The High and the Mighty

US (1954): Disaster

As a washed-up pilot, John Wayne steers a plane full of vacationers on a trip from Honolulu to San Francisco. A long list of famous faces play travelers, who include a couple headed for a divorce, a mail-order bride, a would-be murderer of another passenger, and a theater producer. Soon after takeoff, Wayne senses something is not right with the plane. The beleaguered pilot then faces the choice between landing in the water or trying to make it to San Francisco.

Wayne produced this tense prototype of disaster flicks like Airport (1970) and its sequels and only took the lead when his intended star, Spencer Tracy, dropped out. Cast includes Claire Trevor, Laraine Day, Robert Stack, Jan Sterling, Phil Harris, Robert Newton, David Brian, Paul Kelly and Sidney Blackmer. Never released to video and seldom screened on TV for 50 years, the film was finally released on DVD in 2005. (Wayne-Fellows Prod./Warner Bros.) (amctv.com)

 Use this link to view the original theatrical trailer for The High and the Mighty on TCM.com.

6 nominations, 1 Award