Test Pilot

If you are a Gable fan this is a must

Another film starring the King of Hollywood that you've never heard of, and with ample reason. Spunky Myrna Loy falls for bad boy Gable and cheerfully goes along for the wild ride. Tracy plays the figurative wing man. You've seen all the plot devices before, and more convincingly. It probably drew an audience on its star power eight decades ago, but there's nothing to recommend it. All the characters are cardboard cutouts and the situations are predictable. If you've seen Jimmy Stewart, June Allyson, and Harry Morgan in "Strategic Air Command" you've basically seen the same story, only done far better visually. In both pictures, the long suffering wife eventually gets her man safely on terra firma by the end.

Gable, Loy and Tracy at their best.

Clark Gable is the one in the title role and Spencer Tracy is his best friend and mechanic. Test Pilot portrays a footloose and fancy free Gable doing a dangerous job because he's entranced by the beauty and danger of flying. Tracy is along to give him a reality check every now and then. While trying for a coast to coast record Gable has trouble with a fuel line and has to make a landing in a Kansas wheat field that just happens to belong to Myrna Loy's parents. She's the farmer's daughter all right. Of course a little of that Gable charm and she's off in the wild blue yonder with him and spends the rest of the film worried about his daredevil behavior. She's not in Kansas any more. This was the second of the three Gable/Tracy co-starrers. All three of them, San Francisco, Test Pilot, and Boom Town have withstood the test of time and have become classics. Test Pilot's original story was written by Frank "Spig" Wead who's life story was brought to us in the film Wings of Eagles. Wead was a flyer himself until a fall in his home left him a paraplegic. After that he became a writer and several of his stories were filmed. In fact Gable and starred in Night Flight earlier on which was written by Wead. Of course Wead had a great feel for the type and character of the people who chose aviation as a career. The aerial sequences are first rate and the players settle comfortably in their parts. It's got aerial action for the guys and romance for the gals. How can you go wrong?

The actors are fun and so is the film.

The presence of Myrna Loy lifts this above average MGM movie to its classic status. She knew how to handle Clark Gable, and she was one of the only actresses to be able to develop chemistry with all her leading men.

The best thrilling movie ever made!

Test Pilot is an excellent film. It is about Jim who is a test pilot and his wife and best friend who try their best to keep him sober. Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, and Myrna Loy give fantastic performances. The screenplay is well written. Victor Fleming did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the drama and romance. Test Pilot is a must see.

Starring Clark Gable, Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy. The plot is some nonsense about a test pilot (Gable), the country girl he falls in love with (Loy) and his wise-cracking mechanic (Tracy). Were it not for the personalities of the three stars, I'd give this a miss. But they make it worthwhile. Fine support as usual from Lionel Barrymore. Directed by Victor Fleming.

Not a great film but not one easily dismissed either. Gable and Tracy are charming as is Myrna Loy. Silly 30s fare to see on a rainy day.