Brian Donlevy and Peter Lorre star in this 1936 film "Crack-Up," which is all over the place.
The crazy plot involves an ace pilot, Ace Martin (Donlevy), and a new plane he is set to fly, the Wild Goose. The test flight, for reasons not revealed, is going to Berlin. Martin, as it turns out, isn't what he seems.
He has made a deal to steal some important propeller plans from a company in exchange for $20,000. In order to do this, he gives a sob story for a young man he has taken on as a protegee, Joe Randell (Thomas Beck), stating that the propeller is his invention and he just has to have it to stake his claim.
Joe's fiancee (Helen Wood) works at the plant that has the diagrams, so when he picks her up at work one night - she's usually there late and alone - he steals them, not realizing what Ace is up to.
Meanwhile, getting in everyone's face at the plane site is a nut job who calls himself Colonel Gimpy (Peter Lorre) who walks around blowing a trumpet and making bizarre statements.
Little does anyone know that this Kayser Soze prototype is actually the brains behind a huge spy operation - he wants the plans for his country, which seems to be Germany.
It all gets crazier and crazier, with Ralph Morgan playing a man whose wife has unexpectedly left him. She's en route to Paris, so he hitches a ride. Then Colonel Gimpy appears on the plane while it's in flight.
All strange...yet parts of it are entertaining. If you decide to watch it, good luck.