Yukon Flight

Yukon Flight (also known as Renfrew of the Royal Mounted in Yukon Flight) is a 1940 American film directed by Ralph Staub and starring James Newill, Louise Stanley, Dave O'Brien and William Pawley.[2] Released by Monogram Pictures, the film uses a musical/action formula, similar to the format of the "singing cowboy" films of the era.[3]

Yukon Flight
Film poster
Directed byRalph Staub
Produced byPhil Goldstone
Written byEdward Halperin (screenplay)
Based onRenfrew Rides the Sky (novel)
by Laurie York Erskine
StarringJames Newill
Louise Stanley
William Pawley
Music byBetty Laidlaw
Robert Lively
Lew Porter
Johnny Lange
CinematographyMack Stengler
Edited byMartin G. Cohn
Production
company
Criterion Pictures Corp.
Distributed byMonogram Pictures
Release date
  • January 2, 1940 (1940-01-02)[1]
Running time
57 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

When an aircraft from the Yukon and Columbia Mail Service crashes, Sergeant Renfrew (James Newill) and Constable Kelly (Dave O'Brien), of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, suspect murder because they find the control stick jammed. Louise Howard (Louise Stanley), a mine owner reports that her superintendent is missing. When he is found murdered, it also is made to look like an accident.

The new mail service pilot, Bill Shipley (Warren Hull), had trained with Renfrew, is a good pilot but reckless. The Mounties find Louise's assistant Raymond (Karl Hackett) owns the airline managed by "Yuke Cardoe" (William Pawley) and both men had been stealing gold from the mine. They have been shipping it to Seattle by aircraft. When Renfrew sets a trap, Yuke and Raymond panic and try to escape in their aircraft, but Renfrew and Shipley bring them down, after which, Renfrew makes a recommendation for Shipley to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a new pilot.

Cast

Production
Sergeant Renfrew of the Royal Mounted flew a Waco biplane in a fight with the criminals, filmed in the air. [N 1]

Sergeant Renfrew of the Royal Mounted was a character created by Laurie York Erskine in 1922 and continued in books, stories and on radio for many years. Yukon Flight was one of three films based on the Laurie York Erskine novel Renfrew Rides North. The others were Renfrew on the Great White Trail (1938) and Murder on the Yukon (1940). Some scenes were shot at Big Bear Lake, California, standing in for the Yukon.[4] Renfrew's character flies a Waco RNF (N617Y) while other aircraft include a Waco RNF (NC860V) and a Travel Air 4000 (c/n 868, NC9087). A Curtiss Fledgling is used as a camera aircraft.[5]

Soundtrack

"Mounted Men" and "The Old Grey Goose" (written by Betty Laidlaw and Robert Lively) was sung by James Newill.

Reception

Yukon Flight was not reviewed in trade sources. It was followed by Sky Bandits, another in the series of Renfrew of the Royal Mounted films.[4]

See also

References

Notes
  1. The aircraft in the film carry a NC-number, not Canadian registration.

Citations
  1. "Yukon Flight". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2016-10-09. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  2. Pendo 1985, p. 19.
  3. ""Yukon Flight." IMDb. Retrieved: November 2, 2014.
  4. "Notes: Yukon Flight (1940)." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: November 2, 2014.
  5. "Yukon Flight." aeromovies.fr. Retrieved: November 2, 2014.

Bibliography
  • Pendo, Stephen. Aviation in the Cinema. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. ISBN 0-8-1081-746-2.
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