Island In The Sky (1953)

ethanedwards · 2006-01-24T05:12:54-05:00

ISLAND IN THE SKY DIRECTED BY WILLIAM A. WELLMAN PRODUCED BY JOHN WAYNE/ ROBERT FELLOWS WAYNE-FELLOWS/ BATJAC PRODUCTION MUSIC BY EMIL NEWMAN WARNER BROS Photo with the courtesy of lasbugas Information from IMDb Plot Summary A transport plane crash-lands in the frozen wastes of Labrador, and the plane's pilot, Dooley, must keep his men alive in deadly conditions while waiting for rescue. Summary written by Jim Beaver Full Cast John Wayne .... Capt. Dooley Lloyd Nolan .... Captain Stutz Walter Abel .... Col. Fuller James Arness .... Mac McMullen, pilot Andy Devine .... Willie Moon, pilot Allyn Joslyn .... J.H. Handy, pilot Jimmy Lydon .... Murray, Dooley's navigator (as James Lydon) Harry Carey Jr. .... Ralph Hunt, Moon's co-pilot Hal Baylor .... Stankowski, Dooley's engineer Sean McClory .... Frank Lovatt, Dooley's co-pilot Wally Cassell .... D'Annunzia, Dooley's radioman Gordon Jones .... Walrus Frank Fenton .... Capt. Turner Robert Keys .... Maj. Ditson Sumner Getchell .... Lt. Cord Regis Toomey .... Sgt. Harper Paul Fix .... Wally Miller Jim Dugan .... Gidley George Chandler .... Rene Louis Jean Heydt .... Fitch, pilot (as Louis Heydt) Bob Steele .... Wilson, Moon's radioman Darryl Hickman .... Swanson, McMullen's radioman Mike Connors .... Gainer (as Touch Connors) Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer .... Sonny Hopper, Stutz' co-pilot (as Carl Switzer) Cass Gidley .... Stannish, pilot Herbert Anderson .... Breezy, Stannish's co-pilot (as Guy Anderson) Tony De Mario .... Ogden Dawn Bender .... Murray's wife (uncredited) Gene Coogan .... Stutz's Navigator (uncredited) Ann Doran .... Moon's wife (uncredited) John Indrisano .... Mechanic (uncredited) Tom Irish .... Dusty, McMullen's co-pilot (uncredited) Fess Parker .... Fitch's co-pilot (uncredited) Richard Walsh .... (uncredited) Michael Wellman .... Mike Moon (uncredited) Tim Wellman .... Jim Moon (uncredited) Phyllis Winger .... Margaret, Girl in flashback (uncredited) Writing Credits Ernest K. Gann also novel Original Music Emil Newman Hugo Friedhofer (uncredited) Cinematography Archie Stout Second Unit Director or Assistant Director Andrew V. McLaglen Trivia The little yellow radio shown in the movie was a actual radio. Its design is based on a WWII German emergency transmitter. It is a BC-778/SCR-578/AN-CRT3 emergency transmitter (it could not receive) affectionately called 'Gibson Girl', a name taken from the narrow-waisted female drawings of 1890s fashion artist Charles Gibson. Its shape allowed the operator to hold it between the legs while cranking it the necessary 80 RPM to produce enough electricity to operate. It could be set to automatically send an SOS signal or switched to send Morse Code signals. Early models transmitted only on 500kHz, later models also could transmit on 8280kHz (later modified to 8364kHz). It was notorious for being tough to crank. The general plot is based on a true story that the author, Ernest Gann related in his 1961 autobiographical book about his flying career, "Fate is the Hunter". He and other pilots searched successfully for a lost fellow pilot in the wilds of northern Canada during World War II. Goofs * Continuity: The stranded crew had arranged branches in the snow into the shape of a cross so the planes could spot it. Then they rearrange the branches to spell out a message when they fly over. The planes fly over one more time, and the branches are back in the shape of a cross. * Revealing mistakes: When the crewman is lost in the blizzard, you can see some white fabric in the "snowbank" behind him flapping in the wind. * Factual errors: As the plane begins its crash landing on the lake three crew members - not the pilots - are standing up behind the pilots looking out the windows. Under no circumstances would the non pilots be there. They would be in crash position in the rear area, not standing in the cockpit. * Miscellaneous: Just before their plane goes down, when Wayne and the co-pilot look out the windows, the wings are covered in ice, and the fuselage and windows are covered in snow - the camera then pans to a full view of the plane and there is no snow or ice anywhere. After the plane lands there is only a small amount of snow on it. * Factual errors: Hearing an incorrect latitude reading, Dooley says it could put them in Paris, Vladivostok, or Bangor ME, "all on the same latitude". The last two cities are at latitudes 43.1° and 44.8° north, which might be considered roundly the same, but Paris is significantly farther north at 48.8°. As a pilot with experience on Atlantic flights, Dooley would certainly know this. * Continuity: When Lovatt died, he had curled up into a fetal position. He would have frozen in that position. When the crew buried him, he was straightened out. Memorable Quotes [URL:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045919/quotes] Filming Location Donner Lake, Truckee, California, USA Watch the Trailer:- http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi761528345/Island In The Sky [URL:http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi761528345/] Previous Discussion:- Island In The Sky [URL:http://www.dukewayne.com/showthread.php?t=1157]