Dirigible

Dirigible commander Jack Bradon (Jack Holt) and US Navy pilot Frisky Pierce (Ralph Graves) plan to reach the South Pole by air, but when Frisky’s wife Helen (Fay Wray) plays on Jack’s affections to keep her husband from making the trip, the men become bitter enemies. A Pre-Code adventure yarn from the great Frank Capra, Dirigible is a standout of early aerial action films, including a thrilling airship crash that leaves Jack stranded but in range to make a daring Antarctic rescue.

To aid with the authenticity of the story, the Navy provided the airship Los Angeles for the shoot. Based at the hanger in Lakehurst, New Jersey, much of the film is shot in the location where, just a few years later, the Hindenburg disaster would bring an end to airship travel. (100 mins., 4K DCP)

Restored and released by Sony Pictures. Screening cosponsored by Ohio State’s Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center.