Ace Drummond showed up on Turner Classic Movies this summer, appearing irregularly on Saturdays. It's a 1936 movie serial based on a comic strip which was written by famous aviator Eddie Rickenbacker and was drawn by Clayton Knight. It stars the usual All-American strong-chinned hero which appeared regularly in popular fiction.
In this serial Ace (John King) shows up in Mongolia to help the International Airways group complete an around-the-world flight schedule. They are being blocked by a mystery villain named "The Dragon" who operates a few secret bases and has at his command a squadron of airplanes capable of deadly attacks. Ace joins up with mechanic Jerry (Noah Beery Jr.) and a youngster named Billy (Jackie Morrow) to fend off the attacks. Along for the ride is the lovely Jean Rogers (as Peggy Trainor) as the damsel in distress but who has remarkably little to do in the thirteen chapters. She hangs around with Billy a lot and they get into the same messes more or less.
Noah Beery Jr., John King, and Jackie Morrow |
Jean Rogers and John King |
Overall it's a a typical distraction, but ultimately a failure as the elements of the story fail to really catch on.
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