IMDb >
Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsFive Weeks in a Balloon (1962) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 4 | slideshow) |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
22 August 1962 (USA) moreTagline:
Climb Aboard... For The Fun-Venture Of The Year!Plot:
Professor Fergusson plans to make aviation history by making his way across Africa by balloon. He plans... more | add synopsisUser Comments:
various factors even it out moreCast
(Credited cast)| Red Buttons | ... | Donald O'Shay | |
| Fabian | ... | Jacques | |
| Barbara Eden | ... | Susan Gale | |
| Cedric Hardwicke | ... | Fergusson | |
| Peter Lorre | ... | Ahmed | |
| Richard Haydn | ... | Sir Henry Vining | |
| Barbara Luna | ... | Makia | |
| Billy Gilbert | ... | Sultan / Auctioneer | |
| Herbert Marshall | ... | The Prime Minister | |
| Reginald Owen | ... | Consul | |
| Henry Daniell | ... | Sheik Ageiba | |
| Mike Mazurki | ... | Slave Captain | |
| Alan Caillou | ... | Inspector | |
| Ben Astar | ... | Myanga | |
| Raymond Bailey | ... | Randolph |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
101 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Fun Stuff
Quotes:
[the balloon is about to land in the middle of the jungle]Sir Henry Vining: It's a forest full of trees!
more
Soundtrack:
Five Weeks In A Balloon moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Who Plays the Treasurer? | rexgoode |
| Context | plwblj |
| Not very funny | kingfish9307 |
| 5 weeks | GMBOBSCI |
Recommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Around the World in Eighty Days | The Three Musketeers | Around the World in 80 Days | The Lost World | Sahara |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Adventure section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |





No doubt we'll probably cringe a little at the portrayals of non-white people in "Five Weeks in a Balloon": the Arabs are slave traders and the Africans dance around in loin cloths and carry spears. Of course, Jules Verne wrote the novel, so we can't totally blame the movie for the portrayals. So if we can get past these depictions, it's a perfectly entertaining experience. The movie portrays English scientist Cedric Hardwicke inventing a balloon-powered dirigible and having to fly to West Africa to stop slave traders (as if the British weren't doing creepy things in their own colonies?). He brings along military man Richard Haydn, young Canadian guy Fabian, and accident-prone American reporter Red Buttons. Through numerous stops, they pick up freed slave Barbara Luna, slave trader Peter Lorre, American teacher Barbara Eden, and chimpanzee Chester.
The characters come across as a real mixture. Most of the cast members do a good job, but Fabian seems out of place, Red Buttons's role just seems silly, and Barbara Luna has little more than her looks (I've never read the novel, so I can't comment on possible changes). In almost any other movie, this combo would drag the whole thing down significantly, but not here; if anything, it makes the picture more entertaining. Even if there's a lot of continuity errors and such things, it's impossible not to have fun while watching "FWIAB". Also starring Herbert Marshall, Billy Gilbert, Henry Daniell and Mike Mazurki (Gilbert and Daniell previously co-starred in "The Great Dictator").
One more thing. Among the DVD's special features is footage from the movie's debut in Denver. One of the best things about this footage is that we get to see Barbara Eden in a shell dress! Such a sight, in my opinion, means that there is a God! Aside from her Jeannie outfit, a shell dress is the only thing that I can imagine Barbara Eden wearing. If these sorts of thoughts make me a pervert, then I'm proud to be one.