High Flyers | Classic Comedy Film

High Flyers - Two men running a carnival airplane ride are hired to fly to retrieve what they think are photos for a reporter. Actually, they are retrieving diamonds stolen from a noted gem dealer.

High Flyers (1937)
Director: Edward F. Cline
Writers: Benny Rubin, Bert Granet, Byron Morgan
Stars: Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Lupe Velez
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Musical, Romance
Country: United States
Language: English
Release Date: November 17, 1937 (United States)
Filming Location: RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)

Synopsis:
Two men running a carnival airplane ride are hired to fly to retrieve what they think are photos for a reporter. Actually, they are retrieving diamonds stolen from a noted gem dealer. As it turns out, their plane crashes on the very estate of the dealer. Thinking the duo are police officers, the dealer offers his home for their convalescence from the accident. Meanwhile, the diamonds have been snatched by a kleptomaniac dog and buried on the estate. When the smugglers track down the pair, they try to convince the dealer that they are officials from an institution from which the two have escaped. Before long, the carnival fellows, the crooks, the gem dealer and his family, along with a platoon of cops, are tearing up the grounds to find where the dog has buried the diamonds.

Reviews:
A couple of zany HIGH FLYERS find themselves involved in the hunt for missing stolen diamonds.

The wonderfully funny team of Wheeler & Woolsey (Bert Wheeler is the little guy with curly hair; Robert Woolsey is the skinny fellow with glasses & cigar) provide lots of solid laughs in this fast moving comedy crime caper. Of course, crash-landing on a millionaire's estate inhabited by peppery Lupe Velez, lovely Marjorie Lord & the monumental Margaret Dumont might raise anyone's spirits.

Jack Carson is hanging around as a crooked reporter, while an exasperated Paul Harvey tries to figure out why his household is suddenly so topsy-turvy. Maybe it has something to do with the trio of gentlemanly criminals - Charles Judels, Lucien Prival & Herbert Evans - who have arrived, hot on the Boys' trail.

Lupe & Woolsey perform a wildly exuberant gaucho number, while a solo Velez gets to do devastating impressions of her Hollywood rivals Dolores Del Rio & Simone Simon. Not to be outdone, Wheeler is terrific mimicking Charlie Chaplin & Bill Robinson. Dumont, meanwhile, provides chuckles as a matron infatuated with crystal gazing.

Ultimately, though, HIGH FLYERS is rather bittersweet, as it was the last Wheeler & Woolsey film. First brought together by Flo Ziegfeld for Broadway's Rio Rita, the Boys had starred in 22 features from 1929 until 1937, carving out a unique niche in the history of movie comedy.

Tragically, however, even while filming for HIGH FLYERS was underway, Robert Woolsey was already stricken with kidney failure. He died on October 31, 1938. He was only 50 years old.

Bert Wheeler continued on in films for awhile, making a handful of unremarkable movies. But the spark that came from his association with Robert Woolsey was gone. When, at the age of 72, Wheeler died on January 18, 1968 from emphysema, it was more than 30 years since the release of the final Wheeler & Woolsey film. The Boys - energetic, hilarious & ever so eager to please - had slipped into almost complete cinematic obscurity.

Also Known As (AKA):
(original title) High Flyers
Belgium Detectiefpiloten(Flemish)
Belgium Pilote détective(French)
Brazil Cortando as Vazas
Canada High Flyers(English)
France Vol de zozos
Netherlands Hoogvliegers
Spain Pilotos de altura
Sweden Upp genom luften
United Kingdom High Flyers
United States High Flyers
United States The Kangaroos(Working Title)

····················································································

FOLLOW US!

SUPPORT US!

MORE MOVIES!

#classicmovies #filmnoir #colorizedmovies

····················································································

[aadamtx]

Such a great of supporting actors - Jack Carson, Margaret Dumont, Marjorie Lord, Lupe Velez! One thing I've noticed watching these W&W flicks on YT - Wheeler seems to eat regularly in almost all of the pictures. This sadly was the last W&W film, as Woolsey was suffering from kidney disease at the time. His song & dance number with Velez was the last scene he ever shot.

[antoinettegreen]

Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey reminds me of a poor man Groucho and Chico Marx! Good comedy movie!!

[dennysanders]

Totally underrated comedy team who made a truckload of very funny films for RKO in the early and mid-1930s. This, however, was their last one before Woolsey's death. He was obviously ill at the time and his somewhat sickly appearance was distracting.

[SailorAllan]

OK, so 16 minutes into film, W&W find the life ring, find the box with 8 diamonds, then 2 boxes of a powder substance, which when blown into their faces seems to make them awlfully happy. it sounds like they are calling it "parvadon" ? and it's never refered to again by anybody in the rest of the movie. so what is it then ? guesses ?