writers_reign Clearly made under the influence - not to say success - of Wings and Hell's Angels this is Three Comrades with aerilons. Robert Armstrong, Joel McCrea and Richard Dix, three intrepid flyboys find themselves fish out of water after 1918 and though there were flying jobs availably - barnstorming, flying mail etc - this doesn't seem to occur to them with the result that they reach a point when they haven't got change of a match and, as everyone and his Uncle Max knows, once you reach the lowest point you can the only way is up and so, in the fullness of time - something like one and a half reels - they wind up in Hollywood working largely as stunt pilots. This is where the plot takes off - sorry about that - as they encounter movie director Erich von Stroheim, a man who clearly read Les Miserables and thought Javert was the hero. We know from the get-go that it's destined to end in tears and so it does but not without some decent acting and diversions along the way.

st-shot With time running out to satisfy their taste for adventure and blood lust WW 1 pilots Gibson, Woody and Red take to the air and fight to the last minute before Armistice. The war over and out of a Woody (Bob Armstrong) followed by Gibson ( Richard Dix) and Red (Joel McCrea) gravitate to Hollywood to do what they do best, fly stunt planes. The work is dangerous but they are use to it. The danger increases tenfold when Von Furst (Erich Von Stroheim), a tyrannical director with a thirst for realism as well as a wife who once had the hots for Gibson attempts to pull off two for the price of one; get the shot and lose the wife's former lover. Woody in the, throes of alcoholism takes the fall however. With the war over and no more dogfights to involve itself in Squadron is no Wings but it does offer up some fine aerial acrobatics to go along with its swift and a touch incredulous pace. The trio of pilots do their macho posturing (including a bird throwing sequence) adequately enough while Beth Jordan and Mary Astor wait with anxious trepidation on the ground. But it is the opportunity to watch Von Stroheim go into directorial rant that in retrospect gives the Lost Squadron its bite.

LeonLouisRicci A rather different relic from the early sound era. The in vogue at the time fixation on "aeroplanes" was a justifiable wonder of the modern age. Also, the plight of the returning WWI soldiers was still very fresh in the public consciousness and this makes honorable use of the shortcomings of the soldiers homecomings.This one goes quickly from the end of the war to the behind the scenes making of Moving Pictures circa 1920 Hollywood and that makes it of interest to film buffs (and flight freaks). Add in a bonus of Von Stroheim playing pretty much a take on his own eccentricities of a real life troubled Director.It is a well mounted film with an interesting cast although Robert Armstrong's irritating drunk shows why, accept for King Kong the next year he will be forever mostly forgotten. But it is Stroheim, the on the set realism, the flying acrobatic special effects, and the dark ending that makes this an in interesting inclusion that has been parked in the Odd Cinema Hanger, and is only brought out once in awhile to be looked at like a Smithsonian.

LynxMatthews Man, he is evil in this. And he really wants you to know that. He plays a film director who directs WWI scenes where he demands such realism that people are regularly killed on set. If you are injured, he wants to hear you screaming, and these were silent movies! If you are supposed to be dead, you'd better not move or he'll probably kill you.That aspect of the movie is overdone, although interesting for fans of movies about moviemaking. But where the movie really shines is in its opening sequence when a group of soldiers literally clock out of WWI and head back to the States, only to find their business partners have swindled 'em, their girls have cheated on 'em, and there ain't no jobs to be had. So, it's Hobo City, until they make it to Hollywood and the lives of stunt pilots.I thought Richard Dix was good in this, Joel McCrea seems a little wimpy. The whole last 20 minutes are pretty bad with the "good guys" showing such poor judgment and idiocy that the ending is sheer nihilism.Definitely worth a view though and watch for the middle finger!