Sky Patrol is a 1939 American film directed by Howard Bretherton and starring John Trent , along with Marjorie Reynolds , Milburn Stone and Jason Robards Sr. The film also featured actor and comedian Jackie Coogan , who began his film career as a child actor in silent films .
23-648: Sky Patrol is based on the comic strip Tailspin Tommy by Hal Forrest and Glenn Chaffin. The third of four " Tailspin Tommy " films made by Monogram Pictures , Sky Patrol was released on September 12, 1939. In the final flying test for Sky Patrol graduation, instructor Tailspin Tommy Thompson ( John Trent ) flies with the son of flight commander Colonel Meade ( Boyd Irwin ). Carter Meade ( Jackie Coogan ) freezes during target practice but Tommy covers for him and he graduates. When Bainbridge ( Bryant Washburn ),
46-675: A dominant player in the syndication market in the early 1930s. In March 1930, United Features acquired the Metropolitan Newspaper Service (ostensibly from the Bell Syndicate ). And in late February 1931, Scripps acquired the New York World , which controlled the syndication arms of the Pulitzer company: World Feature Service and Press Publishing Co. (which unlike other syndicates were owned by
69-539: A newspaper journalist and press agent, Tailspin Tommy began its run in four newspapers on May 21, 1928. By 1931, it was published in more than 250 newspapers across the country. After buying out Chaffin's interest, Forrest took over the scripting; his first credited Sunday strip ran on January 7, 1934, and his first Sunday appeared on January 22. Forrest wrote and drew the strip solo for the next three years. In 1936, Forrest took on an assistant, Reynold Brown , who inked (uncredited) over Forrest's pencils. Tailspin Tommy
92-883: A plane. Although Tommy took an aero-engineering correspondence course, his real introduction to aviation happened when mail pilot Milt Howe made an emergency landing in a field near Tommy's neighborhood. Tommy watched the downward spiral of Milt's plane and ran to help. Howe rewarded Tommy with a greasemonkey job in Texas at the Three Point Airlines, where he soon became a pilot along with his girlfriend, Betty Lou Barnes, and his best buddy, Peter "Skeeter" Milligan. The trio eventually became part owners in Three Point and took off for many airborne adventures. By 1940, Tailspin Tommy began to lose papers. A change in syndicates from Bell to United Features did little to help, and
115-690: A series of Tailspin Tommy books in its Big Little Book line. Except where noted, beginning with Tailspin Tommy and the Island in the Sky these adaptations of the comic strip were ghostwritten by Gaylord Du Bois and illustrated by Hal Forrest: Others: A novel by Mark Stevens, Tailspin Tommy: The Mystery of the Midnight Patrol , was published by Grosset & Dunlap in 1936 United Features United Feature Syndicate, Inc. ( UFS )
138-595: A successful distributor of newspaper comics, for the first time distributing color Sunday strips . An April 1933 article in Fortune described United Features as one of the "Big Four" American syndicates (along with King Features Syndicate , Chicago Tribune Syndicate , and the Bell Syndicate ). In 1934, United Features launched its first original strip, Al Capp 's Li'l Abner . As Li'l Abner 's popularity increased, creator Capp lampooned United Features in his strip-within-a-strip, Fearless Fosdick , which featured
161-560: A weapons smuggler, is aware that the Sky Patrol will disrupt his smuggling operations. Carter sees an unidentified amphibious aircraft but is unable to fire on it and is shot down by Bainbridge, who takes him prisoner. Carter is presumed dead but Tommy and Skeeter Milligan ( Milburn Stone ) locate a warehouse where the amphibious aircraft is hidden. Tracking the unknown aircraft to a ship rendezvous, Tommy and Skeeter try to get on board but are captured and locked up with Carter. Monitoring
184-641: Is a large American editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1919. Originally part of E. W. Scripps Company , it was part of United Media (along with the Newspaper Enterprise Association ) from 1978 to 2011, and is now a division of Andrews McMeel Syndication . United Features has syndicated many notable comic strips, including Peanuts , Garfield , Li'l Abner , Dilbert , Monty , Nancy , Over
207-588: Is held by some to have improved with Brown's contribution. The Sunday page had several topper strips over the course of the run: Progress of Flight (1930-1933), Four Aces (1934-1941), How to Fly (1935), War Plane Insignia (1935) and Tailspin Tommy Flying Club (1935-1941). Living in Littleville, Colorado, young Tommy Tomkins had such an obsession with flying that he was given the nickname Tailspin Tommy before he ever actually went inside
230-543: The Newspaper Enterprise Association to form United Media Enterprises . United Media continued to syndicate strips under the United Feature Syndicate brand. In 1994, Jim Davis's company, Paws, Inc. , purchased the rights to Garfield (including the strips from 1978 to 1993) from United Features. The strip is currently distributed by Andrews McMeel Syndication , while rights for the strip remain with Paws. On February 24, 2011, United Media struck
253-561: The Air (1939) all dealt with similar scenarios of air police fighting criminals both on the ground and in the air. Tailspin Tommy Tailspin Tommy was an aviation -adventure comic strip about a youthful pilot, " Tailspin " Tommy Tomkins (sometimes spelled Tompkins). Originally illustrated by Hal Forrest and initially distributed by John Neville Wheeler 's Bell Syndicate and then by United Feature Syndicate ,
