Well, you – you haven’t got your clothes on.
No Highway in the Sky (1951)
Hello to all of the classic people that are returning. I am glad you are back. I want to welcome any new visitors. Today on Classic Movie Review, we are taking on No Highway in the Sky (1951).
Today’s film has an okay 7.1 rating on iMDB.com.[1] On Rottentomatoes.com, the film does not have a Tomatometer score and has a low 67 percent for the audience[2]. I guess it’s not for everyone.
New York Time film critic Bosley Crowther seemed to like the film and said as a part of the review:
“And, indeed, the fact that the picture was made in England and does possess to some degree the modest virtues of casualness and gentle drollery that are familiar in British comedies may slightly annoy those restless persons who like their comedies to click—bang, bang, bang!”
I’ll discuss this a little more in the Conclusion as it affects how Honey’s potential lunacy was handled.
The review ends with the following:
“And for glamor, if that is your interest, it does have Marlene Dietrich and Glynis Johns…Not only are Mr. Stewart, Miss Dietrich and Miss Johns delightfully adroit in their roles, which require a good bit of clever miming, but others are capable, too. Ronald Squire as a company director, Jack Hawkins as an inspector for Air, and Niall MacGinnis as the pilot of the airplane make their roles seem imperishably real. “No Highway in the Sky” may seem preposterous in some of its technical details, but it contains a great deal of dry amusement and a little something about people on which to chew.”[3]
I want to shout out to everyone who has recently commented or emailed and to Robert for the aviation info.
Actors – No Highway in the Sky (1951)
Returning
Six foot, four inches tall James Stewart played the socially inept engineer described as a mousy little man, Theodore Honey. Stewart was first covered in the excellent aviation film The Flight of the Phoenix (1965).
Glynis Johns played a stewardess who was required to also be a nurse, Marjorie Corder. Johns was first covered in the Australian sheep adventure The Sundowners (1960).
New
I have wanted to review a film with this actress for some time. Marlene Dietrich played aged actress Monica Teasdale. Dietrich was born in 1901 in the German Empire in what would become Berlin, Germany. Her father was a former officer in the Franco-Prussian War and worked as a Police Officer. Her father died when she was 11, and her mother remarried later. Marlene’s stepfather died in World War I.
Some sources say Marlene was involved in sexual escapades early on, resulting in at least one teacher being fired. She started acting in her teens and was a Berlin cabaret singer in the 1920s. In 1921 Marlene started attending an acting school run by Max Reinhardt. Marlene married Rudolf Sieber in 1923. Although they were only together for five years, they never divorced.
Marlene’s first film may have been as early as 1919, but by 1923 she was in multiple productions per year. Josef von Sternberg gave the young actress a screen test in 1929. This resulted in her being cast in The Blue Angel (1930). This film put her on a course for sexy stardom.
Von Sternberg brought Marlene to Hollywood, where she starred in Morocco (1930) with Gary Cooper. Marlene received a lot of roles, but she was consistently cast as a vamp or a lady with low morals. These films include Dishonored (1931), Shanghai Express (1932), Blonde Venus (1932), Desire (1936), The Garden of Allah (1936), and Angel (1937).
In 1937, Marlene became a US citizen, even though she was offered rich compensation to return to Germany and work for the crazies running the country during the time.
Marlene was cast as a saloon girl with a hidden heart of gold in one of my favorite comedy westerns, Destry Rides Again (1939). The previously mentioned film has a hilarious Blazing Saddles (1974) connection.
During World War II, Marlene worked extensively for the allied side. She limited her film roles in favor of war-related work. This made her a pariah in her hometown of Berlin. War-era films include Manpower (1942), The Spoilers (1942), The Lady Is Willing (1942), and Pittsburgh (1942).
Marlene’s roles slowed following the war, but at the same time, she was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1947 for her military support.
These latter roles are her best work, in my opinion. These films include No Highway in the Sky (1951), Rancho Notorious (1952), Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Touch of Evil (1958), and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961).
