The Sky Skidder

The Sky Skidder is a 1929 American action film directed by Bruce M. Mitchell and written by Carl Krusada and Gardner Bradford.[1] The film stars Al Wilson, Helen Foster, Wilbur McGaugh and Gilbert Holmes. The film was released on January 13, 1929, by Universal Pictures.[2]

The Sky Skidder
Directed byBruce M. Mitchell
Screenplay byCarl Krusada
Gardner Bradford
Story byCarl Krusada
StarringAl Wilson
Helen Foster
Wilbur McGaugh
Gilbert Holmes
CinematographyWilliam S. Adams
Edited byHarry Marker
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • January 13, 1929 (1929-01-13)
Running time
57 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent film
English intertitles

Like many actors in the silent film era, Wilson did not survive the transition to "talkies", with The Sky Skidder, his penultimate film. [3][4]

Plot

Inventor Al Simpkins (Al Wilson) develops a new aviation fuel, he calls "Economo". Simpkins claims the fuel can gets a "1,000 miles to the pint." During a test, flight, he sees his sweetheart, Stella Hearns (Helen Foster) in an automobile with the wealthy and dishonest Silas Smythe (Wilbur McGaugh). When Smythe's automobile goes out of control, however, Al rescues Stella using a rope ladder.

Just before the "Economo" demonstration flight, Smythe steals the formula for the secret fuel and refills Al's tank with gasoline, causing a crash. Stella then finances the next venture, a huge monoplane flying with a full tank of Economo.

During a race, Smythe uses Economo in his aircraft. After Al discovers his formula is missing, with Stella on board the monoplane, he chases Smythe. When he catches the thief, Al drops down onto his aircraft using on a rope ladder, and retrieves his formula. He returns to his aircraft, wins the race and, naturally, Stella.

Cast
  • Al Wilson as Al Simpkins
  • Helen Foster as Stella Hearns
  • Wilbur McGaugh as Silas Smythe
  • Gilbert Holmes as Bert Beatle (credited as "Pee Wee Holmes")

Production

Al Wilson was not only the star of The Sky Skidder but also flew as a "stunt pilot" in the film. After becoming a flying instructor and a short period as manager of the Mercury Aviation Company, founded by one of his students, Cecil B. DeMille, Wilson became more and more skilled in performing stunts, including wing-walking, and left the company to become a professional stunt pilot, specializing in Hollywood aviation films.[5]

Wilson worked together with stuntmen like Frank Clarke and Wally Timm and also for film companies, including Universal Pictures. After numerous appearances in stunt roles, he started his career as an actor in 1923 with the serial The Eagle's Talons.[6] Wilson produced his own movies until 1927, when he went back to work with Universal.[N 1]

Reception

Aviation film historian Stephen Pendo, in Aviation in the Cinema (1985) said The Sky Skidder was only one of a long list of aviation films that showcased Wilson's talents. He alternately wrote, acted and flew in a career that "spanned more than 10 years, and he acted in more films than any other professional pilot." In The Sky Skidder , Pendo noted, "The aerial stunts featured a parachute jump, a faked plane change, and the pick-up of the heroine from a car by the hero on a ladder hanging from a plane."[3]

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References

Notes
  1. Wilson was one of the pilots flying in Hell's Angels (1930) and during filming, he was involved in an accident where the mechanic Phil Jones died. This episode marked the end of his career as stunt pilot in Hollywood.[7]

Citations
  1. Erickson, Hal. |"Details: 'The Sky Skidder' (1929) - Bruce Mitchell. AllMovie, 2019. Retrieved: June 16, 2019.
  2. "Overview: 'The Sky Skidder' (1929)." TCM.com, 2019. Retrieved: June 16, 2019.
  3. Pendo 1985, p. 7.
  4. "The Sky Skidder." Catalog.afi.com, 2019. Retrieved: June 16, 2019.
  5. Wynne 1987, pp. 16–17.
  6. Wynne 1987, pp. 5–17.
  7. "Stunt Pilots." Silents are Golden. Retrieved: June 16, 2019.

Bibliography
  • Pendo, Stephen. Aviation in the Cinema. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. ISBN 0-8-1081-746-2.
  • Wynne, H. Hugh. The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1987. ISBN 978-0-93312-685-5.
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