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#1732801164922276-519: The Hedge , and Marmaduke . United Feature Syndicate was formed in 1919. From 1922 to 1958, United Features was the column, feature (and comics) division of Scripps' United Press Association . Authors syndicated by United Features in its early years included Frank A. Vanderlip , Octavus Roy Cohen , David Lloyd George , Vicente Blasco Ibáñez , Herbert Hoover , Sinclair Lewis , Benito Mussolini , Édouard Herriot , and Heywood Broun . It became
299-399: The Sky Patrol radio, the smugglers learn the colonel and the Sky Patrol are heading for the ship. Tommy manages to set up explosives in the hold, and when the three prisoners are about to jump ship, Carter shoots a smuggler, ensuring their escape. The Colonel soon overpowers the rest of Bainbridge's men. Tommy and Skeeter return to their commercial airline jobs, leaving Carter now in charge of
322-777: The Sky Patrol. Principal photography for Sky Patrol took place at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Airport, from July 24 to late September 1939. The aircraft used in Sky Patrol include: Aviation film historian Stephen Pendo in Aviation in the Cinema (1985) saw Sky Patrol delving into familiar territory of "flying police". Earlier, Criminals of the Air (1937). Death in the Sky (also known as Pilot X ) (1937), Reported Missing (1937), Mysterious Pilot ( film serial ) (1937 and Secret Service of
345-701: The United Feature comics line in 1954, a few of their titles would be continued by St. John Publications . The rest of their comic book properties were acquired by Dell Comics in 1958. In 1968, United Features syndicated about 50 features to 1500 clients. In 1972, United Features Syndicate acquired and absorbed the North American Newspaper Alliance and the Bell-McClure Syndicate into its operations. In May 1978 Scripps merged United Feature Syndicate and
368-485: The abusive and corrupt "Squeezeblood Syndicate." Robert M. Hall was a sales manager at United Features starting in 1935; he left in 1944 to start the Post Syndicate . From 1936 to 1954, United Feature published their own line of comic books , using their comic strip features as characters. Lev Gleason , who in the 1940s and 1950s published a number of popular comics titles, was an editor at United Feature in
391-435: The beginning, including the company's first title, Tip Top Comics . Three United Feature titles published more than 100 issues: Tip Top Comics (188 issues, Apr. 1936–Sept./Oct. 1954), Sparkler Comics (120 issues, July 1941–Nov./Dec. 1954), and Comics on Parade (104 issues, Apr. 1938–Feb. 1955). The company even created its own original superheroes: Iron Vic, Mirror Man, and Spark Man (none of whom caught on). After ending
414-461: The comic strip aired briefly on the U.S. West Coast in 1941, although details are somewhat sketchy. Jack Arnold and Earl Hammond played the roles of "Tailspin" and "Skeeter". This 30-minute weekly show premiered on Friday, September 5, 1941 at 8:30 p.m., and originated from Los Angeles . In October it was switched to Sundays at 4:30 p.m. There are also a couple of known 15-minute daily shows, but with unknown broadcast dates (if ever aired). At
437-703: The end of one of these 15-minute episodes CBS announcer Wendell Niles states that the leads were played by Maurice Murphy and Noah Beery Jr. , who were thus reprising their 1934 film roles as "Tailspin" and "Skeeter". Stephen Slesinger Inc. published a series of 30 Tailspin Tommy Adventures in eight-page booklet form as a promotion with Big Thrill Chewing Gum. In 1936, C.J.H. Publications put out two issues of Tailspin Tommy Adventure Magazine . The magazines published adaptations of comic strip stories. Publication apparently ceased because
460-510: The paper rather than being separate entities). The Metropolitan Newspaper Service acquisition brought over the comic strips Tarzan and Ella Cinders . The World Feature Service acquisition brought over the comic strips The Captain and the Kids , Everyday Movies , Fritzi Ritz , Hawkshaw the Detective , Joe Jinks , and Little Mary Mixup . From this point, United Features became
483-539: The rights to the character had not been properly secured. After taking over the syndication, United Features published two Tailspin Tommy comic books, one in 1940 and one in 1946. Tailspin Tommy also saw reprints in Dell Comics ' The Funnies and Popular Comics . In 1934, Tailspin Tommy was among the strips reprinted in the first modern comic book, Famous Funnies , published by Max Gaines at Eastern Color Printing . That same year, Slesinger began publishing
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#1732801164922506-599: The strip ended on March 15, 1942. Tailspin Tommy flew into movie theaters throughout the 1930s. He was portrayed by Maurice Murphy in the 12-episode 1934 movie serial Tailspin Tommy . Another 12-chapter serial, Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery ( 1935 ), starred Clark Williams in the title role. John Trent portrayed Tommy in a series of hour-long features, including Mystery Plane , Stunt Pilot , Sky Patrol and Danger Flight . All were released in 1939 . A CBS radio series based on
529-579: The strip had a 14-year run from May 21, 1928 to March 15, 1942. In the wake of Charles Lindbergh 's 1927 flight across the Atlantic , the public's fascination with aviation escalated. Tailspin Tommy was the first aviation-based comic strip to appear as a result of this heightened interest. The strip's 1928 launch was followed by others, notably Skyroads (1929-1942), Scorchy Smith (1930-1961), The Adventures of Smilin' Jack (1933-1973) and Flyin' Jenny (1939-1946). Scripted by Glenn Chaffin,
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