In later years, Marlene worked in Las Vegas, theater, and Broadway. By 1979, Marlene was living a secluded life, rarely leaving her Paris apartment. She died in 1992 at the age of 90. In 2002, Berlin, Germany, made her an honorary citizen.
Jack Hawkins played the role of Dennis Scott. Hawkins was born in England in 1910. Hawkins began singing and acting as a child. He made his London stage debut at 13 while attending Italia Conti Academy.
Through the 1920s and 1930s, Hawkins became a significant stage actor. He was in his first movie and continued to make films periodically until World War II. In 1941, Hawkins was commissioned in the British Army Royal Welch Fusiliers. During the war, this already successful actor was assigned to the India and Southeast Asia war theater, where he entertained troops.
Following the war, Hawkins returned to stage work and released his first post-war film in 1948. Films during this period include The Black Rose (1950), playing an English adventurer in the middle east, in today’s film, No Highway in the Sky (1951), in the role of an aviation engineer, and The Adventurers (1951), a story of diamonds in South Africa.
The mid-1950s would find Hawkins becoming an international star. This was kicked off when he played the pharaoh in the Howard Hawks-directed Land of the Pharaohs (1955). Other films during this era include a role as a pilot in The Man in the Sky (1957), he was terrific as a commando leading William Holden’s character on a deadly mission in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), as a police officer in John Ford (Dir.)’ s Gideon of Scotland Yard (1958), as a double agent in The Two-Headed Spy (1958), and then as a Roman commander in stellar film Ben-Hur (1959). “We keep you alive to serve this ship. Row well and live.” His last major film was the heist movie The League of Gentlemen (1960).
Hawkins was a very heavy smoker and began having trouble with his voice by 1959. He continued to have good roles, including Five Finger Exercise (1962) with Rosalind Russell; he was terrific as a British general in the epic Lawrence of Arabia (1962), playing against type as a cowardly priest in the great war film Zulu (1964).
He continued in film, but his star days were over. Films during this period include The Third Secret (1964), Lord Jim (1965), and Masquerade (1965). Hawkins was diagnosed with throat cancer, and his larynx was removed in 1966. Sadly, he died early at the age of 62 in 1973.
Story – No Highway in the Sky (1951)
The credits are shown over a view of clouds. A twin-tailed De Havilland FB Mk I “Venom” flies over the entrance of the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE). The RAE grew from the British Army Balloon Factory operated from 1904–1906[4]. The RAE was under military control until 1988.
Dennis Scott (Jack Hawkins) is cleared through the gate of the RAE. Scott meets with his new boss Sir John (Ronald Squire). Sir John and Scott look at a model of their new plane, called the Reindeer. The plane is made from a newly developed metal, has two vertical stabilizers on the tail, and square passenger windows.
Sir John turns Scott over to Major Pearl (Maurice Denham) for a tour of facilities. As the new Chief of Metallurgy, Scott is rearing to start. Scott is shown the balloon shed, strength testing area, weather testing, and water landing testing. Finally, Scott is taken to a very loud area that has the tail section of a Reindeer attached to a shaking apparatus.
At a small desk near the tail section, Theodore Honey (James Stewart) is hunched over some reading as he slowly eats his lunch. Having been in the aviation field myself, I noticed that no one has ear protection. Major Pearl tries to tell Scott that it is a vibration test of the tail section of the Reindeer, but he cannot be heard until Pearl pulls the switch and stops the test.
Honey objects strongly to the machine being turned off. Honey is told that Scott will be his new boss. When Scott asks Honey what he expects from the experiment, Honey says he expects the tail to fall off. Scott is fascinated by this large “odd little man” who scurries away.
Outside, Pearl tells Scott that Honey believes the tail section will eventually fall off the Reindeer. Scott is a little taken aback because the jetliner is already in service and flying, having been sold to the Trans-Atlantic Aircraft Corporation. Pearl also mentions that Honey is a Yank, not the bad kind, a Rhodes Scholar, and an extremely valuable employee.
