AllMovie

Those who believe that misleadingly titled "instant" movies produced in the wake of earth-shaking news events are an aberration of the 1990s are referred to 1927's The Lone Eagle. The title, of course, was meant to invoke Col. Charles Lindbergh. Unfortunately for Universal Pictures, Lindbergh turned down every movie contract offered him, so the studio was compelled to cast contractee Raymond Keane as "Lt. William Holmes." And, because Lindbergh was averse to seeing his life recreated on celluloid, Universal's "lone eagle" became a World War I pilot (shades of Wings), who overcomes an initial bout of cowardice to vanquish a Von Richtoffen-like German air ace. The haste with which Lone Eagle was produced was made obvious in its unconvincing miniature work during the "dogfight" scenes.