The Flying Irishman
Encyclopedia
The Flying Irishman is a 1939 biographical drama film
produced by RKO Pictures
in 1939 about Douglas Corrigan
's unofficial transatlantic flight the previous year. Directed by Leigh Jason
to a screenplay by Ernest Pagano
and Dalton Trumbo
, the film was made quickly to exploit the huge public interest in the adventure, and starred Corrigan as himself in the lead role. Many of the other parts were played by established character actors, however, which undermined its attempt at realism.
The film covers the material of Corrigan's autobiography from his early life to his return from his wrong-way flight. Because of the huge popularity of Corrigan and his flight, the screenplay assumes that the material is already familiar to its audience.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
produced by RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
in 1939 about Douglas Corrigan
Douglas Corrigan
Douglas Corrigan was an American aviator born in Galveston, Texas. He was nicknamed "Wrong Way" in 1938. After a transcontinental flight from Long Beach, California, to New York, he flew from Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York, to Ireland, though his flight plan was filed to return to Long...
's unofficial transatlantic flight the previous year. Directed by Leigh Jason
Leigh Jason
Leigh Jason was an American film director and sceeenwriter. He was born in New York, New York, and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.-Filmography:* The Price of Fear * Wolves of the City...
to a screenplay by Ernest Pagano
Ernest Pagano
Ernest Pagano was an American screenwriter. He wrote for 66 films between 1927 and 1947.He was born in Florence, Colorado, and died in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack.-Selected filmography:...
and Dalton Trumbo
Dalton Trumbo
James Dalton Trumbo was an American screenwriter and novelist, and one of the Hollywood Ten, a group of film professionals who refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947 during the committee's investigation of Communist influences in the motion picture industry...
, the film was made quickly to exploit the huge public interest in the adventure, and starred Corrigan as himself in the lead role. Many of the other parts were played by established character actors, however, which undermined its attempt at realism.
The film covers the material of Corrigan's autobiography from his early life to his return from his wrong-way flight. Because of the huge popularity of Corrigan and his flight, the screenplay assumes that the material is already familiar to its audience.
Cast
- Douglas Corrigan as himself
- Paul KellyPaul Kelly (actor)Paul Michael Kelly was an American child actor who later as an adult became a stage, film, and television actor.-Child actor:...
as Butch Brannan - Robert ArmstrongRobert Armstrong (actor)Robert Armstrong was an American film actor best remembered for his role as Carl Denham in the 1933 version of King Kong by RKO Pictures. He uttered the famous exit quote, "'Twas beauty killed the beast," at the film's end...
as Joe Alden, the flying instructor - Gene ReynoldsGene ReynoldsGene Reynolds is a former American actor turned award-winning television writer, director, and producer.-Early life:He was born Eugene Reynolds Blumenthal on April 4, 1923 to Frank Eugene Blumenthal and Maude Evelyn Blumenthal in Cleveland, Ohio, he was raised in Detroit, Michigan, where his...
as Douglas Corrigan as a boy - Donald MacBrideDonald MacBrideDonald MacBride was an American character actor on stage, in films and on TV who launched his career as a teenage singer in vaudeville and went on to be an actor on Broadway. He appeared in nearly 140 films between 1914 and 1955...
as Roy Thompson - Eddie QuillanEddie QuillanEdward "Eddie" Quillan was an American film actor whose career began as a child on the vaudeville stages and silent film and continued through the age of television in the 1980s.-Vaudeville and silent films:...
as Henry Corrigan, Douglas' brother - J. M. KerriganJ. M. KerriganJoseph Michael Kerrigan , better known as J. M. Kerrigan, born in Dublin, Ireland, was an Irish character actor.-Life:Kerrigan worked as a newspaper reporter until 1907 when he joined the famous Abbey Players...
as Clyde Corrigan Sr., Douglas' father