No Highway in the Sky (1951)

No Highway in the Sky
Directed by Henry Koster
Written by R.C. Sherriff, Oscar Millard, and Alec Coppel from a novel by Nevil Shute
1951/UK
Twentieth Century Fox Productions
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] Theodore Honey: It’s about the condition of this airplane, I’m afraid we’re in very serious danger. I’m rather afraid that the tail may drop off at any moment. Now when that happens…[/box]

This one came out of nowhere to delight me.

Widower Theodore Honey (James Stewart) is the very picture of the eccentric absent-minded scientist.  He lives a quiet life with daughter Elspeth and is totally engrossed in his work.  Currently, he is working for an aviation company testing out its new aircraft, the Reindeer.  All Honey’s calculations tell him that certain structural forces will cause the tail section of the plane to suddenly fall off after 1440 hours of flight.  The actual test has gone on for less time due to complaints from the neighbors about the noise.

Then one of the Reindeers crashes.  The tail section is not found and the accident is blamed on pilot error.  New research head Dennis Scott (Jack Hawkins) orders the test speeded up and sends Honey to Labrador to inspect the wreckage from the crash.

Ironically, Honey has been booked to fly there on another Reindeer.  A chat with the pilot reveals that the plane is nearing its 1440th hour.  Honey reveals his fears to the pilot but must admit that his tests are not complete and his idea is only a theory at this point.  The pilot is concerned enough to ask for instructions but refuses to take action when he can’t get through to his superiors.

Meanwhile, Honey figures out that the men’s room on the plane will be the optimal location for survival in the event of the crash.  He decides to alert movie star Monica Teasdale (Marlene Dietrich) because her films meant a lot to his deceased wife.  Monica takes him pretty seriously after she gets to know him a little bit.  Honey also befriends stewardess Marjorie Corder (Glynis Johns).  Both women prove to be his biggest allies when the plane reaches its refueling destination without crashing.

I knew almost zero about this film when I watched it and it came as a very pleasant surprise.  The plot probably does not bear much resemblance to reality but the story is tightly written and suspenseful, with a nice dollop of humor to lighten matters.  Jimmy Stewart is absolutely superb in this role.  It’s hard to think of a part more different than the hardbitten anti-heros he was playing around this time!  Recommended and currently available on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umu7U6wVGLo

Trailer