Who can resist the winning blend of wartime heroism and James Cagney? Clearly, not the average American moviegoer in 1935 when Warner Bros. released Devil Dogs of the Air. An action adventure film based on a real U.S. Marine Flying Corps of the same name, Devil Dogs of the Air immediately popularized Marine aviation and compelled an entire generation of young boys to dream of careers in the flying armed forces.

The latter end was aided by a stream of Quaker Oats-produced movie tie-in premiums. Ten Devil Dogs of the Air premiums were released including Man’s Wings How To Fly booklet, a plane with mailer and instructions, a brass ring, a brass badge, plane goggles and a brass ID tag. Cagney endorsed the premiums, stating that Quaker Oats were his favorite cereal. Sales soared.

Even though the film’s hype died down after its year of release, kids still sought out the premiums and the Marines Flying Corps remained a service branch in recruitment demand. Several fictional films and aviation characters arrived on the scene in the wake of the Warner Bros. film.