THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY

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Tied up for years in the John Wayne estate has been the re-release of this 1954 movie, "The High and the Mighty". (which won the Academy Award for Best Song that year...look for a plaque at Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood when you visit there).

As a child growing up in L.A. in the 50's and 60's, I remember the then RKO TV station Channel 9 would show this movie relentlessly for years on end. Then it all stopped. The movie vanished. And now it is being held hostage for some legal reason.

It is a movie filled with surplatives though younger viewers might find the lack of hyberbolic special effects, sexual gymnastics, de riguer corporate disembowlment themes, blah blah....too unsurvivable for a start-to-finish viewing. It is a vintage 50's type movie...at its best.

This is John Wayne's best movie, in my opinion. He is excellent...taking him out of the cowboy theme he ultimately became cemented into. I will always remember John Wayne in my mind as he was in this movie...especially the very last scene which alone is worth the price of admission. Fittingly, the Orange County Airport is named after John Wayne, who had a career early on of appearing in films with aviation themes.

Ernest K. Gann, who penned the story, was an American Airlines pilot who churned out aviation novel, one after another. His equally famous novel that was made into an excellent movie, was "Fate is the Hunter". Both of these movies deal with an aircraft incident/accident. "The High and the Mighty" concentrates on the human dynamics of a flight crew and their maintenance base trying to cope with a mechanical problem en route over the longest single over-the-ocean route in the world: Honolulu to San Francisco. It is as dramatic and technically accurate as you could possibly get. In fact, "The High and the Mighty" had all the elements of the recent Jan. 31, 2000 Alaska Airlines crash northwest of Los Angeles.

"Fate is the Hunter" meticulously examines the post accident phase of aircraft crash investigation. It is almost like a Hitchock movie in terms of suspense. I don't think this movie is available either and that is a shame since there is so much junk out there that is. Glenn Ford is the star of this movie.

The exciting conclusion of "The High and the Mighty" stays with you forever...much like the ending of the movie "The Spirit of St. Louis" which starred James Stewart (also a great movie and is available).

"The High and the Mighty" is a true aviator's movie...it has the feel and touch of a veteran pilot at the yoke, Ernest K. Gann. All of us down on the ground here can only hope and pray that the powers to be let this great, great American film out of the hanger and let her fly again....soon.

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