Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

writers_reign Clearly made under the influence - not to say success - of Wings and Hell's Angels this is Three Comrades with aerilons. Robert Armstrong, Joel McCrea and Richard Dix, three intrepid flyboys find themselves fish out of water after 1918 and though there were flying jobs availably - barnstorming, flying mail etc - this doesn't seem to occur to them with the result that they reach a point when they haven't got change of a match and, as everyone and his Uncle Max knows, once you reach the lowest point you can the only way is up and so, in the fullness of time - something like one and a half reels - they wind up in Hollywood working largely as stunt pilots. This is where the plot takes off - sorry about that - as they encounter movie director Erich von Stroheim, a man who clearly read Les Miserables and thought Javert was the hero. We know from the get-go that it's destined to end in tears and so it does but not without some decent acting and diversions along the way.

st-shot With time running out to satisfy their taste for adventure and blood lust WW 1 pilots Gibson, Woody and Red take to the air and fight to the last minute before Armistice. The war over and out of a Woody (Bob Armstrong) followed by Gibson ( Richard Dix) and Red (Joel McCrea) gravitate to Hollywood to do what they do best, fly stunt planes. The work is dangerous but they are use to it. The danger increases tenfold when Von Furst (Erich Von Stroheim), a tyrannical director with a thirst for realism as well as a wife who once had the hots for Gibson attempts to pull off two for the price of one; get the shot and lose the wife's former lover. Woody in the, throes of alcoholism takes the fall however. With the war over and no more dogfights to involve itself in Squadron is no Wings but it does offer up some fine aerial acrobatics to go along with its swift and a touch incredulous pace. The trio of pilots do their macho posturing (including a bird throwing sequence) adequately enough while Beth Jordan and Mary Astor wait with anxious trepidation on the ground. But it is the opportunity to watch Von Stroheim go into directorial rant that in retrospect gives the Lost Squadron its bite.

LeonLouisRicci A rather different relic from the early sound era. The in vogue at the time fixation on "aeroplanes" was a justifiable wonder of the modern age. Also, the plight of the returning WWI soldiers was still very fresh in the public consciousness and this makes honorable use of the shortcomings of the soldiers homecomings.This one goes quickly from the end of the war to the behind the scenes making of Moving Pictures circa 1920 Hollywood and that makes it of interest to film buffs (and flight freaks). Add in a bonus of Von Stroheim playing pretty much a take on his own eccentricities of a real life troubled Director.It is a well mounted film with an interesting cast although Robert Armstrong's irritating drunk shows why, accept for King Kong the next year he will be forever mostly forgotten. But it is Stroheim, the on the set realism, the flying acrobatic special effects, and the dark ending that makes this an in interesting inclusion that has been parked in the Odd Cinema Hanger, and is only brought out once in awhile to be looked at like a Smithsonian.

kidboots This is a gritty pre-code adventure/thriller that just happened to be on TV last week at 1.30 in the morning!! It has a similar theme to another film "Lucky Devils" made in 1933.Dorothy Jordan was a very pretty ingenue who was kept extremely busy until her retirement in 1933 when she married Merian C. Cooper. Apparently she was about to be cast in "Flying Down to Rio" (1933) as Honey Hale but backed out to go on her honeymoon. The role went to Ginger Rogers. Dorothy plays "Pest" Curwood, kid sister of Woody (Robert Armstrong) one of a group of friends who were flying aces during the war. This gritty film shows how shamefully returned soldiers were really treated. They return to find things have changed. "Red" (Joel McCrea) returns to find his place of employment in the middle of re-trenchments. The war has made "Red" restless and he chooses to travel rather than go back to his old job. Woody is also restless but finds while he was away "on important business in France" his former business partner has swindled the company. Gibby (Richard Dix) returns to find his ambitious girlfriend, Follette (Mary Astor) has left him for a richer man.Years later "Red", Gibby and Fritz (Hugh Herbert) down on their luck, find themselves in Hollywood, hoping to catch up with Woody. Woody is the chief aerial stunt man in "Sky Heroes" which is having it's Hollywood premiere. The star is none other than Follette, who is married to the director Von Furst (Erich Von Stroheim in another intense performance) - a "terrible fathead" according to Woody. He persuades his mates to go to work as aerial stuntmen. Von Furst is a tyrannical director who rules his crew and his wife with an iron fist!!! Follette believes Von Furst (because of his insane jealousy) will tamper with Gibby's plane. He actually puts acid on the control wires - but Woody is the one flying it, to pay back a favour Gibby did him, when he was too drunk to fly.From an action packed aviation adventure it turns into a tight psychological thriller. The last 10 minutes takes place at night in a disused hanger. Richard Dix is heroic and manly, Robert Armstrong gives another great character performance and Joel McCrea was an up and coming new talent. For all her top billing Mary Astor didn't have much to do.Recommended.