No Highway in the Sky

James Stewart in his brief "fubsy" period directed by Henry Koster with whom he worked several times successfully, most notably "Harvey". Stewart plays Theadore Honey, a brilliant aeronautical engineer who has discovered a flaw in the design of a new airplane that will result in its tail falling off after a certain number of air hours. This British film is somewhat forgotten, but stands up beautifully in today's contemporary commercial air scene. A very winning and complex characterization by Stewart reminds us that although he was always "himself", he had great range. A poignant performance by Janette Scott as his daughter Elspeth is perfectly complementary and, indeed, the father-daughter relationship is a major theme that helps take this film to a higher level. Glynis Johns is an air-hostess/nurse who answers the call of the script believably. Marlene Dietrich smokes her way through scenes as, well, Marlene Dietrich and creates a character thats an odd comment on today's celebrity patronesses. Lots of other good British actors like Jack Hawkins add heft.

A very satisfying movie with a flight that will keep you white-knuckled.

This is one of the better examples of how to craft a drama with just enough humor to lighten the load at just the right times. Most of the credit has to go to Jimmy Stewart, who infuses his character with hilarious absent-mindedness. We constantly have a chuckle at Theodore Honey, yet all the while we are witness to his personal metamorphosis from disinterested and detached scientist to caring and energetic activist.

The whole movie uses technology as the vehicle within which the protagonist lives, works, and eventually changes, but this movie is not about nuts and bolts; it is ultimately about personal transformation - Nothing is the same for Mr. Honey by the end of the film. The joy is watching the transformation, bit by bit, as events literally overtake him.

Too few of Nevil Shute's great stories found their way into film, and this is one of the better ones. The book, however, is more suspenseful, as the reader wonders whether the transatlantic flight carrying the metallurgical engineer will make it across or crash. In the movie, the suspense is missing, because you know that no studio will allow Jimmy Stewart to die midway through the film. Also, in the book the engineer is a bit of a religious fanatic, and this has understandably been purged from the film. Still, it's a good yarn, well played by Stewart, Marlene, and a very fetching Glynis Johns. The special effects are what you might expect of a movie of this vintage, and a remake, in color and with computer graphics, might be worth doing. Really worth doing would be other Shute novels, like Pastoral, The Chequer Board, and, especially, Trustee from the Toolroom.

This movie is a great example early stress testing methods, even though the lead character (Mr. Honey, played by James Stewart) is a stereotypical scatterbrained genius. My favorite scenes were of the models and the vibration test chamber at the beginning of the film. The story is pretty compelling to watch, as Honey comes face to face with the horrible reality of his theory. Stewart puts a very human touch on what could have been a two-dimensional B-movie stereotype. He is just eccentric (in modern lingo, nerdy) enough to make you laugh, but when he stands up for something, watch out!

Naturally, engineering stories don't draw large audiences, so the only way I could finally see this movie was to spend $19.95 to buy it online. The money was well spent. My rating is 8 / 10.

This is one of James Stewart's lesser known films made during the post WWII period when Stewart was unsure what direction his Hollywood career would take him. I recently discovered this film on cable and found it to play somewhat like a long "Twilight Zone" episode where Stewart's character who is a scientist tries to convince the pilot of a transatlantic flight that the airline's structure will collapse and that everyone will be killed unless they turn back. Fine performances by Stewart and the supporting cast make this a watchable film.