Devil Dogs of the Air

Thomas Jefferson O’Toole (James Cagney) knows all about flying. He knows how to ease his biplane into the air, bank it through one acrobatic spin after another, then drop it down for a perfect three-point landing. O’Toole, a cocksure former barnstormer, knows everything about flying… except how to fly for the Marines. O’Toole transforms from brash stunt pilot to disciplined military aviator in this armed-services salute that’s the second of Cagney and Pat O’Brien’s nine screen pairings. Familiar and welcome faces include Margaret Lindsay and Frank McHugh, who respectively appeared in five and 12 Cagney movies. And Lloyd Bacon, Cagney’s director nine times, guides the brisk storyline that includes a fascinating mock- invasion training maneuver involving air, sea and land forces.