Captains of the Clouds

Captains of the Clouds aka Shadows of Their Wings is a 1942 Warner Bros. war film in Technicolor, directed by Michael Curtiz and starring James Cagney. It was produced by William Cagney James Cagneys brother, with Hal B. Wallis as executive producer. The screenplay was written by Arthur T. Horman, Richard Macaulay, and Norman Reilly Raine, based on a story by Horman and Roland Gillett. The cinematography was by Wilfred M. Cline, Sol Polito, and Winton C. Hoch and was notable in that it was the first feature length Hollywood production filmed entirely in Canada.

Dutton saves MacLeans life after he is struck in the head by a stillmoving propeller by transporting a doctor under dangerous flying conditions. MacLean is grateful and joins Dutton in a temporary partnership to help Dutton earn the seed fund for his airline. When Dutton rejects MacLeans warning about the gold digging character of Duttons badlybehaved girlfriend Emily Foster Brenda Marshall, MacLean marries her in order to save Dutton from a life of misery. Dutton, however, does not understand that MacLeans actions are an act of kindness, and so he abruptly ends their friendship. Depressed, Dutton impulsively gives his savings to charity and enlists in the Royal Canadian Air Force.Later, after hearing Winston Churchills We shall fight on the beaches speech on the radio, MacLean and the other bush pilots attempt to enlist in the air force, only to discover that they are too old for combat. They reluctantly agree to train as flight instructors for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Their superior officer is none other than Dutton. MacLeans brash and fiercely independent nature clashes with the military way of doing things, and he inevitably washes out. For revenge, he and Tiny buzz the airfield in their bush planes when renowned Canadian First World War ace Air Marshal William Billy Bishop playing himself is speaking during the groups graduation ceremony. During the buzzing,Tiny suffers a blackout loss of vision due to gforces, crashes the plane and dies. ........

Source: Wikipedia