New Orleans reporter Burke Devlin (Rock Hudson) is doing a story on WWI flying ace Roger Shumann (Robert Stack). Shumann is bitter and stunt flying on a barnstorming tour. His flying family includes his suffering parachutist wife LaVerne (Dorothy Malone), his young son Jack, and mechanic Jiggs (Jack Carson).
This seems to be going for the A Streetcar Named Desire feel. It's New Orleans. Robert Stack has his wife-beater although Rock Hudson is not the same as Marlon Brando. Both are stars, but very different. I like the darkness or as the title calls it, the tarnish. The flying is a bit exciting. The love triangle is the main issue. I want the guys to physically fight for the girl, but Roger doesn't actually care about LaVerne. For him, there is only the flying. Then, the movie takes a surprising turn and I wondered what it's going to do for a half hour before the end. This movie has a strange structure. Rock Hudson is almost released for that half hour and it's fascinating.
This seems to be going for the A Streetcar Named Desire feel. It's New Orleans. Robert Stack has his wife-beater although Rock Hudson is not the same as Marlon Brando. Both are stars, but very different. I like the darkness or as the title calls it, the tarnish. The flying is a bit exciting. The love triangle is the main issue. I want the guys to physically fight for the girl, but Roger doesn't actually care about LaVerne. For him, there is only the flying. Then, the movie takes a surprising turn and I wondered what it's going to do for a half hour before the end. This movie has a strange structure. Rock Hudson is almost released for that half hour and it's fascinating.