“Howard Hughes’ Thrilling Multi-Million Dollar Air Spectacle!”
Sound film — 127 mins.
The Caddo Co., Inc. (distributed by United Artists) / Dir. Howard Hughes
Production: November 7, 1927 — March 1929 (silent version, pre-Jean Harlow) / September 1929 — December 1929 (sound version with Jean Harlow)
Release date: November 15, 1930
Survival/release status: Extant; available to watch online and on DVD.
Cast: Ben Lyon (Monte Rutledge), James Hall (Roy Rutledge), Jean Harlow (Helen), John Darrow (Karl Armstedt), Lucien Prival (Baron von Krantz), Frank Clarke (Lieutenant von Bruen), Roy Wilson (“Baldy”), Douglas Gilmore (Captain Redfield), Jane Winton (Baroness von Krantz), Lena Malena (Gretchen), Marilyn Morgan AKA Marian Marsh (Girl selling flowers).
Summary: Brothers Roy (James Hall) and Monte Rutledge (Ben Lyon) find more than just the stressors of aerial combat awaiting them in the Royal Flying Corps during the Great War; the whims and wiles of cattish aristocrat Helen (Jean Harlow), who casually plays the men against each other, also threatens to tear them apart.
Trivia:
- Harlow’s first leading role, coincidentally in a multi-million dollar production, and her breakthrough. Harlow was hired to replace Norwegian actress Greta Nissen as the leading lady; the recent advent of sound pressured director Howard Hughes to redo Hell’s Angels, in production as a silent, as a talking picture; Nissen’s heavy accent immediately posed a problem. Reluctant to shell out an exorbitant (or, appropriate) salary to an established actress as his new star, Howard Hughes chose the unknown Jean Harlow, who had been introduced to him through assistant director David Marks (who in turn was introduced to Harlow by Ben Lyon).
- Harlow, inexperienced in dramatic acting, sought help from dialogue supervisor James Whale, who (like Hughes) didn’t care to help the teenager flesh out her ability. In the film, Harlow speaks one of the most quoted (and misquoted) movie lines in history; “Would you be shocked if I put on something more comfortable?” Harlow, embarrassed of her appearance in Hell’s Angels, admitted to publicity man ‘Hamm’ Beall in 1936 that she had never seen the picture all the way through.
- Thought lost for years, the original color footage was located in a print held in John Wayne’s personal film archive by his son, Michael.
- Two pilots and a mechanic lost their lives making this film; their names were Al Johnson, Ruper Syme Macalister, and Phil Jones. Stunt pilot Paul Mantz would later work with director William A. Wellman of Wings (1927) fame on his later aviation projects, though Mantz didn’t work on Wings itself.
Stills and ad art:
Harlow Heaven 