The Flying Irishman
This is the story of the historic 1938 flight of Douglas 'Wrong Way' Corrigan. Mr. Corrigan starred in this film, which chronicled his infamous flight. On July 17, 1938, Mr. Corrigan loaded 320 gallons of gasoline (40 hours worth) into the tiny, single engine plane. While expressing his intent to fly west to Long Beach, CA, Mr. Corrigan flew out of Floyd Bennett Field heading east over the Atlantic. Instrumentation in the plane included two compasses (both malfunctioned) and a turn-and-bank indicator. The cabin door was held shut with baling wire. Nearly 29 hours later, he landed in Baldonnel near Dublin. He forever claimed to be surprised at arriving in Ireland rather than California. He returned to the US as a hero, with a ticker tape parade in New York and received numerous medals and awards.
Cast
Douglas Corrigan
as Douglas Corrigan
Eddie Quillan
as Henry Corrigan
Paul Kelly
as Butch Brannen
Robert Armstrong
as Joe Alden
Gene Reynolds
as Young Douglas Corrigan
Minor Watson
as Airport Personnel Manager
Dorothy Peterson
as Ma Corrigan
Scotty Beckett
as Young Henry Corrigan
Peggy Ryan
as Edith Corrigan
Becky Bohanon
as Young Edith Corrigan
