Sky Patrol (Monogram) (1939)

(Ga, — (ast — Tailspin Tommy JOHN TRENT Betty Lou MARJORIE REYNOLDS Skeeter MILBURN STONE Carter Meade JACKIE COOGAN Paul Smith Jason Robards Bainbridge Bryant Washburn Colonel Meade Boyd Irwin Mitch ...LeRoy Mason Jackson .... John Peters RVG oicou Johnny Day Bobby......Dickie Jones SWIMMING SKILL ASSET ON SET OF “SKY PATROL” reece ff em Sink or swim, Milburn Stone recently proved himself a plucky thespian. During the filming of Monogram’s “Sky Patrol,” the latest of the Tailspin Tommy series based on Hal Forrest’s comic strip, now at the.................. theatre, Stone jumped into the Santa Monica Bay, at a depth of fifty feet. This, despite the fact that he can’t swim. Stone, who plays the role of Skeeter in support of John Trent, has experienced many hair-raising adventures with the ace of the airways during the shooting of this series. But the most dangerous episode took place while the company was on location for the most recent of the Tailspin Tommy pictures. The cameras were set to shoot a scene wherein Stone, Trent, and Jackie Coogan were to dive from a boat into the waters of Santa Monica Bay, after setting fire to a smuggling boat. Milburn took one look at the cameras, one at the water, and jumped in at the cry of “Action!” It was fortunate that the director okayed the first take because the next twenty minutes were devoted to fishing actor Stone out of the water, and pumping the Bay out of him. LUCKY GUY John Trent as Tailspin Tommy gets the girl as well as smugglers in Monogram’s “Sky Patrol,” now at the............... theatre. One Col. Cut or Mat No. 2 QQ” eee Post Soupts Monogram's "Sky Patrol", which is now at the Spe ae theatre, is based on the Tailspin Tommy cartoon strip, and is the story of the army reserve pilots who guard the borders of the United States. In the cast are John Trent as Tailspin Tommy, Milburn Stone as Skeeter, and Marjorie Reynolds as Betty Lou. & The Story of "SKY PATROL’ Tailspin Tommy (JOHN Skeeter (MILBURN STONE) young army fliers for the newly formed Sky Patrol, a branch of the army reserves which operates along the border, on the lookout for smugglers. Young Carter Meade (JACKIE COOGAN) whose father is an army colonel in charge of the Patrol, has a terror of firing guns. His father (Boyd Irwin) insists that he conquer this fear. Tommy sends him out on patrol, on orders from Washington to stop any unfamiliar plane. Young Meade challenges an amphibian plane, which opens fire. Carter, afraid to shoot, bails out as his plane is hit. His plane is found but Meade is lost. The Sky Patrol tries to trace the plane that Meade ad reported just before his crack-up. A young boy who is interested in aviation wires Tommy and when Tommy goes to see the youth, he tells Tommy that the amphibian passes over his house every night. Tommy and Skeeter locate the plane but want to catch the smugglers redhanded. Through an invention of Tommy's the army traces the course of the amphibian, PRODUCER FORBIDS AVIATOR STAR TO: FLY PLANE John Trent’s idea of having a good time is to take a speedy little pursuit plane and go through the dictionary of stunts at around five thousand feet. But producer Paul Malvern makes certain that the aviator’s aerial acrobatics are all done when John isn’t starring in one of his “Tailspin Tommy” features at Monogram of which “Sky Patrol” at the theatre is the latest. Trent, former transport pilot, and Malvern have an agreement stipulating that when John is working in a film, he is to stay on the ground unless a camera is shooting. However, between pictures he can turn a ship inside out if he so desires. Several days after “Sky Patrol,” the latest of the Tailspin Tommy series, was completed, Trent invited some of the male members of the cast including Jackie Coogan and Milburn Stone, as well as Producer Malvern and Director Howard Bretherton, on a fishing trip. They made the trip up in the high Sierras in a Fairchild cabin job landing on an unusually small field. Heretofore, Trent was _ considered a movie Tailspin Tommy by his co-workers, but after the landing, his aeronautics were held in high esteem. TRENT) and are training | to sea. AIR DEVIL John most popular, is currently seen at the Rete eae theatre as Tailspin Tommy in Monogram’s “Sky Patrol.” One Col. Cut or Mat. No. 1 Trent, one of Hollywood's Tommy _ gets Meade to take another plane and investigate. He and Skeeter crack their ship up and discovers that it lands several miles out permission from Colonel near the boat that deals with the amphibian, and pretend that they are amateur pilots. Bainbridge, leader of the smugglers, recognizes Tommy and the boys are taken prisoner. On the boat they find Carter Meade a prisoner. Bainbridge makes Tommy send a message to the army to call off their raid on the amphibian's headquarters. Tommy pretends to do so, but sends a code message through the radio to Betty Lou, telling Colonel Meade the circum stances. Bainbridge learns of army plans to rescue them. Carter Meade, _ stealing guns, releases Tommy and Skeeter. The smugglers, waiting to annihilate the rescue squad, are taken by surprise by Tommy, Skeeter and young Meade, who has overcome