In the 1950s there were two first rate novelists who touched upon (or concentrated on) aviation as their theme. The Australian - English one was Nevil Shute (Norway), who was an aviation engineer. His novel was NO HIGHWAY, made into a 1950 film with Jimmy Steward, Glynis Johns, Marlene Dietrich, and Jack Hawkins - about the danger of metal fatigue on airplanes. He also wrote an interesting memoir of his early years in aviation SLIDE-RULE, but later left the aviation theme for his best novels, A TOWN NAMED ALICE and ON THE BEACH. His American counterpart was Ernest K. Gann, who wrote ISLAND IN THE SKY and THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY, both dealing with planes in trouble. Both were also made into films produced and starring John Wayne, and directed by former World War I ace William Wellman.
THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY dealt with an airliner in trouble over the Pacific on a flight from Hawaii to San Francisco, and how the crew and passengers react to the danger. Similarly, ISLAND IN THE SKY deals with a cargo plane that crash lands in Labrador and how the crew has to fend for itself against the harsh Arctic tundra (the temperature is between 40 and 70 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, and the area is devoid of any edible vegetation or animals). The problem is extended due to the fact that the plane is in unexplored Arctic territory, and the crew has dwindling power to try to keep in touch with their rescuers.
John Wayne plays the pilot in ISLAND IN THE SKY, of a crew of four others (Sean McClory, Jimmy Lyden, Hal Baylor, and Wally Cassell). His leadership skills are tested as never before because of the hostile, deadly environment that they are in. In fact the Duke on several occasions displays a degree of despair in his face that one rarely sees, when rescue planes keep missing him or when equipment seems to fail. If one really doubts the cinematic acting abilities of John Wayne, one has to watch his performance here. He is more fragile here than in any other film, including THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE.
The others in the crew, such as Cassell as the radio operator - struggling in that numbing cold to try to keep the electric generator working while he sends out a signal - are good. Another reviewer singled out Sean McClory, as Wayne's co-pilot, who does find the worst effects of the environment when trying to return to the camp.
The other members of the cast do well, in what is primarily a male cast (there are three women in the cast who play the love interests or wives of some of the men). Single out young James Arness as a South Carolinian who hates air force red tape (and shows it forcibly to a silly officer by eating a military memo). Andy Devine gives a surprisingly effective performance in a serious part (usually playing comic relief, as in STAGECOACH or LIBERTY VALANCE). Here he cuts short a vacation to help lead the search for his friend Wayne - and his grim face shows his helplessness when Wayne seems more lost than expected. Lloyd Nolan and his co-pilot, Carl Switzer, make an effective pair in the final search. Also on hand is Allan Joslyn, Louis Jean Heydt, Bob Steele, Regis Toomey and (as the commanding officer heading the search organizing) Walter Abel. These, with Wellman's fine detail for aviation situations make ISLAND IN THE SKY one of the most fascinating films in Wayne's long career.
THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY dealt with an airliner in trouble over the Pacific on a flight from Hawaii to San Francisco, and how the crew and passengers react to the danger. Similarly, ISLAND IN THE SKY deals with a cargo plane that crash lands in Labrador and how the crew has to fend for itself against the harsh Arctic tundra (the temperature is between 40 and 70 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, and the area is devoid of any edible vegetation or animals). The problem is extended due to the fact that the plane is in unexplored Arctic territory, and the crew has dwindling power to try to keep in touch with their rescuers.
John Wayne plays the pilot in ISLAND IN THE SKY, of a crew of four others (Sean McClory, Jimmy Lyden, Hal Baylor, and Wally Cassell). His leadership skills are tested as never before because of the hostile, deadly environment that they are in. In fact the Duke on several occasions displays a degree of despair in his face that one rarely sees, when rescue planes keep missing him or when equipment seems to fail. If one really doubts the cinematic acting abilities of John Wayne, one has to watch his performance here. He is more fragile here than in any other film, including THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE.
The others in the crew, such as Cassell as the radio operator - struggling in that numbing cold to try to keep the electric generator working while he sends out a signal - are good. Another reviewer singled out Sean McClory, as Wayne's co-pilot, who does find the worst effects of the environment when trying to return to the camp.
The other members of the cast do well, in what is primarily a male cast (there are three women in the cast who play the love interests or wives of some of the men). Single out young James Arness as a South Carolinian who hates air force red tape (and shows it forcibly to a silly officer by eating a military memo). Andy Devine gives a surprisingly effective performance in a serious part (usually playing comic relief, as in STAGECOACH or LIBERTY VALANCE). Here he cuts short a vacation to help lead the search for his friend Wayne - and his grim face shows his helplessness when Wayne seems more lost than expected. Lloyd Nolan and his co-pilot, Carl Switzer, make an effective pair in the final search. Also on hand is Allan Joslyn, Louis Jean Heydt, Bob Steele, Regis Toomey and (as the commanding officer heading the search organizing) Walter Abel. These, with Wellman's fine detail for aviation situations make ISLAND IN THE SKY one of the most fascinating films in Wayne's long career.