Sam McBane and Jack Savage have been associated for quite a long time. Their friendship started during the days both were pilots in the Army in WWII. Now, at the start of the story, they are working for the same commercial airline. As Jack is preparing for a flight to Seattle, Sam, the head of operations happens to pass by. Although friendly, they are probably not as close anymore.
As the flight prepares to take off, Savage, who seems to have a roving eye, spots a new stewardess. He asks for a cup of coffee, that Martha, the other attendant brings to him, but as he is about to grab it, the hot liquid spills into some of the panel. The flight takes off and soon after they are in the air, the right engine catches fire. They request to go back. They are finally cleared, but unfortunately, as they come for a crash landing, the plane strikes a pier and everyone dies, except Martha, the stewardess, who miraculously is spared.
As the investigation proceeds, we are taken in flashbacks to the days of WWII when Sam and Jack were serving together. They had a big scare when they were on a mission. Sam, and the rest of the crew bail out because the plane is on a dangerous course of probably crashing into a mountain. When Sam and the men are rescued and returned to base, they are aghast in finding Jack and his plane on the airfield.
"Fate Is the Hunter" is a 1964 Twenty Century Fox feature we recently caught on a cable channel. Not having seen it in a while, it took us by surprise the excellent condition of the print. Ralph Nelson, its director, worked extensively in television during most of his career. It is to his credit how he draws the viewer into the story, involving us in ways we didn't expect. The film is based on a book by Ernest Gann.
Glenn Ford, a man that usually underplayed in most of his films, makes an excellent Sam McBean. He is a decent man who wants to clear his buddy's name, and at the same time, spare his employer of bad publicity. Rod Taylor, who is made to look older as Jack in the first scenes, does also a good job of this fearless pilot. Susanne Pleshette appears as Martha, the surviving stewardesses. Nancy Kwan is a scientist with a theory about why things happened on the plane. Wally Cox, Mark Stevens, Harold St. John, Constance Towers, and the wonderful Mary Wickes are seen in supporting roles. An uncredited Dorothy Malone is fun to watch as Jack's girlfriend who decides to throw a party at an inappropriate time.
Milton Krasher's cinematography deserves a nod for what he was able to capture with the film, that was basically shot inside the studio. Jerry Goldsmith's musical score serves the film well. Ralph Nelson deserves the credit for the way he handled his large cast.
As the flight prepares to take off, Savage, who seems to have a roving eye, spots a new stewardess. He asks for a cup of coffee, that Martha, the other attendant brings to him, but as he is about to grab it, the hot liquid spills into some of the panel. The flight takes off and soon after they are in the air, the right engine catches fire. They request to go back. They are finally cleared, but unfortunately, as they come for a crash landing, the plane strikes a pier and everyone dies, except Martha, the stewardess, who miraculously is spared.
As the investigation proceeds, we are taken in flashbacks to the days of WWII when Sam and Jack were serving together. They had a big scare when they were on a mission. Sam, and the rest of the crew bail out because the plane is on a dangerous course of probably crashing into a mountain. When Sam and the men are rescued and returned to base, they are aghast in finding Jack and his plane on the airfield.
"Fate Is the Hunter" is a 1964 Twenty Century Fox feature we recently caught on a cable channel. Not having seen it in a while, it took us by surprise the excellent condition of the print. Ralph Nelson, its director, worked extensively in television during most of his career. It is to his credit how he draws the viewer into the story, involving us in ways we didn't expect. The film is based on a book by Ernest Gann.
Glenn Ford, a man that usually underplayed in most of his films, makes an excellent Sam McBean. He is a decent man who wants to clear his buddy's name, and at the same time, spare his employer of bad publicity. Rod Taylor, who is made to look older as Jack in the first scenes, does also a good job of this fearless pilot. Susanne Pleshette appears as Martha, the surviving stewardesses. Nancy Kwan is a scientist with a theory about why things happened on the plane. Wally Cox, Mark Stevens, Harold St. John, Constance Towers, and the wonderful Mary Wickes are seen in supporting roles. An uncredited Dorothy Malone is fun to watch as Jack's girlfriend who decides to throw a party at an inappropriate time.
Milton Krasher's cinematography deserves a nod for what he was able to capture with the film, that was basically shot inside the studio. Jerry Goldsmith's musical score serves the film well. Ralph Nelson deserves the credit for the way he handled his large cast.