An aircraft assigned to the production was involved in a minor accident. Second unit filming involved a flight from Newark to Los Angeles to obtain footage to be used in the film. The picture was filmed at the Alhambra Airport, California, in Cleveland, Ohio, and Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, using United Air Lines Boeing 247 airliners. Production A Boeing 247 airliner was prominently featured in 13 Hours by Air.Ĭreated under the working title 20 Hours by Air, the pace set in 1933 for transcontinental passenger flights, the production updated its name to match the recent exploits of Wiley Post, Jimmy Doolittle, and Roscoe Turner. Dennis O'Keefe as Baker (as Bud Flannagan).Benny Bartlett as Waldemar Pitt III (as Bennie Bartlett).When the flight lands, he is able to have his dinner with Felice, collecting his bet, knowing that he will need the money for a marriage licence. Jack manages to overcome Palmer, and with the help of Felice, is able to take off and fly to San Francisco. Evarts tells Jack he is a federal agent pursuing Palmer, a notorious criminal. Jack and Freddie Scott ( John Howard), his co-pilot, are persuaded to fly on, but are eventually forced to make an emergency landing. Evarts ( Brian Donlevy) and Curtis Palmer ( Alan Baxter), both of whom seem to be harboring a secret.įelice is trying to get to San Francisco in order to prevent her sister from marrying the Count's brother, but the flight runs into bad weather. Jack worries that he may have a crisis involving the Count when he finds Stephani has a gun aboard. On a stop over in Chicago, Jack learns instead that his passenger is a wealthy socialite at odds with another passenger, Count Stephani (Fred Keating). A jewel robbery is in the news and a beautiful blonde is implicated, with Jack suspecting that Felice may be the culprit. Known as a 'lady's man', he bets stewardess Vi Johnson ( Ruth Donnelly) that he will take Felice out to dinner that evening. 13 Hours by Air was also the forerunner of the disaster film, a genre featuring a complex, heavily character-driven ensemble cast, exploring the personal dramas and interactions that develop among the passengers and crew as they deal with a deadly onboard emergency.Īirline pilot Jack Gordon (Fred MacMurray) on a flight from New York to San Francisco, is immediately attracted to beautiful passenger Felice Rollins ( Joan Bennett).

The screenplay was written by Kenyon Nicholson and Bogart Rogers, based on story Wild Wings by Rogers and Frank Mitchell Dazey. The film stars Fred MacMurray and Joan Bennett. 13 Hours by Air (also known as 20 Hours by Air) is a 1936 American drama film made by Paramount Pictures and directed by Mitchell Leisen.

13 hour flight lights out song