The Crowded Sky

The Crowded Sky is a 1960 Technicolor drama movie produced by Michael Garrison, directed by Joseph Pevney,[2] and starring Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, and Efrem Zimbalist Jr.[3] [Note 1] The Crowded Sky is based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Hank Searls. The movie was distributed by Warner Bros.

The Crowded Sky
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoseph Pevney
Produced byMichael Garrison
Screenplay byCharles Schnee
Based onThe Crowded Sky
1960 novel
by Hank Searls[1]
StarringDana Andrews
Rhonda Fleming
Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
Music byLeonard Rosenman
CinematographyHarry Stradling Sr.
Edited byTom McAdoo
Production
company
Warner Bros
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
September 2, 1960 (1960-09-02)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The movie's story follows the back stories of the crew and passengers of a U.S. Navy jet and a commercial airliner carrying a full load of passengers during a bout of severe weather.[5] Other issues such as a malfunctioning radio make it nearly impossible to communicate with air traffic control and set the two aircraft on a collision course.[4]

Plot

A U.S. Navy Lockheed TV-2 jet piloted by Commander Dale Heath (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.), with an enlisted man (Troy Donahue) as a rear passenger, runs into trouble as soon as the aircraft gets airborne. Both Heath's radio and his navigation system become disabled, with no way to correctly determine their altitude. At the same time, a Douglas DC-7 airliner, piloted by veteran Dick Barnett (Dana Andrews), is carrying a full passenger complement, each with their own worries and problems with which they must deal.

Both Barnett and Heath have their personal crises, including Heath's unhappy marriage to an unfaithful wife (Rhonda Fleming) and Barnett's long-time conflict with his co-pilot, Mike Rule (John Kerr). Rule has his own personal demons, including no meaningful relationship with his catatonic father, and an affair with head stewardess Kitty Foster (Anne Francis).

Both aircraft, through various errors with their flight paths, are now on a direct collision course that air traffic controllers are unable to avert. When the crash inevitably occurs, Heath sacrifices himself and his passenger, making amends for a past air tragedy that he had caused. The airliner is badly damaged, and Louis Capelli (Joe Mantell), the flight engineer, is blown out of the aircraft, falling to his death, while the rest of the passengers and crew fight for their lives. Even with one engine destroyed and a wing on fire, Barnett brings the airliner down safely, but accepts responsibility for the collision during the accident investigation. In the aftermath of the crash, Mike and Kitty are not only survivors but are now planning a future life together.

Cast

Production
Miniatures were used extensively to depict the aircraft in flight including the climactic crash scene.

Film rights to the novel The Crowded Sky, written by a former U.S. Navy flyer, were sold before it was published.[6][7] The screenplay extensively employs the device of characters thinking aloud. Screenwriter Charles Schnee felt that audiences at the time required more subtlety in characterization. Additional dialogue helped provide that, he concluded.[8]

The Crowded Sky was the first movie role in more than a year for Dana Andrews, who had been appearing on Broadway in the play Two for the Seesaw. Andrews described the movie "as a kind of Bridge of San Luis Rey of the air".[9]

In order to prepare for his role, Zimbalist trained for 20 hours in a jet flight simulator to familiarize himself with the controls that his character would use.[10] For Troy Donahue, his role was a departure from the usual "teen heartthrob" films that he had made for Warner Bros.[11] The main theme music from A Summer Place, Donahue's preceding movie, appears in the soundtrack. Principal photography began in mid-October and concluded in mid-November 1959.[12]

Even though the Dana Andrews character mentions he knows how to fly DC-7s, the actual plane used in the movie appears to be a Douglas DC-6.[13] The DC-7 has four-blade propellers. The DC-6 has three blades.

