**SPOILERS** The movie "Crash Landing" start out with Trans-Atlantic flight 627 from Lisbon to New York experiencing engine trouble half way over the Atlantic with it's Captain Steve William, Garry Merrill, frantically radioing the nearest ship in the area for help. With you getting all pumped up and withing for an exciting near death rescue effort of the plane an it crew and passengers were brought back some time earlier in Capt. Williams life. Suddenly were back at the Libson hotel with Captain Williams and his wife Helen , Nancy David, and their 12 year old son Barrie, Kim Charney!
What all that has to do with the story of flight 627 about to crash in the Atlantic Ocean is about as foreign to it as to what the election results in the Figi Islands have to do with the the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn for L.A! We have this big talk between Williams and Barrie, who looks like he's about to wet his pants, over his stolen bicycle that we learn he in fact all made up. The bike wasn't stolen but given away to a friend by Barrie because he was, scarty cat, afraid to ride it?
With that, the boring story of Barrie's bike, now out of the way until later in the movie we get back to business in Captain Williams behind the controls doing his best to get his plane, with it's some 30 passengers and crew, to make a safe crash landing in the unfriendly Atlantic Ocean. As all this is going on we get to see a number of the passengers and what's eating or bothering them in their personal lives. The most interesting is Arthur White, Richard Keith, who's always been jealous of his well bread and well connected business partner the barley sober Calvin Havelick, Hal Torey. White feels that it's Havellick who got all the breaks in life and now is threatening to expose his drinking problems, to the shareholders, he feels he can blackmail him into voting for the sleazy business deal that he's planning for some time to officiate.
There's also little Teddy Burton, Robin Warga, who's as much in love with his cute little mutt of a puppy Wilbor as Barrie whats to get rid of his bike that he fell, and almost broke his head, off. It's Teddy's dad, Dayle Rodney, who's just the opposite a father to his son as Williams is to Barrie in not being so hard on the kid for every little thing, like little white lies, he does!
***SPOILERS***To get to the meat of the story in the end of course Captain Williams saves the day by crash landing his disabled plane with everyone on board surviving with not as much as having a scratch on them. But the Captain goes against his better, which turned out to be his worst, judgment in saving little Wilbor whom he planned to leave to his fate, the bottom of the Atlantic, in feeling he's, in not being human, not worth risking his life for. This ends up making Captain Williams a truly caring and feeling human being not the hard boiled Marine drill sergeant that he was in giving his son Barrie such a hard time over that crummy bike he lied to him about. This also makes for an emotionally packed reunion with both Barrie and his wife Helen when Captain Williams is back home after receiving a hero's welcome in Libson. Barrie who was told to stay in his room, by his dictator like dad, until farther notice is now allowed to go to the party that he was invited to together with an armful of 45's, rock & roll records, that his now humanized father bought for him.
As for the that spiteful and blackmailing swine Arthur White he showed his true color, bright yellow, when he not only freaked out when Captain Williams' plane was about to be ditched but almost caused it to crashed with everyone on board ending up at the bottom of the Atlanic Ocean. Being exposed for the lily liveried coward that he is, and always was, White didn't have the guts to go through with his sneaky and devious plan to get, the now stone cold sober, Calvin Havellck to vote for it! Which was by far the best thing to come out of entire movie!
What all that has to do with the story of flight 627 about to crash in the Atlantic Ocean is about as foreign to it as to what the election results in the Figi Islands have to do with the the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn for L.A! We have this big talk between Williams and Barrie, who looks like he's about to wet his pants, over his stolen bicycle that we learn he in fact all made up. The bike wasn't stolen but given away to a friend by Barrie because he was, scarty cat, afraid to ride it?
With that, the boring story of Barrie's bike, now out of the way until later in the movie we get back to business in Captain Williams behind the controls doing his best to get his plane, with it's some 30 passengers and crew, to make a safe crash landing in the unfriendly Atlantic Ocean. As all this is going on we get to see a number of the passengers and what's eating or bothering them in their personal lives. The most interesting is Arthur White, Richard Keith, who's always been jealous of his well bread and well connected business partner the barley sober Calvin Havelick, Hal Torey. White feels that it's Havellick who got all the breaks in life and now is threatening to expose his drinking problems, to the shareholders, he feels he can blackmail him into voting for the sleazy business deal that he's planning for some time to officiate.
There's also little Teddy Burton, Robin Warga, who's as much in love with his cute little mutt of a puppy Wilbor as Barrie whats to get rid of his bike that he fell, and almost broke his head, off. It's Teddy's dad, Dayle Rodney, who's just the opposite a father to his son as Williams is to Barrie in not being so hard on the kid for every little thing, like little white lies, he does!
***SPOILERS***To get to the meat of the story in the end of course Captain Williams saves the day by crash landing his disabled plane with everyone on board surviving with not as much as having a scratch on them. But the Captain goes against his better, which turned out to be his worst, judgment in saving little Wilbor whom he planned to leave to his fate, the bottom of the Atlantic, in feeling he's, in not being human, not worth risking his life for. This ends up making Captain Williams a truly caring and feeling human being not the hard boiled Marine drill sergeant that he was in giving his son Barrie such a hard time over that crummy bike he lied to him about. This also makes for an emotionally packed reunion with both Barrie and his wife Helen when Captain Williams is back home after receiving a hero's welcome in Libson. Barrie who was told to stay in his room, by his dictator like dad, until farther notice is now allowed to go to the party that he was invited to together with an armful of 45's, rock & roll records, that his now humanized father bought for him.
As for the that spiteful and blackmailing swine Arthur White he showed his true color, bright yellow, when he not only freaked out when Captain Williams' plane was about to be ditched but almost caused it to crashed with everyone on board ending up at the bottom of the Atlanic Ocean. Being exposed for the lily liveried coward that he is, and always was, White didn't have the guts to go through with his sneaky and devious plan to get, the now stone cold sober, Calvin Havellck to vote for it! Which was by far the best thing to come out of entire movie!