The High and the Mighty (1954)

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

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

Release Date:

3 July 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | War

Tagline:

The 2-year best seller blasts to the screen with every kind of love there is!

Plot:

When a commercial airliner develops engine problems on a trans-Pacific flight and the pilot loses his nerve...

Plot Keywords:

Disaster | Military | Newlyweds | Womanizer | Life Jacket

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

John Wayne	...	Dan Roman
Claire Trevor	...	May Holst
Laraine Day	...	Lydia Rice
Robert Stack	...	John Sullivan
Jan Sterling	...	Sally McKee
Phil Harris	...	Ed Joseph
Robert Newton	...	Gustave Pardee
David Brian	...	Ken Childs
Paul Kelly	...	Donald Flaherty
Sidney Blackmer	...	Humphrey Agnew
Julie Bishop	...	Lillian Pardee
Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez	...	Gonzales (as Gonzales Gonzales)
John Howard	...	Howard Rice
Wally Brown	...	Lenny Wilby, navigator
William Campbell	...	Hobie Wheeler
John Qualen	...	Jose Locota
Ann Doran	...	Clara Joseph
Paul Fix	...	Frank Briscoe
Joy Kim	...	Dorothy Chen
George Chandler	...	Ben Sneed
Michael Wellman	...	Toby Field
Douglas Fowley	...	Alsop
Regis Toomey	...	Tim Garfield
Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer	...	Ensign Keim (as Carl Switzer)
Robert Keys	...	Lieutenant Mowbray
William Hopper	...	Roy (as William DeWolf Hopper)
William Schallert	...	Dispatcher
Julie Mitchum	...	Susie Wilby
Doe Avedon	...	Miss Spalding
Karen Sharpe	...	Nell Buck
John Smith	...	Milo Buck
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Close	...	Mechanic (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Mrs. Joseph's Doctor (uncredited)
Robert Easton	...	Cargo Clerk (uncredited)
Dorothy Ford	...	Mrs. Wilson (uncredited)
Al Hill	...	San Francisco Ground Crewman (uncredited)
William Hudson	...	Reporter (uncredited)
John Indrisano	...	Radar Operator (uncredited)
Douglas Kennedy	...	Boyd, Reporter (uncredited)
David Leonard	...	Scientist (uncredited)
Al Murphy	...	Lighthouse Dispatcher (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Restaurant Cook (uncredited)
Walter Reed	...	Mr. Field (uncredited)
Philip Van Zandt	...	Mr. Wilson (uncredited)

Directed by
William A. Wellman

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

Produced by
Robert Fellows	....	producer
John Wayne	....	producer

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin

Cinematography by
Archie Stout

Film Editing by
Ralph Dawson

Art Direction by
Alfred Ybarra

Costume Design by
Gwen Wakeling

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andrew V. McLaglen	....	assistant director

Art Department
Patrick Wayne	....	props assistant

Sound Department
John K. Kean	....	sound recordist

Stunts
Bill Keating	....	DC-4 stunt pilot
Tom Hennesy	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
William H. Clothier	....	aerial photographer

Music Department
Dimitri Tiomkin	....	conductor
Dimitri Tiomkin	....	music arranger: "Aloha Oe", "Kaua I Ka Hua Hua'i" and "The Barber of Seville"
Manuel Emanuel	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Charles Maxwell	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
George Parrish	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
John Qualen	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
David Tamkin	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Herbert Taylor	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Bill Benge	....	aerial photography
Bill Benge	....	technical advisor
Bill Keating	....	aerial photography
Muzzy Marcellino	....	whistler: dubbing for John Wayne

Production Companies

• Wayne-Fellows Productions

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1954) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1954) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1979) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Post Logic Studios  digital restoration

Runtime:

141 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Warnercolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo | Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | West Germany:12 (f) | Australia:M (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #16801) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn/Warner Hollywood Studios - 1041 N. Formosa Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Wayne-Fellows Productions

Trivia:

Average Shot Length (ASL) = 11 seconds

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the flashback story her husband tells, Clara Joseph falls down some stairs and kicks a waiter's tray in the process. However, when they cut from the closeup of her feet, she is obviously sitting on the bottom step. She then leans back, takes aim, and kicks the tray. She then lies back like it was all one continuous motion.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ben Sneed: Hey fella, ain't you Dan Roman?
Dan Roman: Yeah.
Ben Sneed: I heard you whistlin' and I said to myself only one guy does that just so.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "That Girl: The Hi-Jack and the Mighty (#3.2)" (1968)

Soundtrack:

Semper Paratus

Wayne Disaster Film No Classic, But GREAT Entertainment!

