Only Angels Have Wings

The Internet Movie Database       Movie Reviews

Cary Grant is the owner of a struggling mail delivery service, a bunch of flyers somewhere in South America.

An Otter Family Favorite! This one has it all- good writing, a great plot, interesting characters, good camerawork, romance, adventure and airplanes.

There are bunches of plot threads:

  1. The Mail Must Go Through Or We’re Washed Up
  2. The Adventure And Danger of Early Aviation
  3. Love at First Sight
  4. The Ex-Girlfriend Shows Up
  5. The Man Who Must Pay For His Mistakes
  6. How To Tell Your Best Friend Bad News
  7. The Vicissitudes Of Marriage
  8. Dealing With A Guy Who Won’t Admit He’s In Love With You

and on and on…makes this sound like a fairly silly movie, but it’s not, it’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen from that year (a year of GREAT movies, 1939) and is as good as Jezebel, another Otter Family Favorite.

Jean Arthur carries a whole lot of the credit for the success of this film. She’s tough and cute and brave and silly and very very charming, a real honey if I ever saw one and the perfect foil for Cary Grant’s (dare I say it?) curmudgeonliness. Thomas Mitchell is a wonderful supporting actor as well, as is Richard Barthelmess. Rita Hayworth doesn’t have much of a part, but by golly she’s pretty! so that’s all right.

I really can’t say too much in favor of this wonderful flick, but I’m just gonna start babbling now, so I’ll stop here. See this one as soon as you can, you’ll be glad you did.

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