Claire Trevor, Jan Sterling, John Wayne

John Wayne personally produced many of his '50s films, which is why some of them have languished in corporate limbo following his death. The High and the Mighty was one of his most popular vehi...( read more  read more... )cles (no pun intended). This long, necessarily sedentary drama aboard an endangered airliner is a CinemaScope bridge between 1932's Grand Hotel and 1970s disaster movies. Despite Wayne's iconic presence as a pilot--now copilot--who survived the plane crash that wiped out his family, it's an ensemble movie with an impressive cast: Robert Stack sharing the cockpit, Oscar® nominees Claire Trevor and Jan Sterling, Laraine Day, Robert Newton, Paul Kelly, John Qualen, Regis Toomey, the ubiquitous Paul Fix, and director William A. Wellman's good-luck character actor Douglas Fowley. Dimitri Tiomkin's score won the Oscar, though the fondly remembered theme song isn't as prominent as you'd expect. Wings veteran William H. Clothier shot the aerial footage. --Richard T. Jameson

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61% liked it

2,809 ratings

Unrated, 147 min.

Directed by: William A. Wellman

Release Date: May 27, 1954

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DVD Release Date: August 2, 2005

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Flixster Reviews (85)


  • November 20, 2009
    A suspense film that only the 1950's can bring you.
  • April 1, 2009
    This was pretty good. It's not just a John Wayne movie.
  • March 11, 2009
    Outstanding movie John Wayne is my family favorite actor
  • January 8, 2009
    This is the ORIGINAL airline disaster flick, a great film and I am glad it is finally on DVD after all these years (when you could only see it in late night broadcast television).
  • November 26, 2008
    John Wayne personally produced many of his '50s films, which is why some of them have languished in corporate limbo following his death. The High and the Mighty was one of his most popular vehi...( read more read more... )cles (no pun intended). This long, necessarily sedentary d...( read more)rama aboard an endangered airliner is a CinemaScope bridge between 1932's Grand Hotel and 1970s disaster movies. Despite Wayne's iconic presence as a pilot--now copilot--who survived the plane crash that wiped out his family, it's an ensemble movie with an impressive cast: Robert Stack sharing the cockpit, Oscar® nominees Claire Trevor and Jan Sterling, Laraine Day, Robert Newton, Paul Kelly, John Qualen, Regis Toomey, the ubiquitous Paul Fix, and director William A. Wellman's good-luck character actor Douglas Fowley. Dimitri Tiomkin's score won the Oscar, though the fondly remembered theme song isn't as prominent as you'd expect. Wings veteran William H. Clothier shot the aerial footage. --Richard T. Jameson
  • October 1, 2008
    Compelling, but relentlessly cheesy by today's standards.
  • June 10, 2008
    I wish I could watch every movie ever made but I sadly don't have the time. I'm not interested in this movie because I don't think I'll like it or don't know enough about it to think I might like it. I may still end up seeing it some day though.
  • March 15, 2008
    late bloomer, but a great classic

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The High and the Mighty Trivia


  • John Wayne played Robert Stack's co-pilot in what movie?   Answer »
  • John Wayne & Claire Trevor  Answer »

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