This comedy-mystery has a goodly amount of energy. Mantan Moreland offers his befuddled comedy, Marjorie Reynolds sings two songs surprisingly well (for those of us who remember her more for suffering the revolting developments on THE LIFE OF RILEY) and everyone on hand does a good job, given the constrained budgets that Monogram Studios offered for their B movies.Given that it's Frankie Darro in the lead, though, the movie doesn't turn out well. He's an annoying smart aleck who drags Mr. Moreland into all sorts of unwanted danger and inveigles him into a comedy act in which they engage in cross-talk -- with Mr. Darro in blackface for a radio performance. In 1940 this made an acceptable second feature. Today, its time has passed long ago.

UP IN THE AIR is a slight comic murder mystery about a singer who is murdered while singing live on the radio in a popular studio. A couple of characters who happened to be in the area at the time decide to investigate with typically bumbling consequences.The youthful Frankie Darro is the hero of the piece; he's a diminutive chap but sparkling with energy and thus proving to be a more than adequate protagonist. The script is fairly episodic but there are some good jokes littered throughout the narrative and at just an hour in length this film doesn't really have the time to outstay its welcome. Some songs are included to enliven things and pad out the running time. The biggest asset is the great Mantan Moreland, who bags all of the funniest lines and reaction shots. Be warned, a blackface interlude may be off-putting for sensitive viewers.

On location in Hollywood, "Amalgamated Broadcasting Company" (ABC Radio) page Frankie Darro (as Frankie Ryan) is attracted to the station's attractive new receptionist, aspiring songstress Marjorie Reynolds (as Anne Mason). Ms. Reynolds sings "By the Looks of Things" very sweetly. With help from cowardly janitor pal Mantan Moreland (as Jeff Jefferson), Mr. Darro decides to help Reynolds become a radio singing star. Then, the station's snotty songstress Lorna Gray (as Rita Wilson) is murdered... First suspected is cowboy singer Gordon Jones (as Tex Barton), who was then notable as the star of "The Green Hornet" serial. Just when you think you've heard them all, "Tex" calls Mr. Moreland "banjo eyes" (an apt description). Also, watch for Darro to appear in "black-face" for a routine with Moreland (which must have looked swell on the radio). The bit is handled inoffensively, by the way. Howard Bretherton and the troupe manage the vehicle fairly, with Darro and Moreland contributing their usual.**** Up in the Air (9/9/40) Howard Bretherton ~ Frankie Darro, Mantan Moreland, Marjorie Reynolds, Gordon Jones

The morning after watching this, my wife and I sat at the kitchen table discussing it, and found we had nothing to talk about but Mantan Moreland. The plot is pretty much a series of contrivances to hang situations on, and the inevitable solution of the "who killed..." mystery doesn't seem to be the driving force. It's all about Mantan. I have seen him as comedy relief in a dozen movies, and he always steals every scene he is in, but I have never seen him dominate like this. He makes everyone else into his straight man, and constantly subverts and deflates authority figures. Every time someone says "I've got an idea," or "I've been thinking," he's on the spot with his "UH-OH!" There is nothing cowardly (as it often appears in his Charlie Chan roles) about his fierce common- sense determination to move away from trouble, not toward it. He sometimes seems like the only one who is not dangerously foolish. Mantan and Frankie Darro work together really well here and, though modern sensibilities may be jarred by Darro donning blackface to try to get them a radio job as a comedy duo, they come across as peers and friends, not boss and lackey as so often occurs in films of this era. The highest point is Mantan's dance scene - inserted into the story for no reason but its sheer entertainment value - in which he is so suave, smooth, cool, cute, and downright huggable it's difficult not to exclaim in delight. The movie plugs along gamely in the moments when Mantan is not on screen, and provides some pretty fair musical numbers, but he is the real shining light in this production.