The High and the Mighty (film)

The High and the Mighty is a 1954 WarnerColor American disaster film in CinemaScope directed by William A. Wellman and written by Ernest K. Gann who also wrote the 1953 novel on which his screenplay was based. The films cast was headlined by John Wayne, who was also the projects coproducer. Composer Dimitri Tiomkin won an Academy Award for his original score while his title song for the film also was nominated for an Oscar but the title song did not actually appear in release prints, nor, indeed, in the recent restoration, of the film. The film received mostly positive reviews and grossed 8.5 million in its theatrical release. The supporting cast includes Claire Trevor, Laraine Day, Robert Stack, Jan Sterling, Phil Harris and Robert Newton.

In San Francisco, Manager Tim Garfield Regis Toomey comes to the airlines operations center but is not sanguine about their chances. A favorable change in the winds raises the crews hopes that they have just enough fuel to reach San Francisco but Wilby discovers that he made an elementary error in navigation and their actual remaining time in the air is less than he originally calculated.Dans experience tells him that their luck would be better trying to make land than ditching in the rough seas at night. Sullivan panics and prepares to ditch immediately, but Dan slaps him back to his senses. Thinking clearly again, Sullivan decides not to ditch. As the airliner approaches rainswept San Francisco in the middle of the night and at a perilously low altitude, the airport prepares for an emergency instrument landing. The plane narrowly surmounts the citys hills and breaks out of the clouds with the runway lights dead ahead, guiding them to a safe landing. As the passengers disembark, Garfield watches their reactions as they are harried by inquisitive reporters. After the tumult dies down, he joins the crew inspecting the damaged airliner and informs Dan that onlygallons of gas remained in their tanks. Dan acknowledges the gamble they took and walks away, limping and whistling. So long...you ancient pelican, Garfield mutters to himself. ........

Source: Wikipedia