Toward the Unknown (1956)

At the dawn of supersonic flight in the 1950s a group of Edwards Air Force Base experimental aircraft test pilots push themselves to the limit.

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writer:

Beirne Lay Jr.

Stars:

William Holden, Lloyd Nolan, Virginia Leith

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Holden	...	Maj. Lincoln Bond
Lloyd Nolan	...	Brig. Gen. Bill Banner
Virginia Leith	...	Connie Mitchell
Charles McGraw	...	Col. 'Mickey' McKee
Murray Hamilton	...	Maj. Bromo Lee
Paul Fix	...	Lt. Gen. Bryan Shelby
James Garner	...	Lt. Col. Joe Craven
L.Q. Jones	...	2nd Lt. Sweeney
Karen Steele	...	Polly Craven
Bartlett Robinson	...	Sen. Black
Malcolm Atterbury	...	Hank - Bell Technical Rep.
Ralph Moody	...	Harvey Gilbert
Maura Murphy	...	Sarah McKee
Carol Kelly	...	Debbie

Storyline

USAF Major Lincoln Bond is captured, tortured and released from a POW camp in Korea. After the war he returns to the US where he is re-assigned as a test pilot at the Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base. The Air Force is testing the new experimental aircraft Gilbert XF-120 fighter. The acceptance of the new aircraft by the Air Force is dependent on successful tests designed to prove the aircraft's reliability and safety. However, when Major Bond flies the prototype he encounters a problem that points out a dangerous structural flaw. This could threaten the aircraft's acceptance by the Air Force and derail the whole project. Major Bond's commanding officer and some of his colleagues start to suspect that Major Bond is imagining things because of his mental condition dating back to his imprisonment and torture in the Korean POW camp.

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Plot Keywords:

aircraft design | romantic rivalry | taming of the shrew | experimental aircraft | edwards air force base | 

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Taglines:

The Deeply Personal Story of Link Bond, Rocket Pilot, U.S.A.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

X-2 taxiing and takeoff shots were a mix of actual X-2 glide and powered flight footage.

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Goofs

When Lt Col Joe Craven (James Garner) ejects from the "XF-120," a rather large airplane, there is a very brief shot of an ejecting pilot leaving a much smaller airplane, perhaps a Lockheed T-33 or F-80, based on the shape of the tail.

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Quotes

Brig. Gen. Bill Banner: [to Maj. Lincoln Bond] Even with torture, you're not the kind to crack.

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Connections

Referenced in The Story of Esther Costello (1957)

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Soundtracks

The U.S. Air Force
by Robert Crawford

User Reviews

Great in 1956 and great today

This is an excellent film. Most people know Mervyn Leroy as a great director, but they may not recognize Beirne Lay, Jr. Lay was a B-17 pilot in the 100th Bomb Group, 8th AAF in WW II, and the co-author of the book "12 O'Clock High", from which the academy award movie of the same name was made.

Many aspects of this film are great: its desert scenery, aerial photography and accuracy of detail in regard to flight test during the 1950s are all top notch. The cast ,as played by such great character actors as Lloyd Nolan and an up and coming James Garner (a Korean War infantryman), are sincere and believable.

What impressed me most then and more so now, is the way the film approached the issue of a Korean War POW who had "cracked". Remember, this picture came out more than 10 years before Americans saw the results of North Vietnamese treatment of our downed air crews. In the 1950s POWs were expected to give only name, rank and serial number if captured. Those that failed to stand fast, to what is now recognized as an unattainable standard, were shunned. Brainwashing and emotional torture weren't understood until years later.

But this film used a very strong leading man (Holden) to focus on the sensitive issue of a "broken" pilot who tried to make his way back into American society and regain his dignity in the hardest court of opinion, the ranks of the active Air Force. Everything gels in this movie. It makes a good point many years ahead of its time. Under the same circumstances who knows how he'd survive being a POW? And ultimately we all can fail and redeem ourselves.

I agree, they need to put this one out on DVD or VHS, so we can see it more than just on an occasional late night TV movie.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Einst kommt die Stunde

Filming Locations:

Edwards Air Force Base, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toluca Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (WarnerColor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1