Island In The Sky (1953)
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65% of users liked it
(3,200 ratings)
During World War II, a Military Air Transport Command DC-3 piloted by a civilian crew is forced down in northern Labrador. The five men, led by Dooley (John Wayne), have barely any food and almost no way to keep warm, and their power supply is fading fast, but they have to find a way of staying… More During World War II, a Military Air Transport Command DC-3 piloted by a civilian crew is forced down in northern Labrador. The five men, led by Dooley (John Wayne), have barely any food and almost no way to keep warm, and their power supply is fading fast, but they have to find a way of staying alive until search planes find them. At first, even Dooley is overwhelmed by the responsibility for his crew's safety, and he is too lax in handling them -- but after one man dies, frozen to death just steps from help, he takes over and pushes his men and himself to the limits of their endurance; he even seems ready to crack himself at one moment. Meanwhile, the men who fly with Dooley push themselves and their machines past their endurance limits searching the arctic wastes for the downed plane. Island in the Sky -- based on the book by Ernest K. Gann (perhaps the best aviation novel ever written), which was, in turn, based on a true incident that happened during the war -- is one of the most startling movies in Wayne's output. He doesn't even look like the "star" John Wayne, but like a real pilot, and the cast, made up of familiar faces, all look like the real article; indeed, this movie should have been in the running for Academy Awards for costuming and makeup, just for making these familiar performers, such as Lloyd Nolan (in maybe his best performance) and Andy Devine (ditto), look like real pilots and ordinary men, rather than familiar actors. You end up feeling like you're watching a documentary, and the effect is bracing and unsettling, and dramatically unparalleled in Wayne's entire output. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Directed By
- William A. Wellman
- Written By
- Ernest K. Gann
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Sep 5, 1953 Wide
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Though not as good as The High and The Mighty, this similarly themed action-adventure of an aircraft crash, survival, and rescue is decently exceuted by the same team, helmer William Wellman and star John Wayne, who also produced through his company.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
An easy to take 'boys out in the wilderness' tale.
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Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
an admirable film, particularly when you consider the technical challenges of making a film like this in 1953
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
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Cast
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John Wayne
as Capt. Dooley
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Lloyd Nolan
as Stutz
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Walter Abel
as Col. Fuller
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James Arness
as McMullen
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Andy Devine
as Moon
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Allyn Joslyn
as J.H. Handy
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Jimmy Lydon
as Murray the navigator
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Harry Carey Jr.
as Hunt
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Hal Baylor
as Stankowski the engineer
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Sean McClory
as Frank Lovatt the Copilot
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Wally Cassell
as D'Annunzia the radioman
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Gordon Jones
as Walrus
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Frank Fenton
as Capt. Turner
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Robert Keys
as Major Ditson
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Sumner Getchell
as Lieutenant Cord
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Regis Toomey
as Sgt. Harper
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Paul Fix
as Miller
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George Chandler
as Rene
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Louis Jean Heydt
as Fitch
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Bob Steele
as Wilson
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Darryl Hickman
as Swanson
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Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer
as Hopper
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Tony DeMario
as Ogden
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Herbert Anderson
as Breezy
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Ann Doran
as Moon's wife
- John Indrisano
- Tom Irish
- Richard Walsh
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Michael Connors
as Gainer
- Gene Coogan
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Dawn Bender
as Murray's wife
