Buy this film from the WB ShopTHE CROWDED SKY — High Drama at 20,000 Feet
Director: Joesph Pevney
Actors: Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, Anne Francis, John Kerr, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Keenan Wynn, Troy Donahue, Joe Mantell, Patsy Kelly
Run Time: 105 mins | Country: USA | Release Date: September 2, 1960
Best Uses: With a group of witty friends and lots of martinis.
* * * * * * *
I'm a big fan of campy "adult" contemporary melodramas of the late '50s and early '60s—like THE BEST OF EVERYTHING, THE INTERNS and WHERE LOVE HAS GONE, to name a few. Still, I'd never seen one so deliriously hammy as THE CROWDED SKY.
The plot is simple: an eastbound U.S. Navy jet with pilot and co-pilot on board has a faulty radio that puts it on course to collide with a passenger-filled westbound commercial airliner. Through numerous flashbacks (complete with wavy screen effect) and countless zoom-in closeups, after which we hear the internal thoughts and conflicts of folks aboard both planes, we learn the turbulent histories of all parties involved in the looming disaster.
THE CROWDED SKY features some really wooden acting, but also some wonderfully over-the-top performances that land firmly at the other end of the spectrum. The script is full of trashy grown-up talk ("I just love banana splits; is it all the wonderful mixed up flavors or... (giggles)... is it something Freudian?") and frankly addresses issues like abortion, adultery and premarital sex. There are also some delightfully hokey special effects that will have you rewinding just so you can see them again. THE CROWDED SKY isn't really a good movie if taken at face value, but as a luridly melodramatic underground camp classic, I'd say it can't be beat.
The widescreen picture, Technicolor and sound were all just great; thanks to WB for putting this out on DVD—it was a thrilling discovery!
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