Pierre Potkin (played by Robert Woolsey) is a protagonist in High Flyers.
Pierre is one half of a carnival midway pilot duo who has never actually flown before. Hired with Jerry by smuggler Dave Hanlon, he pilots a seaplane to retrieve a lifesaver, then discovers it contains cocaine and stolen jewels. After crash-landing at the Arlington estate, he and Jerry are mistaken for police officers and later for asylum patients. Dave Hanlon (played by Jack Carson) appears in High Flyers.
Dave Hanlon is a smuggler who hires Jerry and Pierre to fly a seaplane and retrieve a lifesaver, concealing that the aircraft is stolen. When the pair discover cocaine and jewels, he learns they are at the Arlington estate and persuades the family they are asylum lunatics. He then arrives with accomplices posing as doctors to kill them and recover the jewels. Martha Arlington (played by Margaret Dumont) appears in High Flyers.
Martha is Horace Arlington’s wife and lives with him at the Arlington estate. She and her family initially believe Jerry and Pierre are police officers and allow them to stay. Dave Hanlon later convinces the Arlingtons that the men are lunatics from an asylum, changing how the household treats the visitors.
High Flyers (1937) character relationship network mapped with AI analysis. Explore the connections, alliances, and conflicts between characters.
Characters
Pierre Potkin
(played by Robert Woolsey) — protagonist
Pierre is one half of a carnival midway pilot duo who has never actually flown before. Hired with Jerry by smuggler Dave Hanlon, he pilots a seaplane to retrieve a lifesaver, then discovers it contain...
Dave Hanlon
(played by Jack Carson) — supporting
Dave Hanlon is a smuggler who hires Jerry and Pierre to fly a seaplane and retrieve a lifesaver, concealing that the aircraft is stolen. When the pair discover cocaine and jewels, he learns they are a...
Martha Arlington
(played by Margaret Dumont) — supporting
Martha is Horace Arlington’s wife and lives with him at the Arlington estate. She and her family initially believe Jerry and Pierre are police officers and allow them to stay. Dave Hanlon later convin...
Canonical Relationships
Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.
Dave Hanlon → Pierre Potkin
(Professional Employer And Hired Pilot)
Dave Hanlon hires Pierre Potkin and his partner to fly a real seaplane and retrieve a lifesaver from an ocean liner.
Story Dynamics
Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.
Martha Arlington → Dave Hanlon
(Social Family Friend)
The Arlington family is described as being good friends with Dave Hanlon.
Martha Arlington → Pierre Potkin
(Social Host And Guest)
Martha Arlington and her household allow Pierre and his partner to remain at the estate because they initially believe the men are police officers.
Story Analysis
Two inexperienced carnival pilots become entangled in a smuggling scheme that collapses into comic confusion at an estate.
