Jean Rogers in
Tailspin Tommy and
the Great Air Mystery (1935)
with Clark Williams
Jean Rogers in
Tailspin Tommy and
the Great Air Mystery (1935)
with Clark Williams
EYE ON JEAN:
In this pre-Flash Gordon serial, Jean Rogers plays a heroine in an aviation action adventure.
Jean gets a lot of screen time as she usually does in her serials. But in "Tailspin Tommy,"
she doesn't just interact with the leading man, she is also an airplane pilot who flies biplanes and
mixes it up with the bad guys. Pretty exciting for a 1930's heroine. There are a few scenes where
Jean is nicely dressed up, but mostly she is hidden under aviation overalls and headgear.
The following year (1936), Universal Studios would discover what a gem they have when the
Flash Gordon serial is released.
~by JeanRogersFan
SUMMARY BY CHAPTERS
(The summaries below are from the beginning of the serial chapters, except for the Chapter 12 summary
which is written by JeanRogersFan.)
CHAPTER 1 – Wreck Of the Dirigible
Intrepid “Tailspin Tommy” and his loyal pal “Skeeter” are hired by Betty Lou’s uncle, Ned Curtis, to blaze an oil pipe line over the treacherous mountains of Nazil. Leaving Three Point, they overtake and transfer in mid-air to the giant dirigible carrying Curtis, Betty Lou, and her friend, Inez Casmetto to Nazil. But a terrible storm assails the dirigible and...
[IMAGES]CHAPTER 2 – The Roaring Fire God
Undaunted by the tragedy of their dirigible flight, Tommy and Skeeter in an open plane, and Betty Lou with her Uncle Curtis and Inez Casmetto in a closed plane, start again for Nazil. Unknown to them, war has broken out in Nazil over possession of the oil fields Tommy and Skeeter are to survey, and an armed plane sent to prevent their arrival, after forcing Betty down on Mandrogas Island, is battling Tommy and Skeeter when...
[IMAGES]CHAPTER 3 – Hurled From the Sky
Threatened by savages when forced to land on Madrogas Island, Tommy repaired Betty’s plane and both shops hastily took the air. But Tommy and Skeeter, compelled to land in the enemy stronghold, were thrown into prison. Bill McGuire, newspaper friend from Three Point, and the mysterious “Eagle” helped them escape to the Casmetto hacienda. Next morning the boys set out to photograph the enemy stronghold from the air, but a bursting shell from enemy anti-aircraft guns...
[IMAGES]CHAPTER 4 – A Bolt from the Blue
Tommy and Skeeter, after photographing the enemy fortifications from the air, landed in the enemy camp to investigate a camouflaged hangar. Betty Loud, who had stowed away in their plane, remained on guard while the boys proceeded to the hangar. But Senor Garcia, their supposed friend, carried word to the enemy, who determined to bomb the hangar to prevent discovery of the underground passage. Seeing the bombing plane overhead, Betty rushes to warn the boys but...
[IMAGES]Tommy and Skeeter, escaping with Betty through the underground passage, were captured by Manuel’s guards. Eluding the guards, Betty reached her plane and flew to Casmetto’s Hacienda. Worried about the boys, Betty returned with Garcia to the enemy camp to find them. But the traitorous Garcia betrayed her into the enemy’s hands, and while Tommy and Skeeter are fighting for life in their dungeon prison, which is rapidly filling with water.
[IMAGES]Suddenly remembering they had left their supposed friend Garcia in the enemy camp, Tommy, Skeeter and Betty returned to search for him. Unable to find him, the boys boarded the enemy bomber they discovered unguarded in the field, and started back. Betty, preparing to follow in her plane, encountered McGuire and learned in the bomber was a time bomb that would explode within fifteen minutes. Frantic with dread, Betty and McGuire fly in pursuit to warn the boys...
[IMAGES]CHAPTER 7 – The Crash in the Clouds
Enraged over their inability to prevent the development of the Curtis-Casmetto oil fields, and learning another well was being brought in, Manuel and Raymore decided on a bold stroke. The entire Curtis-Casmetto party were grouped around the new well, when suddenly one of Manuel’s planes circled low and started bombing them. Tommy, his plane loaded with grenades, took the air to fight off the attacking plane, and as the others watched anxiously from the ground..
[IMAGES]Goaded on by Raymore and Garcia, Manuel planned a combined land and air attack on his step-brother’s oil fields. McGuire notified the mysterious Eagle, who flew over Casmetto’s oil fields and dropped a note of warning. Manuel’s soldiers attacked by land, while Garcia from the air bombed the new oil well, which burst into flames. The Eagle entered the combat, and Tommy and Skeeter, running to the arsenal from bombs to take the air and help the Eagle...
[IMAGES]CHAPTER 9 – Crossed and Double Crossed
Garcia captured the Eagle plane and, posing as the Eagle, flew to the Casmetto hacienda. McGuire disclosed Garcia’s treachery, and Tommy and Skeeter flew in Betty’s plane to find and help the Eagle. Meantime, however, the Eagle had recovered his plane and Garcia had been killed. Tommy and Skeeter found Garcia’s grounded plane, and after donning Garcia’s XX helmet and while flying his plane, Tommy meets the Eagle’s plane. Each believing the other an enemy, they open fire.
[IMAGES]CHAPTER 10 – The Dungeon of Doom
The Eagle revealed himself to Tommy as Milt Howe, and together in the Eagle plane Tommy and Milt circled the enemy stronghold, dropped a note telling them Garcia was dead, and giving them three hours to evacuate the town. Following this, Betty and Skeeter, searching for Tommy near the enemy camp, were captured and lodged in the arsenal. Manuel then sent McGuire to warn the Eagle if he bombed the arsenal Betty and Skeeter would be killed. But before McGuire could deliver the warning...
[IMAGES]CHAPTER 11 – Desperate Chances
After fleeing Manuel’s besieged city, Raymore looted the Casmetto hacienda and escaped aboard ship. Tommy and the others followed in a speed boat, while Milt, circling overhead, threatened to bomb the ship unless Raymore sent the loot in a life boat with one man to Tommy’s approaching speed boat. Instead, Raymore concealed his brigand crew in the life boat and, pulling alongside, they leaped into Tommy’s boat and are fighting fiercely. Milt retaliates by ordering Raymore to abandon ship and then...
[IMAGES][The speed boat crashes into a buoy and Milt flies home after being shot at by Raymore's men. Raymore picks up Tommy, Skeeter and Betty Lou and go to Mandrogas Island. Raymore schemes to sacrifice his men to the savage island people so that he can escape alone with the loot from Casmetto’s hacienda. Meanwhile, Milt and Casmetto’s men make a rescue attempt on the island. Upon seeing them, Raymore makes a dash through the jungles. He stumbles into a leopard’s den and faces his demise. Tommy, Skeeter, Betty Lou go home and learn that they have an offer to be in a movie about their flying adventures. The End.]
[IMAGES]