PARACHUTE JUMPER (Warner Brothers, 1933) directed by Alfred E. Green, based on a original story by Rian James, stars Douglas Fairbanks Jr. In one of his final films for the studio under his original contract. Basically a Fairbanks programmer, this production is better known more as an early movie featuring future film star, Bette Davis. For their only collaboration together, Fairbanks and another contract player, Frank McHugh, play a couple of Marine flyers who become victims of unemployment, seeking ew jobs during those hard times during the Great Depression.
Following the opening credits to the underscoring Marine theme of "To the Shores of Tripoli," the story begins with newspaper clippings regarding Bandits Shooting Down U. S. Marine Plane in Nicaragua. Next scene introduces Marine flyers of Bill Keller (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) and his pal, Tootles Cooper (Frank McHugh), having a grand time at a bar with several women. Moments later they are found and arrested by the air patrol, shortly dismissed from duty. Coming to New York City, Bill and Tootles answer an ad to work for the Universal Air Transport Company, only to find it an empty office currently out of business. Living in an apartment where Bill and Tootles are behind on their rent, and two months and having no job prospects, Bill, with only a fifty cent piece to his name, sitting on a park bench in Central Park, is approached by Patricia Brent, better known as Alabama (Bette Davis), an unemployed stenographer from the South. He soon treats her top breakfast and invites her to room with him and Tootles in their apartment. During the course of the story, Bill acquires a job as a parachute jumper, chauffer for Mrs. Newberry (Claire Dodd), a mistress to gangster, Kurt Weber (Leo Carrillo). After Weber finds Bill alone with Mrs. Newberry, rather than dealing with him, Bill is hired as Weber's bodyguard as well as becoming pilot, along with Toodles, to, unknowingly, fly narcotics to and from Canada. Weber also hires Alabama as his personal stenographer. It would be a matter of time before they realize Weber's profession, with difficulty breaking away from his crooked activities. Others in the cast include: Harold Huber (Steve Donovan); Sheila Terry (The Secretary); Thomas E. Jackson (Lieutenant Coffey); and George Pat Collins (Tom Crawley). Look quickly for familiar faces in uncredited roles as Walter Brennan (The Counter Man); Nat Pendleton (The Traffic Cop); Dewey Robinson and George Chandler in smaller roles.
Regardless of its title, there is very little parachute jumping for this production. At 72 minutes, it's acceptable viewing mainly due to its well-pacing, fine performances and some pre-code situations, namely Frank McHugh using his middle finger on a passing driver refusing to give him a ride. Scenes for PARACHUTE JUMPER involving Davis and Carrillo were later clipped into another Bette Davis classic, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (Warner Brothers, 1962). Not as memorable as some other Warner Brothers programmers of the 1930s, PARACHUTE JUMPER is of main interest to film scholars watching both Fairbanks prior to his adventure movies and Davis shortly before her two time Academy Award best actress wins by the end of the decade.
Never distributed on video cassette, PARACHUTE JUMPER is often broadcast on Turner Classic Movies cable channel and available on the DVD format from the Warner Brothers archive collection. (**)
Following the opening credits to the underscoring Marine theme of "To the Shores of Tripoli," the story begins with newspaper clippings regarding Bandits Shooting Down U. S. Marine Plane in Nicaragua. Next scene introduces Marine flyers of Bill Keller (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) and his pal, Tootles Cooper (Frank McHugh), having a grand time at a bar with several women. Moments later they are found and arrested by the air patrol, shortly dismissed from duty. Coming to New York City, Bill and Tootles answer an ad to work for the Universal Air Transport Company, only to find it an empty office currently out of business. Living in an apartment where Bill and Tootles are behind on their rent, and two months and having no job prospects, Bill, with only a fifty cent piece to his name, sitting on a park bench in Central Park, is approached by Patricia Brent, better known as Alabama (Bette Davis), an unemployed stenographer from the South. He soon treats her top breakfast and invites her to room with him and Tootles in their apartment. During the course of the story, Bill acquires a job as a parachute jumper, chauffer for Mrs. Newberry (Claire Dodd), a mistress to gangster, Kurt Weber (Leo Carrillo). After Weber finds Bill alone with Mrs. Newberry, rather than dealing with him, Bill is hired as Weber's bodyguard as well as becoming pilot, along with Toodles, to, unknowingly, fly narcotics to and from Canada. Weber also hires Alabama as his personal stenographer. It would be a matter of time before they realize Weber's profession, with difficulty breaking away from his crooked activities. Others in the cast include: Harold Huber (Steve Donovan); Sheila Terry (The Secretary); Thomas E. Jackson (Lieutenant Coffey); and George Pat Collins (Tom Crawley). Look quickly for familiar faces in uncredited roles as Walter Brennan (The Counter Man); Nat Pendleton (The Traffic Cop); Dewey Robinson and George Chandler in smaller roles.
Regardless of its title, there is very little parachute jumping for this production. At 72 minutes, it's acceptable viewing mainly due to its well-pacing, fine performances and some pre-code situations, namely Frank McHugh using his middle finger on a passing driver refusing to give him a ride. Scenes for PARACHUTE JUMPER involving Davis and Carrillo were later clipped into another Bette Davis classic, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (Warner Brothers, 1962). Not as memorable as some other Warner Brothers programmers of the 1930s, PARACHUTE JUMPER is of main interest to film scholars watching both Fairbanks prior to his adventure movies and Davis shortly before her two time Academy Award best actress wins by the end of the decade.
Never distributed on video cassette, PARACHUTE JUMPER is often broadcast on Turner Classic Movies cable channel and available on the DVD format from the Warner Brothers archive collection. (**)