Independent Films, Film Profiles

Q Planes

Q Planes is a 1939 spy film directed by Tim Whelan, starring Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier and Valerie Hobson. It was produced by Irving Asher with Alexander Korda as executive producer.British planes carrying experimental and high secret equipment being developed under government contract are regularly vanishing with their crews on their test flights. No-one can fathom out the problem, not even Major Hammond of Military Intelligence (Ralph Richardson) or his sister Kay, a newspaper reporter who is working undercover in the works canteen used by the crews.At first Hammond is seen as an outsider at the factory, even by the owner, but he soon finds a friend in a star pilot Tony McVane (Laurence Olivier) who helps him try to unravel the case. Hammond becomes convinced that the company secretary at the factory, Jenkins (George Curzon) is a foreign agent and 'mole', but Jenkins is killed by unseen gunmen before he can be arrested.The mystery remains unsolved when Tony returns to the aircraft factory, determined to make the next test flight. His plane is brought down by a powerful ray beamed from a mysterious salvage ship manned by a foreign crew (unspecified, but presumed to be Germans). Tony is taken hostage on the ship, where he discovers many other missing pilots have suffered the same fate. He leads the others in an attempt to escape and take control of the ship; whilst holding them at bay with a machine gun, Hammond learns the truth and a Royal Navy ship comes to their rescue and saves the day. In a short coda, Kay and McVane get together and Hammond learns to his chagrin that his longtime ladyfriend has been married.