Ceiling Zero is a 1936 American adventure drama film directed by Howard Hawks and starring James Cagney and Pat O'Brien.

The picture stars Cagney as daredevil womanizing pilot "Dizzy" Davis and O'Brien as Jake Lee, his war veteran buddy and the operations manager of an airline company.

The title, as defined at the beginning of the picture, is an insider term referring to those moments when the sky is so thick with fog that navigating an aircraft is nearly impossible.

Old pals Jake Lee, Tex Clarke and Dizzy Davis flew together in the Army during World War I.

In order to go on a date with her, Dizzy, scheduled for a flight to Cleveland in the evening, pretends he is suddenly sick and gets Tex to replace him.

He reports by radio on the problems of the system and his recommendations for modifications, knowing that he will watch progressive icing until he dies.

[2] Describing it as "tersely written, handsomely produced and played to perfection", Frank Nugent in The New York Times declared it " ... a constantly absorbing chronicle of life in and around a commercial airport.