USS Macon (ZRS-5), Jimmy Cagney, Gloria Stuart and Pat O'Brien in "Here Comes the Navy" (1934)

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This 80-year old movie has some great footage of two doomed Navy ships, the battleship USS Arizona (BB-39) and the scouting airship USS Macon (ZRS-5). It stars Gloria Stuart as Cagney's romantic interest who is inconveniently the sister of his nemesis O'Brien, who is a chief bosun's mate and outranks Cagney. 63 years later, Stuart co-starred in another movie about a doomed ship, playing "old Rose" in James Cameron's "Titanic" for which she was nominated for an academy award in 1997.

 

"Here Comes the Navy" shows up on TCM and similar old movie cable stations now and then.

 

Spoiler alert- the movie's climax in this clip is very loosely based on an event that occurred on the Macon's sister ship, USS Akron (ZRS-4). First link is to the movie clip. Second link is to the actual incident.

 

 

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http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2009/dec/05/airships-1932-visit-sd-brought-tragedy/

 

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Newsreel footage from Discovery channel

 

 

[bobgee]

Great old clip! Thanks for posting!!!!! Bobgee