The Phantom Flyer (Silent)

A mysterious band of rustlers have been stealing cattle from Mary Randall's herd. The lady rancher discovers that the thefts are the work of Julia Hart, a rival who wants to drive her out of business. Ambushed by the bandits, Mary is rescued by Dick Stanton, a daredevil aviator for the border patrol. Learning of the girl's predicament, he vows to use all his aerobatic skill to smash the rustling ring. But the wicked Julia hires a pilot of her own to engage Stanton in a deadly dogfight to the death...

Billed as "A Universal Thriller", The Phantom Flyer stars real-life aviator Al Wilson (1895-1932). His astonishing skills -- which included wing-walking and jumping from plane to plane -- are on full display throughout. Initially a flying instructor, he was brought into the movies by one of his students, Cecil B. DeMille. A contract with Universal led to a series of action-packed aviation pictures starring the high flyer, most of which were directed by Bruce Mitchell. Those starring roles dried up once sound was introduced, but Wilson still worked steadily doing stunt work on high-profile pictures such as Hell's Angels (1930). It was during the making of that Howard Hughes classic that Wilson was inadvertently involved in the death of a mechanic, leading to his retirement from Hollywood. His luck finally ran out for good two years later when he died doing stunts at the 1932 Cleveland Air Races. Because The Phantom Flyer features some Western elements, it was also released under the title The Phantom Ranger.

• silent