Jet Over the Atlantic (1959)

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writer:

Irving H. Cooper (writer)

Release Date:

4 November 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

PANIC IN THE SKIES! (original ad - all caps)

Plot:

Assorted people board a plane with a fire bomb in its luggage hold.

Plot Keywords:

Bomb | Plane | Beautiful Woman | Aviation

Cast

Guy Madison	...	Brett Murphy
Virginia Mayo	...	Jean Gurney
George Raft	...	Stafford
Ilona Massey	...	Mme. Galli-Cazetti
George Macready	...	Lord Robert Leverett
Anna Lee	...	Ursula Leverett
Margaret Lindsay	...	Mrs. Lanyard
Venetia Stevenson	...	June Elliott
Mary Anderson	...	Maria
Brett Halsey	...	Dr. Vanderbird
Argentina Brunetti	...	Miss Hooten
Frederick Worlock	...	Dean Halltree
Tudor Owen	...	Mr. Priestwood
Cindy Lee	...	Young Miss Lanyard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rebeca Iturbide	...	Stewardess
Tito Junco	...	General Ramirez
John Kelly	...	Garbotz
Hilda Moreno	...	Mrs. Priestwood
Carlos Múzquiz	...	Purser
Gene Roth
Armando Sáenz	...	Pilot
Fanny Schiller	...	Passenger
Cesar Ugarte	...	Co-pilot
Selene Walters	...	Passenger

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company:

Benedict Bogeaus Production

Trivia:

The 'jet' airplane referenced in the title is in actuality a propeller craft, explained in the film as a 'turboprop'.

Soundtrack:

WHAT WOULD I DO WITHOUT YOU

Crisis In Midair

To start off with the title for Jet Over The Atlantic is completely a wrong one. The airliner that our passengers are taking from Madrid to New York is one of those old propeller type jobs. That's a harbinger for things to come with this film. A pity because if the producer, Benedict Bogeaus hadn't been so sloppy, he could have had a classic film on his hands.

George MacReady at his sinister best in this film is an English lord who is upset with his wife Anna Lee and decides to kill her. He puts a bomb in his luggage as the two of them are embarking on a transatlantic flight. Not an exploding bomb mind you, but a device that's an incendiary that sets the baggage section on fire and causes a noxious poison to seep through the plane's ventilation systems. Some on the plane seem to be more susceptible than others for no discernible reason.

Traveling on the plane is Guy Madison being extradited from Spain by FBI man George Raft. Guy's girlfriend Virginia Mayo is also on board as are a host of other passengers from all walks of life. Guy's a former pilot from the Korean War who was convicted wrongly of two murders and we see in the flashback he didn't do it. He's facing the death penalty with his return. But in an emergency, he's the only one on the plane who can help.

I don't think I have to tell you how this ends, but this was a sloppy B film with a lot of holes in the story and in the execution. It's a poor man's The High And The Mighty and it's harbinger of those Airport films to come.

The cast performs well enough and there certainly is a lot of tension in the air. Jet Over The Atlantic could have stood a lot of improvement though, starting with the title.