Ernest K. Gann: The High and the Mighty and Island in the Sky

So, I was in Sams, lamenting about how great America once was, you know, when men where men. I spotted a John Wayne movie set that caught my eye that included two terrific movies that we proceeded to watch over the weekend. The first was filmed around the DC4, the second Douglas C-47 Skytrain.


The High and Mighty...I can only surmise that Bob Parks has seen the best of America. Men where rugged, and Hollywood was somewhat patriotic. Although I got a real chuckle over of the scene with the rocket scientist painting in the lagoon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=64BarFD6Mso

Aircraft feature prominently in The High and the Mighty, including two unusual aviation events: the U.S. Coast Guard's short-lived use of the B-17/PB-1G "Dumbo" rescue aircraft along with a brief launch clip of experiments with the U.S. Navy JB-2 version of the V-1 (an early kind of cruise missile) at an atomic missile test site. The postwar use of piston-engine aircraft in oceanic flights was a key element of the film which required the use of a then-modern airliner.[27]

Wellman, an accomplished pilot in real life, purposely maintained the point of view of the path of the seemingly doomed airliner traveling as the support staff in San Francisco would observe it: flying from the west to the east, from Honolulu to San Francisco, film frame right to film frame left, except during takeoff and landing.


Then the next night, we watched Island in the Sky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=HlfyImCWJGo

Again, another great film from when men where men. I love the language and phrases they used. Like, the scene where he says, "Now hold on a minute don't get caught up in the heat of the day." Not one curse word was needed to make a great movie. Just that one social scene where the lagoon was now dead and you should be proud. You've built it alright. You've built a device that will kill a woman holding a baby in a window as it blows out from the detonation 64 miles away. You should be proud...1954. Great movie overall with 6 academy award nominations.
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