Infantile paralysis has broken out in Rio de Janeiro. Trans-Andean European Air Mail gets hires to get the vaccine from Santiago to Rio. Riviere (John Barrymore) is the hard driving director of the service. Robineau (Lionel Barrymore) is the inspector. Pilot Auguste Pellerin (Robert Montgomery) shows up after a night of partying. He's flying the dangerous route over the Andes. Meanwhile, Jules Fabian (Clark Gable) is flying a second plane from the south.
This is a pre-Code adventure film with an all-star cast. This story would work a lot better with just one flight and following that one flight in the air. The ground story isn't that compelling. Having two flights diffuses the tension and the attention. This is about getting the vaccine to Rio and the other stuff is not that compelling.
This is a pre-Code adventure film with an all-star cast. This story would work a lot better with just one flight and following that one flight in the air. The ground story isn't that compelling. Having two flights diffuses the tension and the attention. This is about getting the vaccine to Rio and the other stuff is not that compelling.