Island in the Sky (1953)

A C-47 transport plane, named the Corsair, makes a forced landing in the frozen wastes of Labrador, and the plane's pilot, Captain Dooley, must keep his men alive in deadly conditions while... See full summary »

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Ernest K. Gann (screenplay), Ernest K. Gann (novel)

Stars:

John Wayne, Lloyd Nolan, Walter Abel

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	Capt. Dooley
Lloyd Nolan	...	Captain Stutz
Walter Abel	...	Col. Fuller
James Arness	...	Mac McMullen
Andy Devine	...	Willie Moon
Allyn Joslyn	...	J.H. Handy
Jimmy Lydon	...	Murray (as James Lydon)
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Ralph Hunt
Hal Baylor	...	Stankowski
Sean McClory	...	Frank Lovatt
Wally Cassell	...	D'Annunzia
Gordon Jones	...	Walrus
Frank Fenton	...	Capt. Turner
Robert Keys	...	Maj. Ditson
Sumner Getchell	...	Lt. Cord

Storyline

A C-47 transport plane, named the Corsair, makes a forced landing in the frozen wastes of Labrador, and the plane's pilot, Captain Dooley, must keep his men alive in deadly conditions while waiting for rescue.

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Plot Keywords:

canada | airplane | cigarette smoking | food rationing | navigation | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 September 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

William A. Wellman's Island in the Sky

Filming Locations:

Donner Lake, Truckee, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$967,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Wayne-Fellows Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (WarnerPhonic/RCA Sound System) 4-Track Stereo (WarnerPhonic/RCA)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The general plot is based on a true story that the author, Ernest Gann related in his 1961 autobiographical book about his flying career, "Fate is the Hunter". He and other pilots searched successfully for a lost fellow pilot in the wilds of northern Canada during World War II.

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Goofs

As Corsair begins her forced landing on the lake, three crew members - non pilots - are standing behind the pilots looking out the windows. Under no circumstances would non pilots be there. They would be in crash position against the bulkhead in the rear area, not standing in the cockpit.

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Quotes

Capt. Dooley: They're coming, boys. Boys, they're coming. Boys, they're coming!
[planes fly apast]
Capt. Dooley: I guess we're awful hard to see down here. Harder than we thought.

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Connections

Version of Fate Is the Hunter (1964)

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Soundtracks

"Blue Waters"
(uncredited)
Written by Emil Newman and Irving Newman

User Reviews

Can't Forget It

I saw Island in the Sky in 1953 as a 6-year-old. I've never seen it again, but I still remember scenes from the movie. Like The Searchers, which I saw when it first came out in 1956, some of John Wayne's work stays with us. His movies had an impact that carries over generations.

I think The High and the Mighty, which came out a year later, overshadowed Island in the Sky. It was a bigger production and it has been shown on TV.

When AMC and other cable networks do their John Wayne retrospectives, they ought to include some of his earlier, lesser-known films such as Island in the Sky. All they ever show are his 1960s westerns and an occasional war film (I saw In Harm's Way last night).