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This black & white film was used to promote American Airways, which was renamed American Airlines in 1934. The film begins with a brief prelude that was likely made in the 1950s, the bulk of the production (after the first :30) is 1934 (or 1933).
Opening title: FLY AMERICAN!, The Movement of Man, Mail, and Merchandise Through the Skies (:06-:49). An biplane passenger plane the Curtiss T-32 Condor II is shown flying through the sky. A man visits an American Airways ticket office, probably in New York City. There are many alternatives to purchasing tickets: through a hotel porter, Western Union, the Post Office, over the telephone, with an American Airways limousine driver, and with travel agents. When you are ready for your flight, you will be picked up by an American Airways limousine and taken to the airport (:50-2:24). The airport, it's bustling with planes, cabs, limos (include Cord automobiles -- as Cord was involved with American Airways in this era), and many people. You might see a Hollywood Actress who travels as well as other types of interesting people. It takes an organization to make an airline - it takes ten men to keep one man in the air.Planes fly from Canada to Mexico (with the United States in between), sixty-five major cities - day and night in all kinds of weather (2:25-4:09). (3:25) suitcase with many decals shown. Montreal and
Brownsville, TX (the gateway to Mexico) are possible destinations. Downtown Montreal. A cowboy holds a sheep. City of Boston and Boston Harbor. You can fly from Boston to Los Angeles in little more than a day. Los Angeles is featured. On your way back, stop in Phoenix and then go from Chicago to Atlanta and Florida. Memphis, TN (5:04 -- where African Americans are shown loading cotton on a ship) is an option as is Fort Worth, TX (5:15), Dallas, TX and St. Louis, MO (5:30). Cleveland, OH is next and then Washington, D.C. (4:10-5:57). People start to board a plane. Air travel is very easy. Curtiss Condor (6:09), at (6:17) appears to be a AT-5C Ford Tri-Motor. (6:30) Chicago Municipal Airport. Skilled mechanics work on Condors. The pilot looks at weather conditions and reviews his itinerary (5:58-7:26). Before passengers board, bags of mail are safely stored. Six-hundred-fifty pounds of mail can be stored. Many different things can be checked. The co-pilot and stewardess help people board. The interior of the Condor. All seats are first class and all passengers are first class. Eighteen people are ready to takeoff. The plane goes down the runway and takes off into the air: a flight from Chicago to NYC (7:26-10:41). Comfort, adjustable seats, ample dome lights, individual ventilators and ashtrays. A stewardess is a registered nurse as well as a trained guide. Aerial shots. A restroom. The pilot has continuous communication with the ground every few minutes (9:19). Distance no longer matters to man. You can sleep on these flights as noise is buffered inside the plane. The landscape below is stunning. You can meet interesting and important people on a flight (10:42-14:39). Clouds outside the window. Get your lunch on a personal tray. A man passes out cigars as a celebration due to having a baby. Animation of a plane going from Chicago to Detroit. The flight lands and people exit. The plane is then refueled. In-flight meal (14:58) Radio range helps the pilot be safe. Flying over beautiful Niagara Falls (14:40-18:01). Buffalo airport. This is the crossroad of many lines. Other planes are getting ready to take off. Delaware water gap in an aerial shot. From 1928 to 1933, there was an influx of air travelers. From 2,651 to an estimated 120,000. Candle beacons like lighthouses assist the flights (18:02-19:33). New York City aerial shot, arriving in New York. If it's cool on the plane, the heat will be turned on, warm and cool air will be on. Newark. You can have lunch in Chicago and dinner in NYC due to all the time saved. People exit the plane and laugh as the man having a baby has ended up having twins. It's evening in NYC, shot of Times Square (20:50). A man gets ready for bed in a first class hotel. A plane circles the globe. Fly American! (19:34-21:22). End credits, made by Progress Film Co. (21:23-21:39).
The Curtiss T-32 Condor II was a 1930s American biplane airliner and bomber aircraft built by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. The June 15, 1934 American Airlines system timetable marketed Condors as fast "Sleeper-Planes" with the 12-passenger aircraft capable of cruising at 190 miles per hour. 45 were built.
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