The Smashing Secret Service Adventures of Brass Bancroft in the Air!

Tarzan

The Falcon

Dick Tracy

James Bond

Indiana Jones

Batman

Richard B. Riddick

Jason Bourne

Agent Phil Coulson

and, of course...

Brass Bancroft

No, seriously.


Still a newly signed, and very busy, Warner Bros. contract player–he landed in Hollywood in 1937–former radio sportscaster Ronald Reagan was bouncing between smaller roles in A productions and meatier parts in the studio's B's when he was cast as Orient Express pilot turned Secret Service agent Lt. "Brass" Bancroft in four zippy Warner programmers that were shorter than this sentence.

Apparently, Reagan was not happy doing these pictures at all, but, I have to say, by and large they're pretty fun. Having said that, there a few things that keep the Brass Bancroft movies from really breaking through into the pulpy stratosphere.

If you ever find yourself in the pulpy stratosphere, by the way, bring a strainer.

Those are people. People!

We meet "Brass" Bancroft in 1939's SECRET SERVICE OF THE AIR. When the agent assigned to the case is murdered, Brass, an ace pilot, is recruited by the service, in the person of John Litel's Saxby, to infiltrate and stop a human smuggling ring flying various off-white men over the Mexican boarder into California.

One of the great things about a well-executed B movie is the speed with which it can deftly move from plot point A to, well, B. In the space of about 10 screen minutes, Brass joins the Secret Service, receives his mission, is framed for a phony crime to get him convincingly into jail, befriends the convict who has information about the smugglers, is part of foiled escape attempt and gets out of the clink to set out after the villains. The rest of the picture finds Brass trying to maintain his cover–a recurring theme in the series–while working from the inside to put a stop to the machinations of king of the human trafficking world Jim Cameron (James Stephenson).

The finale of SECRET SERVICE OF THE AIR is actually quite rousing, with Brass fighting off the bad guys while trying to safely land a plane full of human cargo. A good start to the series.

In the next film, CODE OF THE SECRET SERVICE, Brass and partner Gabby Watters, who was the radio man when they flew with the Orient Express, head out for their second mission of 1939. Gabby is played by Eddie Foy, Jr. and is the only other actor to appear in all four movies. Unfortunately, he's also one of the reasons the Brass Bancrofts never truly slip their modest bonds. Gabby is likeable guy, and Foy plays him will, but each movie features him in an obvious gag or three–CODE actually features a "Comedy Construction" credit–that bring the peppy plots to a screeching halt and throw you clear from the movie into a hedge.

There's something almost...presidential about him.

Back to CODE, it finds Brass working to stop a counterfeiting operation based in Mexico–Brass's world was kind of small–and run by a peg-legged man. This entry has a lot of action and plays a lot like a two-fisted serial. Rosella Towne, who appeared in OF THE AIR in a supporting role, does a nice job as Brass's leading lady here, even if she doesn't appear until about the 40-minute mark.

That's another demerit for the series, Brass is so committed to the service, he never really has time for even Captain Kirk-level intimacy. As a result, we're left with the simplistic plots and Reagan's homespun earnestness to give Brass any real depth so, yeah, he basically has none.

Which is not to say Reagan couldn't act. In Brass's next outing, SMASHING THE MONEY RING, he gets to stay undercover in prison–yep, again–for most of the movie and Reagan is actually pretty convincing, and surprisingly at-home, playing the tough guy convict. SMASHING was definitely my least favorite movie in the series. It's far too bogged down in the prison, has little action, and just seems out of place alongside the other three Brass Bancroft films, playing basically as a mystery rather than a pulpy, B adventure.

It does however have a fun turn from John Hamilton, the future TV's Perry White, as a prison guard captain. Hamilton actually appears in three of the four Bancroft films as a different officious official each time.

SMASHING was also released in 1939, by the way, which makes three Brass outings for Reagan in one year. Given that, it's perhaps a little easier to see why he wasn't happy doing something he didn't enjoy in such a large dose, particularly since he also appeared alongside Bette Davis and George Brent in DARK VICTORY–giving him a chance to play a much more colorful character in an A picture–between the first two Brass Bancroft films.

I would have watched a whole movie about these guys.

Warners actually let Reagan and Foy, Jr. take a small breather before pressing them back into service for one more go round as Brass and Gabby, 1940's MURDER IN THE AIR. Brass was poised to go out on a terrifically high note as the movie opens with a series of what would now be considered terrorist attacks carried out by a secret society of saboteurs. Needless to say, Brass ends up undercover as a member of the sect, and again the movie slows down as the intrigue mounts, only to recover for a rousing second half that sees Brass on a U.S. Navy dirigible trying to stop the terrorists from getting their hands on a MacGuffin worthy of Cobra Commander and Brass does indeed exit the stage as he arrived, flying high.

Gabby, meanwhile spends most of the movie trying to call his girl. Yeah.

John Litel made a welcome return to the series to play Brass' handler Saxby for this last round-up. Joe King played Saxby in the middle two films to no particular effect. Why couldn't it have been John Hamilton?

Couple other fun casting notes. Not only is the future Perry White in three of the Brass Bancrofts, George Reeves, the man who would be steel, appears as an extra in SECRET SERVICE OF THE AIR. Morgan Conway, the screen's best Dick Tracy–we'll discuss that here someday–is supposed to be in the movie, too, but I couldn't find him. I'll look again next time.

In the end, the Brass Bancroft movies aren't going to make you forget what you thought you knew about cinematic adventure, but they're fun little B's with some really nice touches of pulp heroism. Brass is at his best in the air, where the stakes are as high as the wings, and death is just a nosedive away.

If you're among the daring, all of Brass' adventures can be yours in one go thanks to the awesome Warner Archive Collection, which has them on DVD in one volume.

Accept no counterfeits, junior Secret Service agents. Brass is counting on you.

-SSJP

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