The Shadow of the Eagle (1932)
This rip-snortin' action film stars a 25-year-old John Wayne as carnival stunt pilot Craig McCoy.
Compiled from a 12-chapter serial, this movie weighs in at a few minutes over three hours, but moves at a breakneck pace. Because the story was originally told in compact, cliffhanging chapters, it's only a few minutes between shootouts, plane crashes, auto wrecks, fistfights, kidnappings, and chases.
Even at this young age, Wayne had 25 movies under his belt, and wasn't a stranger to high-falutin' action.
The carnival scenes are the best. McCoy is trying to clear the name of his boss, who is being framed for the murders of his old World War I squadron pilots. He's aided by the sideshow strongman, midget, and ventriloquist, a very colorful and resourceful trio.
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