Making Movies
Transocean Air Lines 1946 - 1960
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| In 1953, Transocean Air Lines assisted Hollywood in making two movies, both based on novels written by Ernest K. Gann who was a pilot for TAL at the time. Gann's own experience with TAL provided much of the background used in the books. |
Late in 1952, Transocean was
commissioned by Director Bill
Wellman to lease three DC-3s for the
movie Island in the Sky from Trans
World Airlines (TWA).
commissioned by Director Bill
Wellman to lease three DC-3s for the
movie Island in the Sky from Trans
World Airlines (TWA).
| In November 1953, The High and The Mighty was filmed with Transocean providing technical advice, pilots to fly the airplanes, and mechanics to accomplish the job of installing the drooping engine called for in the script. |
Yet another movie, Julie,
which starred Doris Day
and Louis Jourdan, was
filmed at The Taloa
Academy of Aeronautics,
and the San Francisco
Airport.
which starred Doris Day
and Louis Jourdan, was
filmed at The Taloa
Academy of Aeronautics,
and the San Francisco
Airport.
Fate Is the Hunter was a 1961 bestseller by aviation author & Transocean Capt. Ernest K. Gann that was later
made into a movie staring Glen Ford.
Suspense builds around the investigation of a plane crash that caused 53 deaths in this dramatic adaption of
Gann's novel. Authorities systematically eliminate probable causes, finally placing blame on the pilot, who was
seen drinking before the flight. The airline's director of flight operations, Sam McBane (Glen Ford), knowing the
pilot's excellent WW II record, refuses to accept the authorities' conclusions and begins his own investigation.
With the help of the only survivor, a stewardess (Suzanne Pleshette), McBane re-creates the events leading to
the crash in an attempt to discover the true cause. The character of the incriminated pilot, Captain Jack Savage
(Rod Taylor), is revealed through a series of flashbacks, from a wartime army camp (with a cameo by Jane
Russell) to the climactic moment of the thrilling crash.
Eventually a test flight re-creating the actual flight shows that the pilot was innocent and that the crash was
caused by a cup of coffee spilling and shorting out critical wiring.
made into a movie staring Glen Ford.
Suspense builds around the investigation of a plane crash that caused 53 deaths in this dramatic adaption of
Gann's novel. Authorities systematically eliminate probable causes, finally placing blame on the pilot, who was
seen drinking before the flight. The airline's director of flight operations, Sam McBane (Glen Ford), knowing the
pilot's excellent WW II record, refuses to accept the authorities' conclusions and begins his own investigation.
With the help of the only survivor, a stewardess (Suzanne Pleshette), McBane re-creates the events leading to
the crash in an attempt to discover the true cause. The character of the incriminated pilot, Captain Jack Savage
(Rod Taylor), is revealed through a series of flashbacks, from a wartime army camp (with a cameo by Jane
Russell) to the climactic moment of the thrilling crash.
Eventually a test flight re-creating the actual flight shows that the pilot was innocent and that the crash was
caused by a cup of coffee spilling and shorting out critical wiring.