Director: William A. Wellman

Writer: Ernest K. Gann

From novel: High and the Mighty by Ernest K. Gann

Keywords: Action/Adventure, Aviation

A Honolulu to San Francisco flight loses an engine, a calamity which brings out the best and worst of those aboard. The grandfather of all disaster films, unavailable for nearly forty years because of a royalty dispute. Won an Oscar for Best Dramatic Score; received additional nominations for Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (two), Best Editing, and Best Original Song, "The High and the Mighty."

Name	Occupation	Birth	Death	Known for
Julie Bishop	Actor	30-Aug-1914	30-Aug-2001	Northern Pursuit
Sidney Blackmer	Actor	13-Jul-1895	5-Oct-1973	Played Theodore Roosevelt 12 times
David Brian	Actor	5-Aug-1914	15-Jul-1993	Mr. District Attorney
Wally Brown	Actor	9-Oct-1904	13-Nov-1961	Zombies on Broadway
William Campbell	Actor	30-Oct-1923	28-Apr-2011	Dementia 13
George Chandler	Actor	30-Jun-1898	10-Jun-1985	Uncle Petrie on Lassie
Laraine Day	Actor	13-Oct-1920	10-Nov-2007	Foreign Correspondent
Ann Doran	Actor	28-Jul-1911	19-Sep-2000	Rio Grande
Paul Fix	Actor	13-Mar-1901	14-Oct-1983	Marshal Torrance on The Rifleman
Douglas Fowley	Actor	30-May-1911	21-May-1998	Doc Holliday on TV's Wyatt Earp
Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez	Actor	24-May-1925	6-Feb-2006	Rio Bravo
Phil Harris	Musician	24-Jun-1904	11-Aug-1995	That's What I Like About the South
William Hopper	Actor	26-Jan-1915	6-Mar-1970	Paul Drake on Perry Mason
John Howard	Actor	14-Apr-1913	19-Feb-1995	Bulldog Drummond
Paul Kelly	Actor	9-Aug-1899	6-Nov-1956	Flying Tigers
Robert Newton	Actor	1-Jun-1905	25-Mar-1956	Long John Silver
John Qualen	Actor	8-Dec-1899	12-Sep-1987	The Grapes of Wrath
William Schallert	Actor	6-Jul-1922	8-May-2016	Martin Lane on The Patty Duke Show
Karen Sharpe	Actor	20-Sep-1934		Laura Thomas on Johnny Ringo
John Smith	Actor	6-Mar-1931	25-Jan-1995	Slim Sherman on Laramie
Robert Stack	Actor	13-Jan-1919	14-May-2003	The Untouchables
Jan Sterling	Actor	3-Apr-1921	26-Mar-2004	Ace in the Hole
Carl Switzer	Actor	7-Aug-1927	21-Jan-1959	Alfalfa in Our Gang
Regis Toomey	Actor	13-Aug-1898	12-Oct-1991	Burke's Law
Claire Trevor	Actor	8-Mar-1910	8-Apr-2000	Key Largo
John Wayne	Actor	26-May-1907	11-Jun-1979	The Duke

REVIEWS

Review by anonymous (posted on 19-Nov-2006)

I first saw this movie when it was new, I was 6 yrs old. I had forgotten about it until recently when I aquired it in DVD format. I have to admit that it stirred a lot of emotion in me as the varoius scenes came flooding back into my memory. The movie scared me because I genuinely felt sorry for the people and was certain they wouldn't make it back safely. I was so captivated by the music, remembering the tune rolling around in my head. So much so that when I tried to whistle it in school that fall, my first grade teacher, Miss Posey, scolded me and I was embarrassed. I remember being focused on the little boy and his balsa glider, and particularly when the engine caught fire. Also the scene where John Wayne is inspecting the tail/control section with a flashlight. The ending of course brought tears to my eyes and I was forever bonded to aviation. It is a wonderful movie and really defines a unique time in our culture. The scenes are colorful and splashy, and very 50's. Many today would probably see it as somewhat 'campy' and vote it less than entertaining, and that would be their loss. For myself, it is a time capsule thing, and I'm happy that it came back to me again to be enjoyed as much as the first time I ever saw it.

Review by G. Evans (posted on 25-Jun-2007)

The original incarnation of E.K.Gann's novel of the same name. A great film in the budding era of aviation industry depicting life aloft as it was in the early 50s. This story of troubled passengers in a troubled airliner unfold in the great DC-4 piston airliner which heralded the advent of luxury air travel. The Oscar winning music score for this film is a true nostalgic tour de force throughout the film. A BIG thanks is due to the restorers of this film which for so long remained unavailable. Warmly recommended.

Review by Bernd J. Boyt (posted on 28-Mar-2005)

The greatest aviation drama epic ever made. I saw this as a ten year old boy in Chicago and it set me on a course to pursue a 30 year career in commercial aviation. Today, in retirement, I still look at this movie as THE standard of aviation dramas.

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