Wings of Adventure

Commercial aviator Dave Kent and his mechanic Skeets Smith are forced to make an emergency landing in Mexico where they fall into the hands of a notorious bandit known as La Panthera. The Americans attempt to rescue fellow prisoner Maria Valdez from a forced marriage to the desperado. Mistaken for La Panthera's gunmen, Dave and Skeets are arrested by the local authorities and sentenced to death.

This early talkie is a good showcase for Rex Lease, seen here in his prime, before being type cast as a cowboy. Silent-screen comic Clyde Cook provides laughs and Mexican starlet Armida makes an appealing leading lady for the handsome star. Director Richard Thorpe would soon be signed to a long-term contract by M-G-M, where he helmed Jailhouse Rock in 1957.

BONUS: "Little Mandarin," an episode of the 1952 "Terry and the Pirates" TV series.

• action
• adventure