Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 47: Just Testing it Out

And its farewell to the cosiness of LoveFilm as I reach the great abyss with at least another twenty-four films to watch, and maybe more if I can find them somewhere. And we're kicking off with a reunion of San Francisco's leading men Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable and that film is Test Pilot.

The relationship between Gable and Tracy is similar to that in the disaster flick they filmed a couple of year's previously. Gable is the reckless womaniser and Tracy is the more grounded sage who worries about him. Here Gable plays Jim the eponymous test pilot who is tasked to try planes out before they are ready to fly and try and break speed records, Tracy plays mechanic Gunner who finds Jim reckless and often has to get him out of tricky situations. Near the beginning of the film, Jim crashes a plane in Kansas and meets Myrna Loy's Ann who is excited by his lifestyle and leaves her fiancée to be with him. Soon we have three relationships the romance between Jim and Ann, the friendship between Gunner and Jim and the relationship between Gunner and Ann which is based on knowing that Jim's job means that he often faces death. When a fellow test pilot dies in a plane that was meant for Jim, Jim gives all his money to the widow and then goes on a drunken bender. The finale sees Jim quitting the test pilot life after Gunner is crushed during one of Jim's test runs, Jim decides he has to spend time with his wife so decides to train the next generation of test pilots instead.

One thing that really stood out for me in Test Pilot was the cinematography, the shots of the planes were particularly fantastic. However there was no nominations for cinematography instead the editing did get nominated as did the original screenplay. All of the acting talent was well represented and of all of his performances I have to say I have enjoyed Spencer Tracy the most in this film and his double act with Gable was probably the highlight of the film. Myrna Loy didn't really have a lot to do in terms of plot but she is a fine actress as proved in her roles opposite William Powell. Overall a great little film but not one that ever stood the test of time especially in that list at the 1939 ceremony but it's an admirable effort. However at the next year's ceremony the next collaboration between Clark Gable and director Victor Fleming would clean up, that film being of course Gone With the Wind.