During World War I, William Wellman had been a pilot with the Lafayette Flying Corps which was a division of the French Foreign Legion. He was a decorated war hero and returned to the United States following the armistice. He joined the United States Army Air Corps and was stationed at Rockwell Field in San Diego as an instructor. On the weekends, Wellman flew his private areoplane to Hollywood, using the polo field of Douglas Fairbanks as a landing strip. Fairbanks was fascinated by stories of aviation and eventually got Wellman a job at one of the studios. Wellman made his directorial debut in 1920, and in 1927 his movie Wings was the first film to be awarded the Academy Award for Best Picture. Wellman went on to make movies with Gary Cooper, Mitch, Barbara Stanwyck, James Cagney and a host of other A-list actors. He made two aviation pictures with John Wayne: 1954s The High and the Mighty and this little gem from 1953 - one of my favourites - Island in the Sky ... with an all-star cast: The Duke, Lloyd Nolan, Walter Abel, James Arness, Andy Devine, Harry Carey Jr, cowboy Bob Steele, Darryl Hickman, Mike Connors, Carl Switzer (Alfalfa from The Little Rascals) and Fess Parker ... enjoy! https://youtube/watch?v=2lHs1SvAvIY
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 17:19:37 +0000