Les prisonniers du ciel

A commercial DC-6 with 62 passengers, flying too high due to the inexplicable actions of arrogant pilot Dana Andrews, is soon in the pathway of a two-pilot Navy jet that has lost all radio communications. The wooden performances and variable special effects of "The Crowded Sky" simply add to its kitsch factor; some audiences can't help laughing at it, but nevertheless enjoying themselves at the same time. The pilots and nearly all the passengers have a great deal on their minds, and the running theme of the close-up followed by the ominous voice-over followed by the flashback lapses into amusing self-parody. Handsome Warner Bros. production, with tidy airplane interiors and all the men wearing skinny black ties, provides instant nostalgia, while the overripe dialogue is frequently laugh-out-loud funny. **1/2 from ****

A decent cast, most likely under contract who couldn't say no, slogs through some wonderfully awful dialogue. Only a few of them even try to breathe life into their paper thin characters. The rest of them, like the audience, seem to be waiting for the crash so they can go home.

One of the first modern day airline disaster movies, this 1961 film contains all the elements of suspense, humor and drama that one would expect of its genre. With the only drawback of a weak supporting cast, the story line is a solid one.

In this film, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. plays a navy pilot on a collision course with a commercial jet piloted by Dana Andrews. Years later, in one of the later Airport series, the roles are reversed and Andrews plays the pilot of a small plane on a collision course with a commercial aircraft piloted by Efrem Zimbalist.

Troy Donahue does a creditable job as a young sailor hitching a ride with Zimbalist to get home. An interesting device in this film is the close-up thought technique, particularly when used with the character played by Keenan Wynn.

If you consider this film only among the other members of its generation, it comes out well.

And it isn't until all the necessary back stories are told that we get to the crux of the matter--the fact that an airliner and a two-man jet plane are on a collision course. DANA ANDREWS is the tense pilot at the controls of the airliner and EFREM ZIMBALIST, JR. is in the small plane with TROY DONAHUE.

Unfortunately, none of the back stories are really interesting enough to invoke anything more than moderate interest, but at least we get to see ANNE FRANCIS as an attractive stewardess saddled with some bad dialogue and a lifeless romance with JOHN KERR.

The story only gets into high gear late in the proceedings and by that time you'll notice that the storytelling technique is the same one used to even lesser advantage in THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY.

Summing up: Nothing special but worth a look as an example of what eventually led to all those Airport movies of the '70s.

Trivia note: A diner scene with Troy Donahue and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. has the juke box playing "The Theme from A Summer Place," Donahue's hit film from the year before.

A mother lode of clichés mined by Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers for their 1980 classic, "Airplane," "The Crowded Sky" is entertaining in its own right. A shameless pastiche of flashbacks erupts when two planes find themselves on a collision course in the skies over the American heartland. Dying wives, vengeful mistresses, love-starved spinsters, marriage-crazy stewardesses, and tough agents spar with lovelorn husbands, ham actors, marriage-shy co-pilots, unforgiving fathers, and cads on the make. Director Joseph Pevney juggles the familiar sub-plots competently, and viewers are unlikely to be bored, although they may have to stifle a giggle or two.

While not as stellar as "The High and the Mighty" or "Airport," the cast does include some solid actors from the period. Characters rarely develop in films like this, and most are little more than stereotyped sketches. Not surprisingly, the performances run the gamut from professional to embarrassing. The pros fare best led by Dana Andrews, the by-the-book TransState captain; Patsy Kelly, a blowzy chain-smoking agent; and Rhonda Fleming, a sexy scheming wife. Although the film's credits include Efrem Zimbalist, Troy Donahue, Keenan Wynn, and Anne Francis, many of the rest never became names.

The special effects use obvious model airplanes on wires and are a dated delight. Also dated and delightful is the depiction of flying. The passengers all dress in suit and tie; the stewardesses take tickets aboard the plane; the captain personally points out the oxygen canister to an interested passenger; a smiling stewardess cracks jokes about false teeth while instructing passengers on emergency procedures; air traffic controllers work 40 hours without a break; passengers board without security checks. What a wonderful experience flying used to be; beyond slick obvious entertainment, "The Crowded Sky" has the added dimension of evoking nostalgia for a vanished way of travel.