Sole Survivor (1970)

When a bomber believed to have crashed in the ocean 17 years ago is found in the Libyan desert. A Colonel and Major accompany the only surviving member of the crew, who is now a General to ... See full summary »

Director:

Paul Stanley

Writer:

Guerdon Trueblood

Stars:

Vince Edwards, Richard Basehart, William Shatner

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Vince Edwards	...	Maj. Michael Devlin
Richard Basehart	...	Brig. Gen. Russell Hamner
William Shatner	...	Lt. Col. Josef Gronke
Lou Antonio	...	Tony
Lawrence P. Casey	...	Gant (as Lawrence Casey)
Dennis Cooney	...	Brandy
Brad David	...	Elmo
Patrick Wayne	...	Mac (as Pat Wayne)
Alan Caillou	...	Corey
Timur Bashtu	...	Beddo
Noah Keen	...	Maj. Gen. Schurm
Ian Abercrombie	...	British Co-Pilot
David Cannon	...	Capt. Patrick
John Winston	...	British Pilot

Storyline

When a bomber believed to have crashed in the ocean 17 years ago is found in the Libyan desert. A Colonel and Major accompany the only surviving member of the crew, who is now a General to figure out what happened. The General claims that he and the other members of the crew jumped over the ocean when in reality he bailed out leaving the others to fend for themselves. And while the Colonel just wants the whole thing closed, the Major insists on finding the truth. And watching them are the ghosts of the crew.

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Plot Keywords:

libyan desert | world war two bomber | investigation | ghost | airplane crash | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 January 1970 (USA)

Filming Locations:

El Mirage Dry Lake, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema Center 100 Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The overall concept of the plane lost in the Libyan desert and not found until years after the war is based on the true story of the "Lady Be Good," a B24 Liberator that overflew its base on the way back from Italy. The wreckage of the plane was discovered by a British oil exploration team in 1958. All but one of the bodies were found in 1960; the last was never found.

User Reviews

7 years on from my first review ...

Not a new review as such, but just a retrospective comment.

This movie's impact simply does not diminish with time. I just watched it again a few days ago, and I still find it as haunting and gripping as ever.

It is with great disappointment therefore, that I note that many years have passed and Warner continues to ignore the significant demand for an official DVD release. As complete, and watch-able, as the "DIY" release is (thank you Nick) it is nonetheless only an off-air copy, and suffers the inevitable loss of quality as a result.

A movie of this stature demands a complete reworking for DVD release, including digital remastering and interviews, etc. I see many lesser and more obscure titles being shovelled out of the archives and onto the shelves every month, so what exactly is the problem with providing a proper release of this great movie?

Like the characters in the film, Sole Survivor seems to be stuck in a void; forgotten by those who left it there to die.

Will somebody *please* excavate its bones and set its soul free?