The Shadow of the Eagle 1932

Colonel Nathan B. “Skipper” Gregory, a former World War I ace, runs a traveling carnival that teeters on the edge of closing. The show depends on Craig McCoy, the carnival’s daring stunt pilot, to draw crowds, while Jean Gregory, the Colonel’s daughter, works beside him as a wing walker and parachutist.

A mysterious pilot, the legendary “Eagle,” believed to have been shot down by his own squadron, starts sabotaging Evans Aero Co., sending threatening skywritten messages that mark the date May 23, 1918. Gregory is suspected of being the Eagle because of his vendetta against Evans Aero, which once stole his plans for a radio-piloted aircraft. Craig also comes under suspicion, since he is skilled at skywriting and had earlier left the message after a payment from an anonymous source.

Craig grows convinced that the Eagle is Mr. Green, a director at Evans Aero who flew in the same squadron and may have stolen Gregory’s invention. When Green escapes after a confrontation, he teams up with two compatriots, Tim Moore and Boyle. Craig manages to seize the stolen plans and hurries back to the carnival to reveal them to Jean.

Gregory, now confined to a wheelchair, tries to stay under the radar as danger closes in. Someone steals Craig’s aircraft and a plot to burn down the carnival is set in motion. Desperate to prove her father’s innocence, Jean and Craig uncover Gregory’s disappearance and discover that he has been captured by henchmen of the Eagle. A murder at Evans Aero Co. gives Gregory another round of suspicion to bear.

Jean remains steadfast in her belief in her father’s innocence, and with Craig they narrowly escape death while追追after the real Eagle. Craig enlists the carnival’s odd lineup—the midget, the strongman, and the ventriloquist—to help track down the mastermind. In a tense confrontation, the truth comes to light: Green is the true villain behind the sabotage.

With the culprit unmasked, the danger subsides, and the ordeal comes to a close.