Only Angels Have Wings

"BIG As The Fog-Shrouded Andes!"

May 25 1939 Approved 2h 1m
Adventure, Drama, Romance

A traveling performer arrives at a remote South American port town where the head of an air freight service must risk his pilots' lives to earn a major contract.

Plot

When the ship San Luis makes a stop at the port of Barranca to deliver mailbags and load bananas, cabaret singer Bonnie Lee leaves the boat for some hours to look around. She meets a gang of American flyers who work for a warm-hearted Dutchman. He is the owner of a scrubby hotel, but also of the shaky Barranca Airways, led by the tough flyer Geoff Carter. The only way to fly out of Barranca is through a deep pass at 14,000 feet above the ground. As the weather is often stormy and foggy, the flights are extremely difficult, and several flyers have already lost their lives. Bonnie falls in love with Geoff, who reminds her of her father, a trapeze artist who worked without safety net. She decides to leave the boat and stay at the hotel. But Geoff is scared of being detained by a woman. He wants to continue his risky lifestyle uninterrupted. The situation is aggravated when a new flyer, Bat MacPherson, turns up with his wife Judy. He once caused the death of a young flyer by leaving a malfunctioning airplane in a parachute, and Judy was once Geoff's girlfriend, who he left because she tried to stop him from making risky flights.

Written by

Jules Furthman, Howard Hawks, Eleanore Griffin

Directed by

Howard Hawks

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Columbia Pictures

Languages

English, Español

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 1 win & 1 nomination total

Scores
# of Votes
16,356
Average Rating
7.6 out of 10
Metascore
86
Popularity
NA