Warners Attempts a Perfect Crime

A 1941 Tilt Toward Noir: Flight From Destiny

Better be a committed Thomas Mitchell fan to book this Flight, him being the whole show and a little of that goes far ways, even at Warner B length of 75 minutes. The story thus: TM gets prognosis negative from Doc James Stephenson and decides to commit murder in disposal of neighbor Jeffrey Lynn's no-good partner in adultery. Further recount would invoke tedium, so I'll not. To watch is to suffer minimal, for there's a good cast to augment vague wondering of how the mess will sort out. "Perfect murder" stories were told better elsewhere, but WB's point was to fill lower berths and keep check-drawing staff busy. Flight is worth the trip for early glimpse of devices that film noir would co-op and wring dry later in the 40's. The title implies a theme profound, but not to worry, there's none such here. Director Vincent Sherman wrote in his memoir Studio Affairs that Warners was happy enough with Flight From Destiny to seek "A" bookings, and indeed there were solo dates for the pic in key cities. Sherman always had knack for pulling value out of assigned work that others may ignore or overlook, Flight From Destiny a good example of lemonade he'd squeeze from otherwise discard fruit.