The Flying Irishman 85 years old
See the "inside story" of his flight in this exciting drama of life!
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.
Credits
The Flying Irishman Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Robert Armstrong He was 48, 82 years old when he died | as Joe Alden |
| Marcia Mae Jones She was 14, 83 years old when she died | as Teenager |
| Kenneth Harlan He was 43, 71 years old when he died | as Man at New York Airport |
| Eddie Quillan He was 32, 83 years old when he died | as Henry Corrigan |
| J. M. Kerrigan He was 54, 79 years old when he died | as Mr. Clyde Corrigan Sr. |
| Cora Witherspoon She was 49, 67 years old when she died | as Mamie Thompson |
| Billy Wayne He was 42, 73 years old when he died | as Photographer |
| Dorothy Appleby She was 33, 84 years old when she died | as Maybelle |
| Gayne Whitman He was 49, 68 years old when he died | as New York City Announcer |
| George Chandler He was 40, 86 years old when he died | as Airport Gas Attendant |
| Don Barclay He was 46, 82 years old when he died | as Bettor |
| Dorothy Peterson She was 41, 81 years old when she died | as Ma Corrigan |
| Lee Phelps He was 45, 59 years old when he died | as Mechanic Hiring Doug |
| Leon Belasco He was 36, 85 years old when he died | as Russian Commentator |
| Frank Coghlan, Jr. He was 23, 93 years old when he died | as Teenager Taking Photograph |
| Horace Murphy He was 58, 94 years old when he died | as Drunk at New York Airport |
| Ralph Graves He was 39, 77 years old when he died | as First Man Grounding Doug in New York |
| Frank Faylen He was 33, 79 years old when he died | as New York Mechanic |
| Joyce Compton She was 32, 90 years old when she died | as Sally |
| Olaf Hytten He was 51, 67 years old when he died | as Irish Airport Radio Operator |
| Peggy Ryan She was 14, 80 years old when she died | as Edith Corrigan |
| Milton Kibbee He was 43, 74 years old when he died | as New York Airport Manager |
| Lloyd Ingraham He was 64, 81 years old when he died | as Doctor Attending Mrs. Corrigan |
| George Magrill He was 39, 52 years old when he died | as New York Airport Workman |
| Grady Sutton He was 33, 89 years old when he died | as Clothing Store Sales Clerk |
| Louis Jean Heydt He was 35, 56 years old when he died | as Airport Spectator |
| Douglas Corrigan He was 32, 88 years old when he died | as Himself |
| Dorothy Lovett She was 24, 83 years old when she died | as Telephone Operator |
| Spencer Charters He was 64, 67 years old when he died | as Smedley |
| Scotty Beckett He was 9, 38 years old when he died | as Henry Corrigan (as a boy) |
| Philip Morris He was 46, 56 years old when he died | as Mechanic |
| Jack Rice He was 45, 75 years old when he died | as Airplane Owner Selling It to Corrigan |
| Roy Gordon He was 44, 77 years old when he died | as Dr. Howard |
| Minor Watson He was 49, 75 years old when he died | as Airport Personnel Manager |
| Paul Kelly He was 39, 57 years old when he died | as Butch Brannen |
| Joe Cunningham He was 7, now 93 years old | as Second Man Grounding Doug in New York |
| Donald MacBride He was 46, 64 years old when he died | as Roy Thompson |
| Charles Williams He was 52, 91 years old when he died | as Car Repo Man |
| Gene Reynolds He was 16, 96 years old when he died | as Douglas Corrigan (as a boy) |
| Ann Kunde He was 43, 64 years old when he died | as Airplane Passenger |
| Edward Gargan He was 36, 61 years old when he died | as J.R. Robinson |
| Charles Irwin He was 52, 13 years old when he died | as Office at Ireland Airport |
| Knox Manning He was 35, 76 years old when he died | as Commentator |
The Flying Irishman Crew
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| J. Roy Hunt as Director of Photography. He was 54 (87) years old when He died | Camera |
| Ernest Pagano as Screenplay. He was 38 (52) years old when He died | Writing |
The Flying Irishman (85 years)
See the "inside story" of his flight in this exciting drama of life!
- Release day: Friday, April 07, 1939
- Runtime: 71 minutes