At 5:30 p.m., all the employees head out the gate toward home. When a guard says good day to Honey, the scientist does not know how to respond. Scott pulls over and offers Honey a ride. Honey does everything he can to avoid the social situation. Honey is too large to fit in the small English car.
Under Scott’s queries, Honey explains that constant vibration will make the metal break apart. Of course, Honey talks about atoms and fusion to explain his idea. Honey asks Scott to come in, hoping the new boss doesn’t accept. Still very curious, Scott accepts the offer.
Honey is so nervous that he goes to the wrong door. In the apartment, Scott is introduced to Honey’s daughter Elspeth (Janette Scott). Elspeth is exceptionally bright and socially mature for her age. When Honey finds he is out of sherry, he leaves to get a new bottle leaving Scott and his teen daughter alone. It wouldn’t happen nowadays.
Elspeth tells Scott that her mother was killed by a V-2 rocket during World War II. Elspeth gives Scott a tour of the house. She is running an experiment on a goldfish since she is a budding young scientist. Elspeth says she and her father play math games, including one he made up called Pyramidology. This is really a funny bit, as Hawkins’ first big hit was Land of the Pharaohs (1955), where he played a pyramid-obsessed Pharaoh.
Honey returns with the bottle. He is still obsessed with his work and the piles of books in the living room. Scott asks if Elspeth gets to spend any time with other children. Honey says she doesn’t fit in well with people her age.
As Scott prepares to leave, he says he will speak with Honey about the tail problem in a day or two. Honey says he can talk now and is certain that the tails will fall off after 1,440 flying hours. Under questioning, Honey says his test has been running for 832 hours, 14 minutes, and 7 seconds. They are not allowed to run the test at night because of noise complaints.
Honey has not provided his superiors with the 1,440 flying hour estimate, even though the Reindeers in service will hit that number before the experiment is completed. Honey looks at it as purely a research goal and is unconcerned with the people flying on the aircraft. Scott leaves on that uncomfortable note.
The next day, Scott sees a Gloster E.1/44 prototype jet fighter fly over. This plane was one of only three of that model ever made. Piloting the jet is Scott’s old friend Bill Penworthy (David Hutcheson). Penworthy is a wild-haired test pilot. The two men go to a pub for a drink. During their drink, they talk about a mutual friend that crashed a Reindeer in Labrador. Since the pilot was killed, they ruled the crash was a result of pilot error. Scott begins to think that there is something to Honey’s theory.
Scott goes over the facts of the crash with Johnson (Hugh Cross). Johnson says the aircraft had 1,407 hours, and the tail section was never recovered. Scott takes the new information to Sir John. Sir John agrees to run Honey’s test 24 hours a day. Sir John is overly concerned with cost and doesn’t want to ground the fleet. He comments that Honey walks a fine line between genius and madness. Sir John decides to send Honey to Labrador to investigate the crash.
Scott and his wife (Elizabeth Allan) are taking care of Elspeth while he is on the trip. Honey doesn’t know how to board the plane, likely having come to England on a ship. He is passed a check-in by Monica Teasdale (Marlene Dietrich). For this part, Dietrich bought a fur stole and mink cap at studio expenses. Very chic, but not the best travel wear.
Honey climbs the ramp of the plane, and the cabin is being run by the highly efficient Stewardess Marjorie Corder (Glynnis Johns). She realizes he is nervous because never having flown before and plans to keep an eye on him. The camera pans the plane as it taxis and shows the double stabilizer on the tail. Honey is flying to Montreal on a Reindeer!
Marjorie lights a cigarette for Teasdale. Marjorie then checks back on Honey. Honey recognizes Teasdale as a film star. Copilot Sam Dobson (Kenneth More) meets the stewardesses in the oven-equipped, glass-lined service area. Dobson tells Marjorie that they have an aeronautical scientist on board and want to give him a tour. Marjorie is shocked when she discovers that Honey is a scientist. Marjorie apologizes for thinking Honey has never flown before. He confirms that he has never been on a plane. He doesn’t want the tour until Marjorie tells him they are on a Reindeer. Of course, her hat and shoulder patches all have large racked deer on them.
