Island in the Sky (1953)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

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

Release Date:

5 September 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Plot:

A transport plane crash-lands in the frozen wastes of Labrador, and the plane's pilot, Dooley, must...

Plot Keywords:

Husband Wife Relationship | Radio | Navigation | Morse Code | Navigator

Cast

John Wayne	...	Capt. Dooley
Lloyd Nolan	...	Captain Stutz
Walter Abel	...	Col. Fuller
James Arness	...	Mac McMullen, pilot
Andy Devine	...	Willie Moon, pilot
Allyn Joslyn	...	J.H. Handy, pilot
Jimmy Lydon	...	Murray, Dooley's navigator (as James Lydon)
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Ralph Hunt, Moon's co-pilot
Hal Baylor	...	Stankowski, Dooley's engineer
Sean McClory	...	Frank Lovatt, Dooley's co-pilot
Wally Cassell	...	D'Annunzia, Dooley's radioman
Gordon Jones	...	Walrus
Frank Fenton	...	Capt. Turner
Robert Keys	...	Maj. Ditson
Sumner Getchell	...	Lt. Cord
Regis Toomey	...	Sgt. Harper
Paul Fix	...	Wally Miller
Jim Dugan	...	Gidley
George Chandler	...	Rene
Louis Jean Heydt	...	Fitch, pilot (as Louis Heydt)
Bob Steele	...	Wilson, Moon's radioman
Darryl Hickman	...	Swanson, McMullen's radioman
Mike Connors	...	Gainer (as Touch Connors)
Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer	...	Sonny Hopper, Stutz' co-pilot (as Carl Switzer)
Cass Gidley	...	Stannish, pilot
Herbert Anderson	...	Breezy, Stannish's co-pilot (as Guy Anderson)
Tony De Mario	...	Ogden
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dawn Bender	...	Murray's wife (uncredited)
Gene Coogan	...	Stutz's Navigator (uncredited)
Ann Doran	...	Moon's wife (uncredited)
Ed Fury	...	Server in Officer's Mess (uncredited)
John Indrisano	...	Mechanic (uncredited)
Tom Irish	...	Dusty, McMullen's co-pilot (uncredited)
Fess Parker	...	Fitch's co-pilot (uncredited)
Richard Walsh	...	(uncredited)
Michael Wellman	...	Mike Moon (uncredited)
Tim Wellman	...	Jim Moon (uncredited)
Phyllis Winger	...	Margaret, Girl in flashback (uncredited)

Directed by
William A. Wellman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ernest K. Gann		novel
Ernest K. Gann		screenplay

Produced by
Robert Fellows	....	producer (uncredited)
John Wayne	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Emil Newman
Hugo Friedhofer		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Archie Stout

Film Editing by
Ralph Dawson

Production Design by
James Basevi

Set Decoration by
Ralph S. Hurst		(as Ralph Hurst)

Makeup Department
Web Overlander	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Nate H. Edwards	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andrew V. McLaglen	....	assistant director (as Andrew McLaglen)

Art Department
Joe LaBella	....	props

Sound Department
Ed Borschell	....	dialogue recordist
Earl Crain Sr.	....	dialogue recordist
William A. Mueller	....	sound (as William Mueller)

Special Effects by
Alex Weldon	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Don Christy	....	still photographer
William H. Clothier	....	aerial photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Carl Walker	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Arthur Lange	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Emil Newman	....	musical director (uncredited)
Herbert W. Spencer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Lloyd Young	....	music editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Sam Freedle	....	script supervisor
Ernest K. Gann	....	technical advisor

Production Companies

• Wayne-Fellows Productions
• Batjac Productions

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1953) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1955) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (WarnerPhonic/RCA)

Certification:

Australia:PG | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #16547) | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Donner Lake, Truckee, California, USA

Company:

Wayne-Fellows Productions

Trivia:

The little yellow radio shown in the movie was a actual radio. Its design is based on a WWII German emergency transmitter. It is a BC-778/SCR-578/AN-CRT3 emergency transmitter (it could not receive) affectionately called 'Gibson Girl', a name taken from the narrow-waisted female drawings of 1890s fashion artist Charles Gibson. Its shape allowed the operator to hold it between the legs while cranking it the necessary 80 RPM to produce enough electricity to operate. It could be set to automatically send an SOS signal or switched to send Morse Code signals. Early models transmitted only on 500kHz, later models also could transmit on 8280kHz (later modified to 8364kHz). It was notorious for being tough to crank.

Goofs:

Continuity: The stranded crew had arranged branches in the snow into the shape of a cross so the planes could spot it. Then they rearrange the branches to spell out a message when they fly over. The planes fly over one more time, and the branches are back in the shape of a cross.

Quotes:

Capt. Dooley: [to navigator Murray] You're a lousy guy to sleep with.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Lost in Space: Island in the Sky (#1.3)" (1965)

Battling the elements instead of the bad guys

All I can say is the Wayne family estate is really making the Duke's fans salivate over seeing this film and The High and the Mighty. Island in the Sky came first and a lot of the same people have credits on this and The High and the Mighty. William Wellman directed both, both from novels by Ernest K. Gann, and William Clothier photographed the aerial sequences in both.

The only criticism I have of Island in the Sky is that I wish it had been done in color. Those bleak vistas of the tundra where Wayne and his crew are stranded would have really been outstanding in color.

John Wayne and his crew have to make a forced landing in the bleak tundra of very northern Quebec and they have to hope to be rescued before to long. It's either freezing or starvation, not a pleasant choice. The Duke is a civilian pilot contracted to the army to fly supplies.

When word of the fact he's down gets out his fellow civilian pilot contractors drop whatever they're doing to search for Wayne. The rest of the film is the story of that search and as the action shifts back and forth from the search to the men on the ground, the suspense never lets up. Wayne gives one of his outstanding performances as the pilot in charge who has to hold his crew together until rescue comes. Some closeup shots reveal his torment, but the men must never see it. This is a different John Wayne, battling the elements instead of bad guys.

He gets great support from a great cast of players. I'd like to single out Lloyd Nolan and Sean McClory in particular. Lloyd Nolan is one of the other pilots searching and he has a terrific scene on the telephone with the wife of one of Wayne's crew, trying to comfort her and give her hope and hopefully psyche himself up. It's beautifully played.

Sean McClory is one of Wayne's crew on the ground and I won't tell you his scene, but it is unforgettable and haunting.

Of course the credit here also goes to director William Wellman. Wellman before he became a director was a real adventuring character in his youth which included a stint in the Lafayette Escadrille. He developed a life long love of aviation and a lot of his films have an aviation background and theme.

One other thing that's probably reason enough to get this film if it comes out. Andy Devine is another of the pilots searching for Wayne. A call is placed to his home and his wife in turn relays it to Andy who is at a public pool with his two kids. He takes the call and then says we have to leave, but one more race to the other side of the pool. He tosses the kids in and then does a great belly flop dive in the pool himself.

Andy was a big fat man. God only knows where they got a bathing suit to fit him. But he's quite a sight doing that dive and in a bathing suit.

If it is ever shown on TV catch it if at all possible.