Schary was a director, writer, producer and playwright who later became head of production at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and eventually president of the studio.

[3] Equally important on Murder in the Clouds was the work of Elmer Dyer who had become a preeminent aviation cinematographer.

[1][4]Trans-America Air Lines pilot "Three Star" Bob Halsey (Lyle Talbot) is in love with stewardess Judy Wagner (Ann Dvorak), but she wants him to stop his daredevil ways.

Federal agent Brownell (Henry O'Neill) urgently requests Lackey's cooperation: Clement Williams (Edward McWade) must be flown from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., with a cylinder full of a revolutionary new explosive he has invented.

He eavesdrops again when Lackey chooses Bob as pilot and Judy's brother Tom (Robert Light) as co-pilot.

They want to hide the cylinder in Judy's car and trick her into driving to Mexico, so Wexley says that Tom has gone to Tijuana to identify a suspect.

As his co-pilot he takes Wings, who works as the airline's mechanic because when he got his pilot's license he learned he was afraid to fly.

Principal photography took place primarily at the Glendale Grand Central Air Terminal and airport, in the Warner Bros. studio, and at Big Bear Lake, California, from August 27 to September 15, 1934.

[8] Much of Dyer's aerial photography in Murder in the Clouds would be reused in future Warners programmers such as Fly-Away Baby and Fugitive in the Sky.

In other words, the script is a lot of hooey" [11] According to Warner Bros records the film earned $244,00 domestically and $107,000 internationally.