Phil C
03-13-2006, 04:03 PM
It will be at 7 P.M. on Wednesday April 5 and if you can't watch this great movie then be sure to set your recorders. It is about airline pilots who flew transport planes for the USA During WW2. Due to bad weather one of the plane piloted by John Wayne is forced to land in the far North Candian Country and the men are forced to survive in the desolated cold area with little food and shelter while their fellow pilots try to search them and rescue them. John Wayne stars as Dooley the pilot who must strive to keep his head and keep his men encouraged. He is not like the Duke in nearly all of his movies but here he shows fear and joy to the extreme and in a way it is a shame he couldn't have made a few more movies like this. He is not the hero in this movie that you would expect but he does strive to keep his crew safe. Unknown to everyone including the audience until the end is that he also has a wife and six kids. The movie was based on a similar event that happened in WW2.
Also starring as fellow captains trying to find them are Lloyd Nolan as Stutz, James Arness of Gunsmoke as Mac McMullen, Paul Fix as Miller, Andy Devine as Moon (Andy was a funny sidekick to many westerns including Roy Rogers and very rarely had a dramatic role but this movie is one of them and showed he could indeed act in dramas) and Louis Jean Heydt as Finch.
Others having smaller parts are
Fess Parker (Walt Disney's Davy Crockett and tv's Daniel Boone) as Fitch's co-pilot.
Harry Carey Jr. as Ralph, Moon's co pilot.
Bob Steel as Wilson - Moon's radio man.
Mike Conners (who was Manix) as Gainer
Carl Switzer (who was famous in the 30s as Alfalfa in the Little Rascals) who plays Sonny - Sturt's co pilot.
Ann Doran who plays Moon's wife and later was in the John Wayne movie The High and the Mighty.
This is a great movie and one that proved that John Wayne could act. In most of his movies he was cast as a stereotype Duke and was basically one character but here he shows great emotion. When the planes fly over them and fail to see them one time he shows great emotion as he is obviously scared but trying to encourage the men almost to the point of tears. Anyone that didn't think he had great acting talent needs to watch this scene.
In fact Jim Arness has one great emotional scene also which will surpise most of the Gunsmoke fans.
The suspense builds up to where time is about to run out. Remember in WW2 planes did not have modern technology like today. A great movie indeed.
Also starring as fellow captains trying to find them are Lloyd Nolan as Stutz, James Arness of Gunsmoke as Mac McMullen, Paul Fix as Miller, Andy Devine as Moon (Andy was a funny sidekick to many westerns including Roy Rogers and very rarely had a dramatic role but this movie is one of them and showed he could indeed act in dramas) and Louis Jean Heydt as Finch.
Others having smaller parts are
Fess Parker (Walt Disney's Davy Crockett and tv's Daniel Boone) as Fitch's co-pilot.
Harry Carey Jr. as Ralph, Moon's co pilot.
Bob Steel as Wilson - Moon's radio man.
Mike Conners (who was Manix) as Gainer
Carl Switzer (who was famous in the 30s as Alfalfa in the Little Rascals) who plays Sonny - Sturt's co pilot.
Ann Doran who plays Moon's wife and later was in the John Wayne movie The High and the Mighty.
This is a great movie and one that proved that John Wayne could act. In most of his movies he was cast as a stereotype Duke and was basically one character but here he shows great emotion. When the planes fly over them and fail to see them one time he shows great emotion as he is obviously scared but trying to encourage the men almost to the point of tears. Anyone that didn't think he had great acting talent needs to watch this scene.
In fact Jim Arness has one great emotional scene also which will surpise most of the Gunsmoke fans.
The suspense builds up to where time is about to run out. Remember in WW2 planes did not have modern technology like today. A great movie indeed.