Four years before Arthur Hailey's 'Airport" hit cinemas, a very similar and very intense high in the sky thriller was released and was a ratings sensation. Such a sensation that after "Airport" was released, requests were made that this movie not be shown to prevent copycats. The Oscar Winning Edmund O'Brien is chilling as the psychopathic caller who tells airline officials that one of their planes on the way to JFK maybe a million of one has a bomb aboard and will explode if he is not sent money within the hour.
With Jack Lord, Ed Asner, Van Johnson, Kathryn Crawford and John Saxon as major players, the film moves along at a brisk rate and certainly is better than some of the big screen epics dealing with flights in jeopardy. Johnson overdoes the obnoxious snide of the pilot while Saxon as a frantic passenger is quite good. Michael Sarrazin is also good as a Vietnam war officer, and Jan Shepard is adorable as an adorable old lady who seems resigned to her fate even before learning about the bomb. "General Hospital" fans will recognize David Lewis, the original Edward Quartermain, as the airline h.r. Director.
Quite above average for the film of its type, you can see all the troops that were later used in airport including the cute old lady, O'Brien in the role that Van Heflin should have gotten an Oscar nomination for and from "Airplane!" the frantic passenger who doesn't get the slaps and slugs, just continuously coddled. You know the minute you see O'Brien that he's the one, and indeed he's brilliant in playing the anguish which leads to further drama. Howard Caine as his bartender is the most memorable server of adult beverages since Howard da Silva in "The Lost Weekend". Quite effective, one of the great classics that no one has ever heard of.
With Jack Lord, Ed Asner, Van Johnson, Kathryn Crawford and John Saxon as major players, the film moves along at a brisk rate and certainly is better than some of the big screen epics dealing with flights in jeopardy. Johnson overdoes the obnoxious snide of the pilot while Saxon as a frantic passenger is quite good. Michael Sarrazin is also good as a Vietnam war officer, and Jan Shepard is adorable as an adorable old lady who seems resigned to her fate even before learning about the bomb. "General Hospital" fans will recognize David Lewis, the original Edward Quartermain, as the airline h.r. Director.
Quite above average for the film of its type, you can see all the troops that were later used in airport including the cute old lady, O'Brien in the role that Van Heflin should have gotten an Oscar nomination for and from "Airplane!" the frantic passenger who doesn't get the slaps and slugs, just continuously coddled. You know the minute you see O'Brien that he's the one, and indeed he's brilliant in playing the anguish which leads to further drama. Howard Caine as his bartender is the most memorable server of adult beverages since Howard da Silva in "The Lost Weekend". Quite effective, one of the great classics that no one has ever heard of.