Reception

The Crowded Sky was received with mixed reviews by audience and critics alike. As a progenitor of the disaster films of the 1970s, it had some of the elements of the genre, but relied heavily on dialogue to the detriment of the impact of an aerial disaster. The Los Angeles Times called it "interesting but uneven".[14]Variety] gave a mixed review upon the movie's release, criticizing Pevney's directing, but praising the aerial scenes.[15]

In a more critical review in The New York Times, Eugene Archer called The Crowded Sky "reprehensible" because it exploited human tragedy. His review noted "Possibly a meaningful film could be developed from this theme, but as directed with an emphasis on sensationalism by Joseph Pevney, the effect is as meretricious as it is harrowing".[16]

Modern reviews were more favorable. Glenn Erickson in DVD Talk gave a mostly positive review, but commented that The Crowded Sky came off more as an "unintentional comedy" than a serious drama movie.[17] Reviewer Leonard Maltin called it a "slick film focusing on emotional problems aboard jet liner and Navy plane bound for fateful collision; superficial but diverting".[18]

See also

References

Notes
  1. In Airport 75, both Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Dana Andrews reprised their roles, but in a reversal, Andrews does the crashing.[4]

Citations
  1. Williams, Wirt. " 'Crowded Sky' weaves actual crises into pattern of disaster." Los Angeles Times, May 1, 1960, p. J7.
  2. "Overview: 'The Crowded Sky' (1960)." Turner Classic Movies, 2019. Retrieved: August 12, 2019.
  3. "Crowded Sky cast set." The Pittsburgh Press, November 2, 1959. Retrieved: August 26, 2014.
  4. Nixon, Rob. "Articles: 'The Crowded Sky' (1960)." Turner Classic Movies, 2019. Retrieved: August 12, 2019.
  5. Carlson 2012, p. 201.
  6. Witkin, Richard. "Heavy traffic over Amarillo: 'The Crowded Sky' by Hank Searis." The New York Times, March 1960, p. BR42.
  7. Scheuer, Philip K. "Paul Douglas will figure in 'Kidnap': Sturges to guide squadron; Russ discuss film exchange." Los Angeles Times, December 1, 1958, p. C15.
  8. Schumach, Murray. "Day of improved movie dialogue and characterization in offing." The New York Times, June 25, 1959, p. 21.
  9. Scheuer, Philip K. "Pantomimist will spout beat' verse: Dana Andrews resumes acting; Oakie returns to Paramount." Los Angeles Times, September 29, 1959, p. 27.
  10. "Zimbalist takes pilot training for film role." St. Petersburg Times, August 2, 1960. Retrieved: August 26, 2014.
  11. Maltin 1994, p. 236.
  12. "Original Print Information: 'The Crowded Sky' (1960)." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: August 26, 2014.
  13. "Douglas DC-6B" Fictitious airline Trans States using DC-6B N16020 of National Airlines, though no DC-6 seems to have carried that registration.
  14. Scheuer, Philip K. "'Crowded Sky' planes keep date with destiny." Los Angeles Times, September 1, 1960, p. C12.
  15. "The Crowded Sky." Variety's Film Reviews: 1959-1963. New Providence, New Jersey: R.R. Bowker, 1989. ISBN 978-0-83522-789-6.
  16. Archer, Eugene. "The Crowded Sky (1960)". The New York Times, February 11, 1961.
  17. Erickson, Glenn. "Review: The Crowded Sky." DVD Talk, January 25, 2010. Retrieved: August 26, 2014.
  18. Maltin 2009, p. 300.

Bibliography
  • Carlson, Mark. Flying on Film: A Century of Aviation in the Movies, 1912–2012. Duncan, Oklahoma: BearManor Media, 2012. ISBN 978-1-59393-219-0.
  • Maltin, Leonard. Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia. New York: Dutton, 1994. ISBN 0-525-93635-1.
  • Maltin, Leonard. Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide 2009. New York: New American Library, 2009 (originally published as TV Movies, then Leonard Maltin’s Movie & Video Guide), First edition 1969, published annually since 1988. ISBN 978-0-451-22468-2.
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