The Flight That Disappeared

It is 1960. One of the last prop-driven plane flights containing two scientists and a cutie mathematician seems to be off schedule, for that matter off altitude and possibly out of time. What mysteries can this foretell and are we on for a heavy-handed warning? Can't say much about this film as it is a short subjects similar to the twilight zone programs. However a side added plus is being able to see the old prop-driven planes and 60s clothing. If you expect to see scanty closed space girls that I'm afraid you'll be disappointed.

Much of the time is given to introducing characters as you would normally have in a mystery such as "Ten Little Indians." During one of the conversations a passenger that seems to be a little unhinged expresses an attitude that parallels Randy Newman's song "political science." You may want to listen to a copy and see if he is not correct.

This film is worth watching and wondering if the heavy-handed warning still applies today.

Little-known film about a cross-country flight that is transported to another dimension where time stands still. There are some scientists on board the flight that are responsible for building a new kind of nuclear weapon. They are put on trial in this other dimension by people from the future. It's a talky movie about ideas and Cold War fears that gets a little heavy-handed at times. The "logic" of the prosecutor is riddled with holes. The first half-hour is pretty dull before it slowly starts to pick up. Still, it's nearly an hour into the film before the trial starts. All of the characters are as exciting as cardboard. There are no big actors associated with this, though I did recognize a few faces. It's an interesting idea for a movie or even an episode of the Twilight Zone. I could see Rod Serling doing a lot with it. It's a slog to get through the buildup but the last 20-30 minutes is worth watching.

A bit slow and preachy, but an interesting tale well worth watching...Actually a more than decent script considering it was shot back in 1961...Second act drags but when they get into the third you sit up and take notice...Don't want to tell all the tale...You'll enjoy watching this yourself...So much junk was produced in this era, it is nice to see something of this quality was shot and produced by Hollywood...The only strange thing is the lost of several international flights lately and how some actually refer to this movie about that situation...All I know is that if I owned the rights to this flick I would mount a minor ad campaign to tie-in with those recent events and sell more copies of "The Flight That Disappeared"...Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

A passenger plane runs into strange problems.

Sort of feels like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone (1959) or The Outer Limits (1963). And keep in mind this appeared long before the first Airport (1970) movie so back then in 1961 this probably seemed like a landmark flick!

Cast member Gregory Morton (The Examiner) would go on to voice two alien beings in TV's Lost in Space (see episodes Follow The Leader & The Prisoners Of Space).

I enjoyed the movie a lot but not everything about it totally clicks. But well worth a watch.

A cross-country airliner, whose passengers include a nuclear physicist, a rocket expert, and a mathematical genius, is drawn beyond radar range by an unknown, unbreakable force.

Others have compared this film to "The Twilight Zone", and rightly so. I am almost surprised no one from the show was involved in this film, because the plot and political point of view is exactly the same. The only difference is that this is much longer (and maybe not necessarily so -- I can see this story being told in 25 minutes).

If the film has any real flaw, it is that the morality is a bit over the top and extreme. The message is a good one, and one that hardly anyone could disagree with. But it comes off almost preachy and condescending because there is not one ounce of subtlety in it at all. (I am being vague here so as not to spoil anything, though the plot is about as obvious as possible.)