his fear of firing. The three set fire to the ammunition on the boat and dive into the sea. The boat blows up, and the army plane rescues Tommy, Skeeter and Meade, and they are the heroes of the day. New ‘Tailspin “Sky Patrol” ae eee When Tailspin Tommy came swooping out of the ozone some twelve years ago via the India Ink bottle of Hal Forrest, the comic strip aviator landed on the comic page of over three hundred newspapers in_ this country alone, and many others in foreign lands. Tommy, who is appearing at the ene, theatre this week in Monogram’s “Sky Patrol”, has only recently become a movie star, and the fact that he has, for a dozen years, been a prominent influence towards making young America air-minded is due entirely to his creator, the aforementioned Hal Forrest. Forrest’s first comic strip “Percy, the Boy Scout”, was printed when he was sixteen. Its success won him a newspaper berth as a printer’s devil, and he worked his way up to being a reporter. But Forrest liked drawing so much that he decided to study it more carefully, and attended the Art Institute of Chicago. He had success with several comic strips after that, and then joined the art staff of the Chicago Tribune. When the World War came along, Forrest was the first man in his home town to join up. He enlisted in the aviation corps and served in the capacity of Sergeant Major of the 144th Pursuit Squadron. He also served the Movie Gag Proves Delays Aviation Gags are good for a laugh but they cease to be funny when they hold up a motion picture company for two hours. During the shooting of Monogram’s “Sky Patrol,” now at the thea. tre, Jackie Coogan was the victim. John Trent, who plays Tailspin Tommy in the film, and some of the cast thought it would be a great joke to keep Jackie up in a parachute in one of the hangars at the Metropolitan Airport, where “Sky Patrol” was in production. They convinced Jackie that should take a ride in the chute from he} | Costly When It Film Production the top to the bottom of the hangar, a distance of some three hundred feet. He would be amply protected, they told him, as the chute would be mounted on rope attached to pulleys. Jackie finally consented. When he was hoisted to the top of the drome, the chute got caught and it could not be lowered or raised. Nothing could be done until, after considerable juggling, the rope loosened and down came Jackie. Hereafter, the cast on a Tailspin Tommy unit will think twice before playing practical jokes. Two hour deays in production become costly ‘laughs.’ Pee ererescceersssceeees tommy — Film, Starring John Trent, Theatre government by drawing war cartoons and Liberty posters. While he was at Kelly Field as an instructor, Forrest conceived the idea of “Artie the Ace,” an aviation comic strip. Out of this idea grew “Tailspin Tommy.” Forrest has never before been overenthusiastic about movie versions of his strip, but when John Trent came to him with the idea of making a Monogram series starring Tailspin Tommy, the cartoonist went for the idea immediately. In Trent, a former transport pilot, he recognized a kindred spirit, one who was equally as interested in serving the cause of aviation. Hal Forrest says that John Trent is his ideal of Tailspin Tommy, both in looks and in spirit. “Sky Patrol” is the third in the Tailspin Tommy series. Outstanding in the cast are Jackie Coogan, Marjorie Reynolds, Milburn Stone, Jason Robards and _ Bryant Washburn. Produced by PAUL MALVERN Directed by HOWARD BRETHERTON Screenplay by JOSEPH WEST & NORMAN S. PARKER Based on the Cartoon Strip “Tailspin Tommy” by HAL FORREST Photographed by FRED JACKMAN, JR. Sound by L. J. MEYERS Technical Director E. R. HICKSON Film Editor CARL PIERSON JACKIE COOGAN GETS COMEBACK OPPORTUNITY **The Kid”? Plays Important Role in Monogram’ s oe Patrol’? at Theatre Jackie Coogan, who was one of the greatest film child stars, has the most important role of his grown-up career in Monogram’s “Sky Patrol,” G@he of the Tailspin Tommy series based on comic strip theatre. Hal Forrest’s which is now at the Coogan, joined the ranks of screen immortals with such pictures as “The Kid,” “Long Live the King” and “A Boy of Flanders,” when he was four and _ five years old, has had nothing but bad luck since he grew up. An _ excellent actor, the former child star never was given an opportunity to prove his ability after he had reached adoles— cence. Misfortune pursued Jackie in private life, too. Lawsuits over childhood earnings, divorce from wife, Betty Grable, trouble with career—all this hard luck has been Coogan’s lot in life during the past eight years. In “Sky Patrol,” Jackie has one of the most important roles in the picture. He plays the part of Carter Meade, who wanted to be a doctor but who must follow his family tradition of “army.” Seen in the cast are John Trent (Tailspin Tommy), Milburn Stone and Marjorie Reynolds. Howard Bretherton directed. Jackie Coogan Y% Col. Cut or Mat No. 3 FAMOUS CARTOON STRIP ON SCREEN John Trent as Tailspin Tommy and Marjorie Reynolds as Betty Lou crack down on sky smuggler, Bryant Washburn in Monogram’s “Sky Patrol,” TOW “Ob ENG ee ee ee eee theatre. Two Col. Cut or Mat No. 4