Aircraft in Howard Hughes Hell's Angels

[finrod]

Having watched The Aviator the other week, I took the opportunity of borrowing a copy of the above film, which I thought was quite an eye-opener, both for the aviation sequences and Pre-Hays Commission material. I'd be interested in knowing about what aircraft were assembled for it. I think I spotted an SE5, and I understand HH built a (replica?) Gotha for the work.

Thanks

Mark

[RobL]

Plenty of SE5A's and Fokker D.VII's in the film - however the SE5A's have the post war .30 Marlin machine guns. There's also a Curtiss Jenny or two, and I believe Thomas Scout's filling in for Sopwith Camels. The 'Gotha' was actuallya converted Sikorsky R29 airliner, the only one built

[finrod]

Thanks for the prompt reply. I'll look up details of these machines.

Mark

[centurion]

The SE5a equiped at least one post war US squadron and were assembled in the US There had been plans to manufacture them there. The ones in film would be from this batch hence the American mgs

[finrod]

You know more than me. I had problems locating the Sikorsky, but eventually stumbled across an S29/A. This evening I found http://www.coastcomp.com/av/fltline2/avmovie.htm#H which lists many films (mostly English language) dealing with military aviation:

'Hell's Angels

1930 v

WWI- B.Lyon; Howard Hughes made this epic about 2 Americans who join the RFC. Made with up to 87 biplanes and 80 pilots (including Roscoe Turner), although some reports say no more than about 40 aircraft at one time.

Types included 5 Thomas-Morse Scouts S4.C (as "Camels"), 3+ SE.5, Sikorsky S-29 ("Gotha"), this crashed killing a stuntman) 8 Fokker D.VII, 2 Jennies ("Avro 504") Snipes?, Camels? DH.4. Many Travelair 2000/4000's ("Fokker") Many crashes both planned and accidental, 3 of them were fatal. DH.4, Travelair camera plane. Models.

Filmed at several 1920's Los Angeles Fields- Caddo (Van Nuys), Inglewood, Chatsworth, Riverside, Encino, Santa Cruz, Glendale and Oakland in the San Francisco area.'

Something that emerged was that there was only ever one model of the Sikorsky passenger plane mocked up as a Gotha built (about 1925) due to lack of demand as a direct result of a post-war surplus of cheap aircraft. it also seems that fatal accidents are fairly common in this field of film-making.

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

Didn't the movie "Waldo Pepper" deal with some of the making of this movie and the accidents.

Cheers

S.B

[finrod]

Thanks for your reply. I confess I haven't seen Waldo Pepper. However, intrigued by your post, I googled both film titles together and came across: http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/movies-t...s-any-good.html

I now feel happier having been captivated by many of the aviation scenes, as there appears to be some hint of authenticity (sorry about the three people who died though). Mark

[Moonraker]

A restored copy of "Hell's Angels" is available on

 

YouTube

 

Though this copy of the film (released in 1930) is mostly in black  and white there's about 15 minutes of a ballroom scene in somewhat wishy-washy colour and when the Zeppelin (which looks very realistic) is set on fire the flames are red.

 

The link in post 7 leads to comments about the aircraft. And see here.

 

The first forty minutes are dull, being mainly romancing. The film is "pre-code" (Ie made before the Hays censorship code was introduced) and so there's some suggestiveness.

 

The final dogfight is said to be very convincing.

IMDB

 

Moonraker