Warner Brothers had an opportunity to exhibit some of its popular television stars of the period and took it with The Crowded Sky. Though the plot is very similar to the more well known The High And The Mighty, The Crowded Sky definitely has enough merit to stand on its own as good and exciting entertainment.
Like The High And The Mighty the crew and passengers of a commercial airline which consists of pilot Dana Andrews, co-pilot John Kerr, navigator Joe Mantell, and stewardess Anne Francis are on westbound flight on one of those old propeller jobs all have their little vignettes and we see their stories.
But the danger here isn't from mechanical failure resulting in a dangerously low fuel capacity as in The High And The Mighty. Coming eastbound and heading for them is a navy jet with Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. and a sailor Troy Donahue who is just hitching a ride with Zimbalist. These guys were starring in popular Warner Brothers television series at the time, Zimbalist with 77 Sunset Strip and Donahue leading the cast of Surfside 6. They too have their stories.
Zimbalist's is the most interesting, he's got a neglected wife in Rhonda Fleming who's been seeking love outside the marriage. Donahue is heading to marry a girl he's gotten pregnant. Zimbalist has been down this road before.
As for Andrews he's a stickler for protocol and he and Kerr don't get along because a bad report denied Kerr the captaincy he was seeking. Among the passengers I liked Patsy Kelly very much as the agent of a rather vain player in Donald May who also starred in Warner Brothers Colt 45 television series.
The climax with the two planes colliding in midair and the aftermath is gripping, you will not want to blink for missing something. The special effects are good for their time and Warner Brothers did accomplish its purpose of getting its television stars on the big screen for exposure.
Like The High And The Mighty the crew and passengers of a commercial airline which consists of pilot Dana Andrews, co-pilot John Kerr, navigator Joe Mantell, and stewardess Anne Francis are on westbound flight on one of those old propeller jobs all have their little vignettes and we see their stories.
But the danger here isn't from mechanical failure resulting in a dangerously low fuel capacity as in The High And The Mighty. Coming eastbound and heading for them is a navy jet with Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. and a sailor Troy Donahue who is just hitching a ride with Zimbalist. These guys were starring in popular Warner Brothers television series at the time, Zimbalist with 77 Sunset Strip and Donahue leading the cast of Surfside 6. They too have their stories.
Zimbalist's is the most interesting, he's got a neglected wife in Rhonda Fleming who's been seeking love outside the marriage. Donahue is heading to marry a girl he's gotten pregnant. Zimbalist has been down this road before.
As for Andrews he's a stickler for protocol and he and Kerr don't get along because a bad report denied Kerr the captaincy he was seeking. Among the passengers I liked Patsy Kelly very much as the agent of a rather vain player in Donald May who also starred in Warner Brothers Colt 45 television series.
The climax with the two planes colliding in midair and the aftermath is gripping, you will not want to blink for missing something. The special effects are good for their time and Warner Brothers did accomplish its purpose of getting its television stars on the big screen for exposure.