Voltaram Cinco (1939)

A plane has engine trouble while flying over a jungle inhabited by cannibals.

Director:

John Farrow

Writers:

Jerome Cady (screenplay) (as Jerry Cady), Dalton Trumbo (screenplay)

Stars:

Chester Morris, Lucille Ball, Wendy Barrie

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Chester Morris	...	Bill
Lucille Ball	...	Peggy Nolan
Wendy Barrie	...	Alice Melhorne
John Carradine	...	Crimp
Allen Jenkins	...	Pete
Joseph Calleia	...	Vasquez
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Prof. Henry Spengler
Kent Taylor	...	Joe Brooks
Patric Knowles	...	Judson Ellis
Elisabeth Risdon	...	Martha Spengler
Casey Johnson	...	Tommy Mulvaney
Dick Hogan	...	Larry

Storyline

Twelve people are aboard Coast Air Line's flagship the Silver Queen enroute to South America when the airplane encounters a storm and is blown off course. Crashing into jungles known to be inhabited by head hunters, pilots Bill and Joe race against time to fix the engines and attempt a take off. The situation brings out the best and worst in the stranded dozen as they create a makeshift runway and prepare to escape before the natives attack. But damage to the plane and low fuel reserves means that only 5 people can be carried to safety. Do both Bill and Joe make the flight out? And what about the rest: Peggy, a woman with a slightly tarnished past; Pete, a racketeer who is escorting his boss's young son Tommy; Alice and Judson, eloping lovers who seem to have less in common as their plight changes one of them in the other's eyes; Crimp, who is bringing criminal Vasquez to justice; Prof. and Mrs. Spengler, an elderly couple whom become closer due to their predicament; and finally, is ...

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Plot Keywords:

disaster movie | crash landing | elderly couple | no greater love | remade | 

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Taglines:

DRUMS OVER THE AMAZON! (original poster-all caps)

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Chester Morris and Kent Taylor, who played the pilots, both went on to play fictional safecracker and jewel thief Boston Blackie: Morris in a series of "B" pictures at Columbia and Taylor in an early-'50s TV series.

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Goofs

Adding to the comments about the revolver: It's possible that a couple of the expended shells had been previously removed from the cylinder. However, Vasquez shoots Ellis just before the plane takes off, but there's no indication that he removed any spent shells and little time for him to have done so.

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Quotes

Vasquez: Hanging is such an unpleasant death. Besides, a hanged man always dies alone. I much prefer dying in the company of decent citizens like you... always provided I'm the last to die.

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Connections

Referenced in Eclipse Mortal (2000)

User Reviews

Better than the remake

I rated this film as a very good B picture when I first saw it 50 years ago - but having seen the remake "Flight to Eternity" (which was not too bad!), the original has gone higher in my estimation. The cast was much better and the effects were just as good as the remake, which is saying a lot when one considers the years in between. The good old stand -by actors like John Carradine, C. Aubrey Smith and Elizabeth Risdon gave it a bit of class, while Chester Morris had his best role, Lucille Ball and Wendy Barrie were surprisingly good, and Joseph Calleia made a good bad guy. This is one of the very few B pictures made so many years ago that has really stood up well, and if you get the chance to see it on Video or on TV, do not miss it - it is most entertaining.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

30 November 1939 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Voltaram Cinco

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$225,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1