"The High and the Mighty", the granddaddy of air disaster movies, often falls into almost campy melodrama, but under the direction of the legendary 'Wild Bill' Wellman, and punctuated by one of Dimitri Tiomkin's most bombastic yet exciting scores (earning him an Oscar), the film maintains such a level of intensity that it remains constantly entertaining. With John Wayne heading an ensemble cast (including several co-stars from the past, as well as personal friends), it is certainly an essential for any 'Duke' film library.

Produced by Wayne-Fellows Productions, and 'owned', eventually, by the Wayne family's Batjac Productions (along with "Hondo", "McLintock!", and "Island in the Sky"), the film was a BIG hit, when released, and offered one of Wayne's better performances, then gained even greater stature as it was unseen for a generation. I've always held the belief that the family planned to release the entire quartet of films in 2007, to mark the centennial of Duke's birth, but two events changed the plan; first, an unauthorized, 'remixed' VHS version of "McLintock!" was released, with rumors that a version of "Hondo" was also in the works, forcing Michael Wayne, then President of Batjac, to release authorized VHS versions of the two films, rather than have the market glutted with bad copies; second, with Michael's death, in 2003, the Wayne family rethought the master plan, deciding to release the entire collection on DVD earlier. For whatever reason, seeing "The High and the Mighty" again is a cause to celebrate!

Based on Ernest K. Gann's bestseller (which would inspire Arthur Hailey's later novel, "Airport"), the story centers around a routine commercial flight between Honolulu and San Francisco, which becomes a life-and-death drama when one engine explodes, just beyond the 'Point of No Return'. With limited fuel, in deteriorating weather, the crisis brings out the best and worst in both passengers and crew.

Wayne as the co-pilot, is quite good, playing a character older than he actually was (the role had been written for Spencer Tracy, who pulled out, just prior to filming); Robert Stack almost foreshadows his character in "Airplane!" as the no-nonsense pilot who goes ballistic when stressed. For cockpit 'overacting', however, the award has to go to Wally Brown, as the navigator, with his bugged-out eyes, visions of his shrewish wife, and WILDLY unruly hair...

While the passengers are all stereotypes, several actors are quite good in their roles, with standout performances by Claire Trevor and Jan Sterling (both Oscar-nominated), Robert Newton, Paul Kelly, and Paul Fix. While Phil Harris attempts to inject humor into his role, it only works sporadically (and Ann Doran, as his wife, plays 'hysterical' so convincingly that you want to STRANGLE her!) Laraine Day, third-billed (and, with Trevor, a previous Wayne leading lady), is remarkably unlikable as a rich wife with a 'bought' husband (John Howard); Sidney Blackmer plays the 'mandatory' unbalanced type; and veteran character actor John Qualen adds another 'ethnic' portrayal to his long list, as a Latin family man (with a Norwegian accent!) A bit of trivia: The young boy on board was portrayed by director Wellman's son!

Almost as fascinating as the story is seeing how much has changed, since the film was released; the plane's 'tail' is controlled by pulleys and wires in a rear compartment; the sole flight attendant is a "stewardess"; and everyone smokes (especially in the cockpit). On a more somber note, there is NO security, and one passenger boards easily, carrying a gun. It is, sadly, a wiser world, today...

While no one would ever accuse "The High and the Mighty" of being a film classic, it's role in creating the 'airplane disaster' genre can't be denied, and it continues to be a vastly enjoyable John Wayne feature.

It's great to have it back!