Criminals of the Air of their human cargo." Aviation film historian Stephen Pendo observed: "Rita Hayworth did a dancing number which caused "Variety" to speculate that '... she seems to have possibilities for straight talking roles'." Criminals of the Air Criminals of the Air (aka Guardians of the Air and Honeymoon Pilot) is a 1937 American action film, directed by Charles C. Coleman. It stars Rosalind Keith, Charles Quigley and Rita Hayworth. The film marked "Rita Hayworth"'s first onscreen credit; the actress, born Margarita Carmen Cansino, had previously used the stage name "Rita Cansino" or was uncredited in her prior 17 film appearances. In
Jewel Carmen with Fox. Carmen later became known for her connection to the scandal surrounding the death of actress Thelma Todd. She was the wife of Roland West, who had an extramarital affair with Todd and who came under suspicion following Todd's death of carbon monoxide poisoning. Todd died in a garage at Castillo del Mar, the former home of Carmen and West, where Carmen's parents were living. There were a number of factors which made the death suspicious, including that Todd was allegedly spotted or spoken to several times the day after she died; Carmen herself testified before the grand jury