Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962)
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49% of users liked it
(267 ratings)
With Five Weeks in a Balloon, 20th Century-Fox hoped to cash on the success of the studio's earlier Jules Verne adaptation Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1959). The plot is set in motion when 19th-century explorer Fergusson (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) volunteers to head a balloon expedition to… More With Five Weeks in a Balloon, 20th Century-Fox hoped to cash on the success of the studio's earlier Jules Verne adaptation Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1959). The plot is set in motion when 19th-century explorer Fergusson (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) volunteers to head a balloon expedition to claim an otherwise unreachable chunk of African territory for the British Empire. Along for the ride are reporter Donald O'Shay (Red Buttons), absent-minded professor Sir Henry Vining (Richard Haydn), Vining's assistant Jacques (Fabian) and schoolmarm Susan Gale (Barbara Eden). Along the way, the little party acquires another passenger when they rescue native girl Makia (Barbara Luna) from a slave trader. Their many near-death experiences include a run-in with evil potentate Sheik Ageiba (Henry Daniell). Other reliable characters on hand include Peter Lorre, Herbert Marshall, Reginald Owen, Mike Mazurki, and, in a dual role, sneezemaster Billy Gilbert. Since no one could be expected to take this sort of fare seriously, Five Weeks in a Balloon is played tongue-in-cheek, peppered with such overripe dialogue as "You, sir, are a cad!" and "Kismet! We are doomed!" ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Irwin Allen
- Written By
- Irwin Allen, Charles Bennett, Albert Gail
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Kids & Family, Classics, Comedy
PG,
- In Theaters
- Aug 22, 1962 Wide
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Cast
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Red Buttons
as Donald O'Shay
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Fabian
as Jacques
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Barbara Eden
as Susan Gale
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Cedric Hardwicke
as Fergusson
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Peter Lorre
as Ahmed
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Barbara Luna
as Makia
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Billy Gilbert
as Sultan-Auctioneer
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Herbert Marshall
as Prime Minister
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Reginald Owen
as Consul
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Henry Daniell
as Sheik Ageiba
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Mike Mazurki
as Slave Captain
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Alan Caillou
as Inspector
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A. Ben Astar
as Myanga
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Raymond Bailey
as Randolph
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Chester the Chimp
as The Duchess
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Richard Haydn
as Sir Henry Vining
