Hell's Angels Theatrical Release poster

Hell's Angels was a 1930 film directed by Howard Hughes. Hells Angels Poster This is a copyrighted poster. ... Hells Angels Poster This is a copyrighted poster. ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Howard Robard Hughes (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was at times a pilot, a movie producer, a playboy, an eccentric and one of the wealthiest people in the world. ...

Production

In 1929, aviation mogul Howard Hughes, fresh off the Oscar nomination for his film The Racket, decided to make his next film about the dogfighters of World War I and their "magnificent airplanes" as Hughes called them. Hughes poured money into the production, which he named Hell's Angels, filling it with death defying airplane stunts, international locations, and two technicolor scenes, all of which worked to eventually make it the first multi-million dollar production at 3.8 million dollars. Originally, the film was to star James Hall and Ben Lyon as Roy and Monte Rutledge, and Norwegian silent film star Greta Nissen as Helen, the female lead, and was to be directed by Marshall Neilan. Before the picture even began filming, Hughes' overbearing production techniques forced Neilan to quit. Hughes took over the directing reins, assisted by Luther Reed. Midway through production, the advent of the sound motion picture came with the arrival of The Jazz Singer. Hughes incorporated the new technology into the half finished film, but the first casualty of the sound age became Greta Nissen and her Norwegian accent. The role was soon filled with an up-and-coming star found by Hughes himself, Jean Harlow. He also used technicolor coloration for two of the scenes, providing the only color glimpse of Harlow in film history. During the shoot, Hughes designed many aerial stunts for the dogfighting scenes. He hired actual WWI aces to fly the stunt planes, but after three of them died in the extreme sequences, the rest refused to fly for the final scene, saying that they were sure to crash. The aviator in Hughes came out and he flew the scene, getting the shot. As the pilots predicted, however, he crashed the plane, escaping with only minor injuries. 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Aviation or Air transport refers to the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... The Racket was one of the first films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture (then called Best Picture, Production) in 1927. ... Dog fight is a common term used to describe close-range aerial combat between two or more military aircraft. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... There have been several well-known people named James Hall, including: Sir James Hall, Scots geologist and geophysicist (1761 - 1832). ... Ben Lyon (February 6, 1901 _ March 22, United States film actor, and after his career as a leading man faltered, a 20th Century Fox studio executive. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... The Jazz Singer is a 1927 U.S. movie notable for being the first talking motion picture to be widely commercially distributed. ... Jean Harlow, born as Harlean Carpenter, (March 3, 1911 - June 7, 1937), US film actress, became known as the original blonde bombshell, predating Marilyn Monroe as a blonde sex symbol. ... Alternate use: Technicolor (physics) Technicolor is a three-strip color film process pioneered in the 1930s by the Technicolor Corporation, a company created by the husband-and-wife team of Herbert and Natalie Kalmus. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... ACES is short for Aerolineas Centrales de Colombia, an airline based at Olaya Herrera International Airport in Medell n, Colombia. ...

Plot

Roy and Monte Rutledge, two young men studying at Oxford, are both unrepentant womanizers with a sibling rivalry over the love of Helen. After a Zeppelin attack on London, the two enlist in the Royal Air Force and go off to fight the Germans. After a successful raid on a German munitions dump, an aerial dogfight ensues, ending with the brothers being shot down. Captured by the Germans and given the opportunity to free themselves, shell-shocked Roy believes that Monte is about to give up the information the Germans need. He shoots Monte, who dies in his arms forgiving him, prompting the Germans to kill Roy in retaliation. Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... LZ127 Graf Zeppelin, the most traveled airship in history A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship (or dirigible) pioneered by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the UK Armed Forces. ... The military term combat stress reaction (CSR) comprises the range of adverse behaviours in reaction to the stress of combat and combat related activities. ...

Quotes

"Would you be shocked if I put on something more comfortable?" - Jean Harlow as Helen

The Aviator

The filming of Hell's Angels was a prominent part of Martin Scorcese's film, The Aviator about the life of Howard Hughes. The film depicts Hughes' struggles with Nielan and the extravangant extents to which he went to ensure accuracy throughout production, although the stunt plane deaths were not mentioned. Martin Scorsese (born November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York, USA) is an American film director. ... The Aviator is a 2004 drama movie, directed by Martin Scorsese. ...

External links

• Hell's Angels (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020960/) at the Internet Movie Database