producers at RKO put the aerial drama 'Sky Giant' (1938) into production and turned out a rather entertaining B-picture with some exciting action sequences." Turner Classic Movies reviewer Rob Nixon noted that, ". Sky Giant was an unpretentious low-budget film, but, according to RKO records, the production made a profit of $165,000.
B-movie specialist Lew Landers, was very familiar with aviation and would eventually helm nine aviation films including Without Orders (1936), Flight from Glory (1937), Air Hostess (1939) and Arctic Flight (1952). RKO had considered incorporating newsreel footage of the flight by Hughes in the trailer for Sky Giant. At the time, media attention had been focused on the record-breaking circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1938 by Howard Hughes. Under the working titles of Ground Crew and Northern Flight, principal photography took place in 1938, at the Grand Central Air Terminal at Glendale, California. Glendale's Grand Central Air Terminal was featured in Sky Giant, as well as in many other films of the era. Seeing how she feels, Stag tells her to get their marriage annulled. When they return to the school, Meg rushes into Ken's arms. Shortly afterward, they stumble upon a settlement. He turns around, gets Stag to his feet and supports him as they trudge along. Ken is glad to leave him behind, but then recalls the time Stag stood up for him against his father after a near crash. Eventually, Stag becomes too exhausted to go on. When it becomes apparent that they will not make it with the injured man as a burden, Fergie insists they leave him behind, but they refuse.Īfter Ken and Stag fall asleep, however, Fergie drags himself out of their tent to freeze to death. They devise a travois to carry Fergie on the 300 mile trek to the coast. Ken and Stag are unharmed, but Fergie's legs are broken. When they try to take off, the landing gear proves too weak, and the aircraft flips over. The flight becomes uncomfortably awkward after Stag informs Ken about his marriage.ĭuring the flight, the rudder becomes jammed, forcing an emergency landing in the Arctic wilderness to effect repairs. They get married in Yuma immediately, although there is no honeymoon as the mapping expedition departs within hours. When Stag finds out, he proposes again she accepts after he agrees this will be his last flight. Ken has a falling out with Meg over his flying, and she breaks off their engagement. It is obvious that he wants his son to go along. Stockton pays them an awkward visit, observing that their aircraft could carry three. Stag and Fergie are assigned a dangerous pioneering mapping flight from California to Alaska to Russia.
Despite only seeing Meg a couple of times, Stag impulsively proposes to her, only to find she has already agreed to marry Ken. Ken and Stag become rivals for the affections of Meg Lawrence (Joan Fontaine), the cousin of fellow school pilot and friend "Fergie" Ferguson ( Paul Guilfoyle).
He would rather have him stay in the diplomatic service, but Ken wants to design aircraft. When Stockton inspects the newest batch of students, he is greatly displeased to find his own son, Ken (Chester Morris), among them. Stag warns his boss that he is pushing the men too hard, but Stockton disagrees. Two trainee mechanics are dismissed on the spot for being too slow. Stockton imposes military discipline on the civilian school. When the colonel arranges for Stag, a reservist, to be recalled to active duty, he orders him to take the assignment as his assistant. The colonel asks him to join the school staff, but Stag would rather fly. "Stag" Cahill (Richard Dix), an old friend from the war, is the pilot on the commercial airliner taking him to Glendale. Upon reaching retirement age, Colonel Cornelius Stockton ( Harry Carey) is forced to leave the US military, accepting a job running the Trans-World Air Lines School of Aeronautics in Glendale, California.