The Great Air Robbery
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George Hively
by George Hively
Allan Forrest
Ray Ripley
| The Great Air Robbery | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Jacques Jaccard |
| Written by | Jacques Jaccard (screenplay) George Hively |
| Based on | story by George Hively |
| Starring | Ormer Locklear Allan Forrest Ray Ripley |
| Cinematography | Milton Moore Elmer Dyer |
| Edited by | Frank Lawrence Lloyd Nosler |
| Music by | Albert Glasser |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Film Manufacturing Company Jewel Productions, Inc. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes (approximately) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
| Budget | $250,000[1] |
The Great Air Robbery (aka Cassidy of the Air Lanes) is a six-reel silent 1919 American drama film directed by Jacques Jaccard and produced by Universal Pictures. The film stars Ormer Locklear, Allan Forrest and Ray Ripley. The Great Air Robbery is a film that showcases the talents of stunt pilot Locklear, considered the foremost "aviation stunt man in the world", and depicts pilots flying air mail, the first film to deal with the subject.[2] There are no known archival holdings of the film, so it is presumably a lost film.[3]
In 1925, pilot Larry Cassidy (Ormer Locklear) is flying air mail for the United States Postal Service. He faces a deadly foe, Chester Van Arland (Ray Ripley), the leader of the "Death's Head Squadron", intent on stealing a $20,000 shipment of gold that will be on a midnight flight to Washington. Van Arland has the medal air mail pilot Wallie Mason (Allan Forrest) was awarded for his war service in France and has kidnapped Mason's girlfriend, Beryl Caruthers (Francelia Billington). He offers to return the medal in return for inside information about the gold shipment. Cassidy, Mason's friend and fellow pilot, is able to stymie the gang's plans, using his aircraft to chase down Van Arland and rescue Mason's girlfriend.
Cast
- Ormer Locklear as Larry Cassidy (credited as Lieut. Ormer Locklear)
- Allan Forrest as Wallie Mason
- Ray Ripley as Chester Van Arland
- Francelia Billington as Beryl Caruthers
- Carmen Phillips as Viola Matthews[Note 1]
Production
Carl Laemmle, the head of Universal Studios, noted the success of The Grim Game (1919), starring Harry Houdini, that featured a spectacular aerial sequence of an actual midair collision.[4] Hiring the foremost stunt pilot of the time, Laemmle planned a series of aviation features that would highlight the aerial stunts performed by Ormer Locklear, who would also be the star of the films.[5]
Principal photography for The Great Air Robbery began in July 1919 at DeMille Field 1, Los Angeles, California, owned by producer Cecil B. DeMille. Besides being used as a base for flying, Locklear's Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" aircraft was also mounted on a raised wooden platform at the airfield in order to film closeups.[Note 2] The film was the first to be set at one of the DeMille airfields, with Universal leasing both the facilities and Curtiss JN4 training aircraft. The DeMille aircraft portraying air mail aircraft were prominently displayed with the "CB" logo on their fuselages and rudders, while the "Death's Head Squadron" had skull and crossbones markings.[7]
Elmer Dyer, who assisted cinematographer Milton Moore, got his start on The Great Air Robbery. He would later go on to work on many films as an aerial cinematographer of great renown.[8] Studio and location work was completed on August 2, 1919.[9]
