Test Pilot

Synopsis: Jim Lane is a test pilot, whose professional life is dangerous, and whose personal life compensates for that danger by fast living and recklessness. As such, he lives from paycheck to paycheck, and is often in debt, but knows his lucrative job will eventually get him out of those debts. On a coast to coast record attempt speed flight, Jim's plane, the Drake Bullet (named after the company's owner), hits some mechanical problems and Jim is forced to make an emergency landing on a farmer's field in Kansas. The farm belongs to the Barton family, whose straight talking daughter, Ann Barton, falls for Jim, and visa versa. They impulsively decide to get married and live in New York. Jim's sidekick and mechanic, "Gunner" Morris, doesn't know if Jim and marriage go hand in hand, both because of the type of person he is and his profession. Ann too soon learns that she plays second fiddle to Jim's work, she referring to the sky as Jim's mistress. Ann also truly comes to understand the dangers of
Genre: Drama, Romance
Director(s): Victor Fleming
Production: MGM
  Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
6.9
Rotten Tomatoes:
71%
PASSED
Year:
1938
119 min
132 Views


There she is,

Mr. Drake.

You mean to tell me there's not

Even that much more to do to her?

Not a whisper.

All the years and all the

Wrecks and all the schemes,

And out of it grows

This sweet peach.

Yeah, and she's going to

Crack that record by an hour.

You can go and hang it

On your wall right now.

And up high,

Gunner-

Up where the storms

Can't touch her-

Out of their reach.

Something more than

A record, eh, gunner?

She'll spit on

Those mountains.

Yes, she will.

If she wasn't such

A lady, she would.

How's Lane feeling?

He's been asleep

About 3 hours.

Uh-huh. 12:
00. He's got

To take off at 1:00 sharp.

Yeah. I'll wake him

In about a half-hour.

Oh, yeah. Let him

Have all he can.

Yes, sir.

Lane

Still asleep?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We won't pay him the 750

Without his cross on this.

And you won't pay him if

You don't break the record.

Sure. The ad's no good if

He don't break the record.

We're selling gasoline.

Get out. Give me air,

Will you?

Air? Is that what you're

Asking for, gunner?

Have a little on me.

Everything grounded

West of albuquerque.

Just what you've

Been waiting for.

And look what's waiting

For him over colorado.

It's all right.

He won't be there long.

Let me know the minute

He wakes up, will you?

All right.

He'll be here.

He ain't going

Anywhere else.

I wouldn't

Put it past him.

Yeah, yeah, yeah,

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey! Where's Lane?

Yeah, where? I had a

Date with him at 10:00.

You're telling me

Where.

When'd you see him?

I'm telling you,

I haven't seen him!

How long you been here? Since 9:00.

When'd you

Fall asleep?

I don't know. What

Difference does it make?

Don't get so tough about it. I'll

Tell you what difference it makes.

He left for home here 3 hours ago.

I want to know if he's been here.

What time is it?

12:
00.

I was awake at 11:00, I know that.

Then he hasn't

Been here.

Who are you? The guy

Called gunner?

Yeah, and I'm telling you, you

Can't let him out of your sight.

What are you

Telling me for?

I ain't ever seen

So much of him.

You don't think

Anything happened to him?

An accident

Or something?

Quiet!

Yeah, an accident-

Another dame.

Oh, yeah. Hello,

Gunner, old boy.

Look what I rescued.

Dying of thirst, she said.

Hello, pal. Everything

All right with you?

What's your name?

Sarah.

Oh? Her name is mable.

Mable, this is sarah.

And this is the gunner. And this

Is all a very unexpected pleasure,

And I'm very glad

To know all of you.

Do you know

What time it is?

Yeah. Time to go to bed. You

Told me that two hours ago.

What do you want to keep

Repeating yourself for?

Come on, girls. Blow.

Get out of here.

I won't go out

With that.

Girls, girls.

Look, this guy's

Got to get some sleep.

Get out of here

Before I throw you out.

Come on. Remember, you girls

Were with me if anybody asks.

Girls are

Always quarreling.

Girls don't get on good for some reason.

Girls, girls.

The dear old girls.

Jim.

Yeah?

Ok. Where are

My clothes? Oh.

I don't know

How you do it.

How'd she wind?

2,762.

Good. She ought to bust in my face

Before I get her off the ground.

Yeah. Just like

Those dames of yours.

What dames?

Oh, lord.

How's the weather?

You got a 62-mile tailwind

At 20,000 feet.

How's the weather?

You got a 78-mile tailwind

At 25,000 feet.

Yeah? How's that storm over

Colorado? Who you trying to kid?

Ah, what's a little weather

To the Drake bullet?

Oh, Drake's got a new

Name for her now.

Calls her

His sweet peach.

Yeah? Don't tell

Colorado that.

Don't you worry.

She'll hold.

Yeah. I love you guys

That know all about it.

Sure. If you crack up,

You can blame me.

Mm-hmm. I get that

Out of it.

Every time I see a crash

Coming, I know it isn't my fault.

That makes it

All right, too.

Sure, sure.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Well, once

Again, Jim.

Yep.

She's in shape.

Like a peach?

That's right.

That's right.

She may leave a little

Fuzz along the way,

But she'll keep that

Schoolgirl complexion.

This is more than

Just a record, Jim.

It means a whole lot

To aviation.

I never heard of it.

I'm doing it for you, pal.

Well, see you tomorrow. All right.

In you go.

Go on and break

The record!

Take it easy now. Remember, you got

4,200 pounds of gas in this crate.

Yeah. I'd have never

Thought of that.

If I don't see you again,

It'll be too soon.

Yeah, and if I never see

That ugly map of yours again,

It'll be too soon.

Do I look like you?

Huh?

Well, they're both good.

I'll say that for them.

What are you going to do

For the next 5 or 6 hours?

Look like

You're looking.

Well, come on.

Let's look together.

Are you all right?

Are you all right?

I'm licked, see? I'm licked! I

Couldn't move this thing with a derrick.

Oh. That's too bad.

"that's too bad."

Is it really?

All I had was a coast to coast

Record, and it's too bad.

Don't you understand?

I had it licked to death.

Why, I had it right in my

Hand, just like that wrench.

And now you haven't

Even got the wrench.

Say, where are we?

We are in kansas.

That's great.

How near wichita?

About 20 miles.

I'll tell you what you can do

For me. Do you live around here?

Right there.

You got a phone?

Yes.

All right. Go call the union

Air terminal at burbank.

Ask for gunner morris. When you get

Him, just yell down, and I'll come.

Johnny morris?

Gunner! Gunner.

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Vincent Lawrence

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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