Warner Bros. Pictures presents "CAPTAINS OF THE CLOUDS" (21 February 1942) (114 min/Color) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- Cagney in (his first Technicolor appearance) plays Brian MacLean, a hotshot Canadian bush pilot who delights in stealing jobs (and women) away from his competitors --- Brian is forced to shape up in a hurry when he's assigned to train other pilots for the Royal Canadian Air Force --- At the ending of the training period, he is given his first real RCAF assignment --- The seemingly unimportant task of shepherding American bomber planes across the Atlantic to England --- With startling suddenness, Brian comes to realize the true importance of his job when he is forced into a deadly confrontation with a fleet of Nazi raider planes.
A role most suited to Cagney at his cockiest!
Real-life Canadian WW1 flying ace Billy Bishop plays a small but pivotal role.
Cinematographer Sol Polito earned an Oscar nomination for his vivid color photography, a further nomination went to Ted Smith & Casey Roberts for Art Direction.
Under the production staff of:
Michael Curtiz [Director]
Arthur T. Horman [Story]
Roland Gillett [Story]
Arthur T. Horman [Screenwriter]
Richard Macaulay [Screewriter]
Norman Reilly Raine [Screenwriter]
William Cagney [Associate Producer]
Hal B. Wallis [Executive Producer]
Max Steiner [Original Film Score]
Wilfred M. Cline [Cinematgrapher]
Sol Polito [Cinematographer]
George Amy [Film Editor]
Ted Smith [Art Director]
Casey Roberts [Art Director]
BIOS:
1. James Cagney [aka: James Francis Cagney]
Date of Birth: 17 July 1899 - New York City, New York
Date of Death: 30 March 1986 - Stanfordville, New York
2. Dennis Morgan [aka: Earl Stanley Morner]
Date of Birth: 20 December 1908, Prentice, Wisconsin
Date of Death: 7 September 1994, Fresno, California
3. Brenda Marshall [aka: Ardis Ankerson]
Date of Birth: 29 September 1915 - Island of Negros, Philippines
Date of Death: 30 July 1992 - Palm Springs, California
the cast includes:
James Cagney - Brian MacLean
Dennis Morgan - Johnny Dutton
Brenda Marshall - Emily Foster
Alan Hale - Francis Patrick 'Tiny' Murphy
George Tobias - Blimp Lebec
Reginald Gardiner - Scrounger Harris
W.A. Bishop - Himself (as Air Marshal W.A. Bishop)
Reginald Denny - Commanding officer
Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]
Total Time: 114 min on DVD ~ Warner Bros. Pictures ~ (04/24/2007)