The High and the Mighty
First screened in April 2006
Director: William Wellman. Cast: John Wayne, Robert Stack, Doe Avedon, Robert Newton, Laraine Day, Jan Sterling, Phil Harris, Paul Kelly, David Brian, Julie Bishop, Sidney Blackmer, Claire Trevor, Karen Sharpe, John Smith, John Howard, Gonzalez Gonzalez, Wally Brown, John Qualen, Ann Doran, William Campbell, Paul Fix, George Chandler, Michael Wellman, Joy Kim, Regis Toomey, Douglas Fowley, Robert Keys, Carl Switzer, William Hopper, William Schallert, Julie Mitchum. Screenplay: Ernest K. Gann (based on his novel).

Twitter Capsule: Airport eventually overshadowed this, but it wasn't the first to make midair disasters endless and boring!

VOR:   Proved you needn't make a Bible story to pack a village of actors into the newly widened frame. Inspired the Irwin Allen craze a decade and a half later—a dubious honor.



Photo © 1954 Warner Bros. Pictures

Not yet reviewed in full. Grade: C–


Academy Award Nominations and Winners:
Best Director: William Wellman
Best Supporting Actress: Jan Sterling
Best Supporting Actress: Claire Trevor
Best Film Editing: Ralph Dawson
Best Original Score (Drama/Comedy): Dimitri Tiomkin
Best Original Song: "The High and the Mighty"

Golden Globe Nominations and Winners:
Best Supporting Actress: Jan Sterling
Most Promising Newcomer (Female): Karen Sharpe

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