The White Tower (1950)

Six people come together in the Swiss Alps to climb a mountain, known as 'The White Tower,' which has never been climbed. While struggling together to conquer the obstacle, each climber shows his true worth, or lack of.

Director:

Ted Tetzlaff

Writers:

Paul Jarrico (screenplay), James Ramsey Ullman (novel)

Stars:

Glenn Ford, Alida Valli, Claude Rains

Cast

Cast overview:
Glenn Ford	...	Martin Ordway
Alida Valli	...	Carla Alton (as Valli)
Claude Rains	...	Paul DeLambre
Oskar Homolka	...	Andreas (as Oscar Homolka)
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Dr. Nicholas Radcliffe (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Lloyd Bridges	...	Mr. Hein
June Clayworth	...	Mme. Astrid DeLambre
Lotte Stein	...	Frau Andreas

Storyline

The White Tower, a Matterhorn-like mountain in the Swiss Alps, has never been climbed. Carla Alten's father, a famous mountaineer, died in a long-ago attempt. Now, Carla, determined to fulfill her father's dream, has assembled an unusual climbing party to tackle the nearly-impossible ascent.

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Plot Keywords:

mountain | swiss | mountaineer | climbing | grave | 

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Taglines:

Every gasping thrill in color by Technicolor!

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Genres:

Adventure

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 June 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hölle am weißen Turm

Filming Locations:

Alps, Haute-Savoie, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When scaling the last bit of the peak near the end, it's obvious that studio lights were being used as there are multiple shadows of Glenn Ford going in multiple directions.

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Quotes

Mr. Hein: [Admonishing his fellow climbers for resting too frequently] To rest is not to conquer.

User Reviews

Adventure/Romance for All

This is one of those movies that is fitting to it's era... Actually, not a bad and personal romance and adventure with odd assortment of characters who each for their own reasons want to climb this 'White Tower' mountain... With a great cast.. Claude Rains, L Bridges, C Hardwick, etc.. but most of all VALLI, a special woman among women.. (also in the 'The Third Man')... I'm a great fan of 'The Third Man' and fell in love with her,.... and seeing Valli again was a real treat..

Great vistas (quite abit of on-location shooting in the French Alps), photography, color.... For those who know what I mean,.. this has a 'kinda' "High and Mighty" feel to it.. One other note germane to that era of film making, the ages to the characters/actors.. all older and more mature than what we're used to today... Chauk one up for the good old days.. ENJOY