A surprisingly little-known gem from the '30s. Sure, there's a lot of hokum in the story. But Myrna Loy as a daring aviatrix and Cary Grant as an inventive young pilot make it believable and compelling. Grant is working on new technology to enable pilots to fly and land "blind"-- using only the controls in the cockpit and communication with the ground -- when his eyes are seared by an exploding stove. Loy's growing affection for him runs into a cold, bitter barrier. But when she accepts a dangerous challenge, he literally rises to the occasion and becomes her eyes in the sky. Even some seemingly minor scenes -- like one in which Grant reacts badly to the gift of a guide dog -- have real emotional impact. And the stuntwork, involving open single-engine planes of the past, ranges from exciting to spectacular.

I noticed that one of the reviewers thought this was one of Cary Grant's and Myrna Loy's best films. Well, I am glad they liked it, but can't see why they were this enthusiastic about a film that looked an awful lot like a B-movie despite having Ms. Loy in the film. Now in 1935, Cary was still not a major star, so his playing lead in this decent time-passer isn't all that surprising. But, with Loy reaching great heights with her THIN MAN film the year before, it's surprising to see her in such an ordinary film. In quality and number of bad clichés, this film isn't nearly the film you'd expect for her in 1935.The film begins with both stars playing great pilots. Loy is a barnstormer while Grant is more sophisticated and is famous for his heroics and aviation pioneering work. Loy is clearly smitten by him, though he has little idea who she is. When Grant suffers a terrible eye injury that blinds him, she comes to his aid and he comes to love her. However, he's a bit of a fat-head about accepting help from her at first, so she secretly helps fund his research, as now that he's blind no one wants to risk the funds on his idea to perfect "flying blind"--no, not letting blind folks fly but allowing pilots to fly in foggy weather that would normally ground them.The romance aspect of the film is pretty good and the film is an amiable movie until near the very end. In a very difficult to believe twist, blind Cary flies up to save Loy! And, in a scene that made me want to scream, although he had just announced his intention to kill himself due to his blindness, in the final scene (where Loy saved him from this), Cary announces "I am beginning to see!!!!"--and his blindness is lifting!! I half expected to hear a chorus of angels and the sky open up with this abysmally clichéd finale. Before this terrible ending, the film would have earned a 6 or maybe 7. BUT, with this finale I think I am being very generous in giving it a 5.By the way, this is on the same DVD as "Cary Grant: Disc 2--The Screen Legend Collection. I advise you try to get it, as the other film (BIG BROWN EYES) is a wonderful and seldom seen gem.

A rather preposterous melodrama on the surface, WINGS IN THE DARK manages to retain a surprising amount of credibility due to solid direction and convincing performances. The far-fetched storyline of a recently blinded pilot Ken Gordon (Cary Grant) relying on newly-created aviation software to guide fellow pilot and girlfriend Sheila Mason (Myrna Loy) through deadly fog is brimming full with gaping plot holes and ham-fisted dialogue, which typically spell serious trouble for most productions. However, the film is salvaged, and even made thoroughly enjoyable, by the compelling, believable performances of Loy and Grant and director James Flood's brisk direction, which moves the picture along at a steady rate and helps to minimize much of the script's potential schmaltz. The combined efforts of Loy, Grant, and Flood make an entertaining and sometimes compelling little aviation drama out of what could have been a total disaster, which is quite an amazing feat on each individual's part!

Fans of Grant are in for a treat in this lovely movie about finding love among the skies. Grant is joined by Myrna Loy as a flier who finds love with him, although they first have to overcome a series of terrible events that threaten the two. There are some beautiful scenes between the two leads and a sense of genuine emotion on the screen before you. This is only one of three times that Grant and Loy acted together but is one of their best onscreen efforts. It took me a long time to hunt out this movie but it was well worth it and I'd heartily recommend it to anyone.