it. Yes, the closing moments are really that bad! I'd also argue that the romance in the film really doesn't work either.With that said, there are some terrific moments with the stunt sequences. The aerial flying sequences are extremely good and if you enjoy Hollywood films with real stunts then you'll certainly enjoy what's on display here. I'd also argue that both Grant and Loy were very good in their roles. Loy got the top-billing since Grant wasn't yet a star but it's his performance that steals the picture. I wouldn't say he gave one of the greatest performances by an actor playing someone who is blind but I thought the actor did a really good job in the scenes where his character acts out his frustration.WINGS IN THE DARK will certainly appeal to fans of the two stars and they're both good enough to make it worth watching.

Long before "The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer" and "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dreamhouse", Myrna Loy and Cary Grant were paired only once together, in this somewhat unbelievable aerial drama about a cocky thrill pilot (Grant) who suddenly looses his eyesight in a freak accident and with the help of fellow pilot Loy and pal Roscoe Karns, ends up back in the cockpit. Loy, playing a variation of Amelia Earhart and Katharine Hepburn's "Christopher Strong", tries to break a transit record, and in the climactic sequence, is believed missing. The blind Grant sets out to find her, leading to one of the most ridiculous abuses of reality on film.Best known for comedy, the two have proved themselves in dramatic roles, so that is not the issue here. What is obvious is that they are playing a story that needs far more reality than the script delivered, so the result is as absurd as anything you've seen on film. Grant starts off as rather obnoxious; In fact, there's nothing in his character to suggest, other than his looks, that Loy would fall in love with him. But once blind, he looses all hope, even initially rejecting the seeing eye dog Loy and Karns bring him. This leads to sequences of obvious "cuteness", and how can you not love this Rin-Tin-Tin pooch. But the star power of the leads and the dog aside, I have to mark this one as a disappointment that fails even in spite of some thrilling flight scenes and bits of amusing dialog.

I noticed that one of the reviewers thought this was one of Cary Grant's and Myrna Loy's best films. Well, I am glad they liked it, but can't see why they were this enthusiastic about a film that looked an awful lot like a B-movie despite having Ms. Loy in the film. Now in 1935, Cary was still not a major star, so his playing lead in this decent time-passer isn't all that surprising. But, with Loy reaching great heights with her THIN MAN film the year before, it's surprising to see her in such an ordinary film. In quality and number of bad clichés, this film isn't nearly the film you'd expect for her in 1935.The film begins with both stars playing great pilots. Loy is a barnstormer while Grant is more sophisticated and is famous for his heroics and aviation pioneering work. Loy is clearly smitten by him, though he has little idea who she is. When Grant suffers a terrible eye injury that blinds him, she comes to his aid and he comes to love her. However, he's a bit of a fat-head about accepting help from her at first, so she secretly helps fund his research, as now that he's blind no one wants to risk the funds on his idea to perfect "flying blind"--no, not letting blind folks fly but allowing pilots to fly in foggy weather that would normally ground them.The romance aspect of the film is pretty good and the film is an amiable movie until near the very end. In a very difficult to believe twist, blind Cary flies up to save Loy! And, in a scene that made me want to scream, although he had just announced his intention to kill himself due to his blindness, in the final scene (where Loy saved him from this), Cary announces "I am beginning to see!!!!"--and his blindness is lifting!! I half expected to hear a chorus of angels and the sky open up with this abysmally clichéd finale. Before this terrible ending, the film would have earned a 6 or maybe 7. BUT, with this finale I think I am being very generous in giving it a 5.By the way, this is on the same DVD as "Cary Grant: Disc 2--The Screen Legend Collection. I advise you try to get it, as the other film (BIG BROWN EYES) is a wonderful and seldom seen gem.

It's always a treat to find an early Cary Grant movie. In this case it was a double treat since Myrna Loy played his love interest. Wings in the Dark (1935) showcases the talents of its two stars, despite the rather unbelievable plot of a recently blinded pilot (Cary Grant) who flies a plane configured with special navigating equipment he has created. While the movie ends on a typical melodramatic, if not predicable note, the movie is still one to catch. Cary Grant pulls together an admirable performance of an independent man who is suddenly blinded and goes through a myriad of emotions that come with the convalescence. This movie shows that Grant had depth as a serious actor. Catch him with two other movies with Myrna Loy, The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer, and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.