About Hell's Angels (1930)
The story behind the film
Hell's Angels is the epic that the young millionaire Howard Hughes — before he was famous as an aviator, industrialist and recluse — poured his money and obsession into for three years. Principal photography began in October 1927 as a silent film about two British brothers who serve as pilots in the Royal Flying Corps in World War I. But The Jazz Singer had just opened, and audiences wanted talking pictures. After a year and a half, Hughes decided to remake much of the film with sound.
That meant replacing his leading lady, the Norwegian actress Greta Nissen, whose accent didn't suit the role of an English girl. Her replacement was a little-known 18-year-old named Jean Harlow, who became a star overnight. Hughes brought in the stage director James Whale — later famous for Frankenstein — to direct the new dialogue scenes, and directed the aerial sequences himself.
Cast & crew
- Directed and produced by Howard Hughes; dialogue directed by James Whale
- Ben Lyon as Monte Rutledge, the reckless, womanising brother
- James Hall as Roy Rutledge, the idealistic brother
- Jean Harlow as Helen, the woman Roy loves
- John Darrow as Karl Arnstedt, their German friend from Oxford
- Released by United Artists
Why it's worth watching
The aerial combat sequences are spectacular and remain among the most ambitious ever filmed. Hughes assembled a private air force of vintage warplanes and pilots, and staged dogfights involving dozens of aircraft at once, filmed from other planes in real skies. The nighttime raid by a German Zeppelin on London, culminating in the airship's fiery destruction, is another tour de force.
The film also has early colour: some scenes are tinted for dramatic effect, and one talking scene was filmed in colour — the only colour footage of Jean Harlow's career. Harlow's sultry performance includes the famous line: "Would you be shocked if I put on something more comfortable?"
Fun facts
- The production was dangerous: three stunt pilots and a mechanic died in accidents during filming. Hughes himself crashed while attempting a stunt his chief pilot had refused, and suffered a skull fracture.
- Hughes publicised the film as costing $4 million, but surviving accounts show it cost about $2.8 million. Though it was a big hit, it did not earn back that cost.
- Hughes later produced the gangster classic Scarface (1932) and directed The Outlaw (1943), which is also on Starlite TV.
Public-domain status
Hell's Angels was published in 1930 and entered the US public domain on January 1, 2026. See "Rights & source" below.