You May Be Next!
Cast & Crew
Read More
Albert S. Rogell
Director
Ann Sothern
Fay Stevens
Lloyd Nolan
Neil Bennett
Douglas Dumbrille
Beau Gardner
John Arledge
[J. Edgar] Eddie House
Berton Churchill
J. J. Held
Film Details
Also Known As
Calling All G-Men, Panic on the Air
Genre
Crime
Release Date
Feb
6,
1936
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 6m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7 reels
Synopsis
When Neil Bennett, chief engineer for the American Broadcasting Corp., accidentally throws a switch and jams the police radio signal, a group of bank robbers led by Beau Gardner are able to escape. Minutes later, Gardner hitchhikes a ride with Neil and his assistant, Eddie House, and invites them to visit his nightclub. At the club, Neil immediately falls for the beautiful singer, Fay Stevens, although Gardner is openly jealous. Neil obtains an audition for Fay the next day, but studio manager J. J. Held does not like her, so Neil appeals to the sponsor of "The Murgatroyd Hour." Having learned about Neil's inadvertant aid in his escape, Gardner plans to jam studio signals of selected broadcasts, beginning with Fay's appearance on "The Murgatroyd Hour." Before Fay can go on, however, Held fires Neil, and Fay is banned from the studio. When Neil returns to his apartment, Gardner's men seize him and take his equipment. Gardner then frames Neil for jamming the broadcast and has Neil and his machinery moved to a house near his club. Gardner blackmails J. J. Held, and commercial sponsors threaten to switch to a rival broadcaster. Meanwhile, Neil has been sending coded signals to Eddie from the farmhouse. Eddie and Fay find and release Neil. Before they can escape, however, Gardner and his men capture them. The police have picked up Neil's S.O.S., and they arrive in time to stop Gardner and his gang from making off with the equipment. Later, Gardner is sentenced to Alcatraz, and Neil and Fay go on a honeymoon.
Director
Albert S. Rogell
Director
Cast
Ann Sothern
Fay Stevens
Lloyd Nolan
Neil Bennett
Douglas Dumbrille
Beau Gardner
John Arledge
[J. Edgar] Eddie House
Berton Churchill
J. J. Held
Nana Bryant
Miss Abbott
Robert Middlemass
Dan McMahon
George Mckay
Mitch Cook
Gene Morgan
Ted Lane
Clyde Dilson
Nick Barrow
Thurston Hall
Crew
Edward Bernds
Sound Engineer
Harry Cohn
Company
Samuel Lange
Costumes
William Mull
Assistant Director
Fred Niblo Jr.
Screenwriter
Robert North
Executive Producer
John Rawlins
Film Editor
Ferdinand Reyher
Screenwriter
Ferdinand Reyher
Story
Sid Rogell
Associate Producer
Allen G. Siegler
Photography
Henry Wales
Story
James Whale
Story
Film Details
Also Known As
Calling All G-Men, Panic on the Air
Genre
Crime
Release Date
Feb
6,
1936
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 6m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7 reels
Articles
TCM Remembers - Ann Sothern
Actress Ann Sothern passed away on March 15th at the age of 89. Her film career spanned sixty years and included a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for The Whales of August (1987) and several Emmy nominations for her roles in the TV shows Private Secretary (1953) and The Ann Sothern Show (1958). Sothern was born as Harriette Lake in North Dakota. She made her first film appearance in 1927 in small roles (so small, in fact, that some sources omit any films before 1929) before deciding to work on Broadway instead. Shortly afterwards she signed with Columbia Pictures where studio head Harry Cohn insisted she change her name because there were already too many actors with the last name of Lake. So "Ann" came from her mother's name Annette and "Sothern" from Shakespearean actor E.H. Sothern. For most of the 1930s she appeared in light comedies working with Eddie Cantor, Maurice Chevalier, Mickey Rooney and Fredric March. However, it wasn't until she switched to MGM (after a brief period with RKO) and made the film Maisie (1939) that Sothern hit pay dirt. It proved enormously popular and led to a series of nine more films through 1947 when she moved into dramas and musicals. During the 50s, Sothern made a mark with her TV series but returned to mostly second tier movies in the 1960s and 1970s. Finally she earned an Oscar nomination for her work in 1987's The Whales of August (in which, incidentally, her daughter Tisha Sterling played her at an earlier age). Turner Classic Movies plans to host a retrospective film tribute to her in July. Check back for details in June.
TCM Remembers - Ann Sothern
Actress Ann Sothern passed away on March 15th at the age of 89. Her film career spanned sixty years and included a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for The Whales of August (1987) and several Emmy nominations for her roles in the TV shows Private Secretary (1953) and The Ann Sothern Show (1958). Sothern was born as Harriette Lake in North Dakota. She made her first film appearance in 1927 in small roles (so small, in fact, that some sources omit any films before 1929) before deciding to work on Broadway instead. Shortly afterwards she signed with Columbia Pictures where studio head Harry Cohn insisted she change her name because there were already too many actors with the last name of Lake. So "Ann" came from her mother's name Annette and "Sothern" from Shakespearean actor E.H. Sothern. For most of the 1930s she appeared in light comedies working with Eddie Cantor, Maurice Chevalier, Mickey Rooney and Fredric March. However, it wasn't until she switched to MGM (after a brief period with RKO) and made the film Maisie (1939) that Sothern hit pay dirt. It proved enormously popular and led to a series of nine more films through 1947 when she moved into dramas and musicals. During the 50s, Sothern made a mark with her TV series but returned to mostly second tier movies in the 1960s and 1970s. Finally she earned an Oscar nomination for her work in 1987's The Whales of August (in which, incidentally, her daughter Tisha Sterling played her at an earlier age). Turner Classic Movies plans to host a retrospective film tribute to her in July. Check back for details in June.
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
A working title for this film was Panic on the Air, a title that was subsequently used by Columbia for a 1936 film, directed by D. Ross Lederman, and starring Lew Ayres and Florence Rice. The film was also known as Calling All G-Men. This title was found in Columbia correspondence dated December 31, 1935. Two unidentified sungs are sung by Ann Sothern's character.