Dobson gives Honey the tour while Captain Samuelson (Niall MacGinnis) flies the plane. The plane has a crew of seven without a tail gunner. One man monitors the engines and mentions that they are on the third set of engines. The plane they’re on was used in South America before the rest of the fleet and had 1,422 flying hours at the time of takeoff. Honey goes to the back like a zombie. Honey is starting to look like William Shatner in “Terror at 20,000 Feet,” aired on television in 1963.
Honey returns to the front insisting on talking to Captain Samuelson. Honey explains the tail problem. The captain doesn’t dismiss him outright and calls in for instructions. The captain also has the inboard engines feathered to reduce vibration as they continue. Dobson lets Marjorie know about the potentially problematic passenger.
Honey goes to the bathroom, which shares a wall with the kitchen stove. He bangs the wall and checks the stove mounting.
The captain pretends he is getting cigarettes out of his bag and gives the tail section a visual inspection.
Honey wakes the sleeping actress Teasdale. He tells her that her acting was very dear to his late wife. He then says that the tail may fall off and that the safest place in a crash would be sitting on the floor of the men’s bathroom. Teasdale buzzes for Majorie, and she takes Honey back to his seat. In return for Marjorie’s kindness, he gives her the same warning he gave to Teasdale. Marjorie says she is part of the crew and will have a lot to do in any emergency.
Marjorie apologizes to Teasdale. Teasdale is beginning to think that Honey may be right. Just then, the inboard engines are feathers. Teasdale thinks the captain really believes Honey. She sits by Honey and really listens to what he has to say.
The airline calls back and tells the captain to use his own discretion.
Honey explains the entire concept to Teasdale even though she can’t understand what he is talking about. It does comfort her. Honey and Teasdale spend the night by the galley.
The plane crosses the point of no return, the halfway point.
Honey and Teasdale talk through the night. She is struck by Honey’s godlike trying to save her. He explains that her movie gave his wife joy; they watched one just before she was killed. Teasdale falls asleep on Honey’s shoulder.
The plane safely makes it to within 30 minutes of Gander Airfield in Newfoundland. The captain starts the inboard engines and asks for a direct emergency landing.
When Teasdale awakes and finds out they will be fine, she is angry and embarrassed about their intimate conversation during the night.
The plane lands on the ground without incident. The next leg of the flight is delayed because the captain wants the plane inspected.
Teasdale tells Honey he must have multiplied when he should have divided.
The captain throws Honey off the next leg of the flight, and Majorie secures him in a locked room in the terminal. This seems to be an error; as Honey was heading to Labrador, he would not be continuing on the leg to Montreal.
Every inch of the plane is inspected and found to be in good shape. Honey is not convinced. Majorie questions Honey about how sure he is of his theory. He suddenly realizes that Majorie will be leaving on the potentially doomed flight.
In a few hours, the announcement is made for the passengers to reboard the plane. Majorie says goodbye to Honey and leaves the door unlocked. Honey leaves the room and just sashays onto the airplane. The captain gives Honey another chance to explain to the inspector. Honey jumps past the captain and slides the left wheel gear lever to the up position. The large airliner collapses to the ground. The fuselage, wings, propellors, and landing gear are critically damaged. Dobson attacks Honey but is pulled off. Majorie drags Honey back to the holding room.
Teasdale storms into the holding room. Teasdale is amazed by Honey’s conviction and courage to stop the plane and potentially save a large group of people. Honey said he didn’t plan on dropping the lever and is expecting a lot of trouble. Majorie says she will check in on Elspeth when she returns to England.
Back at RAE, Sir John meets with his senior staff. Sir John refuses to talk to anyone, but an aide insists that he be connected with Sir David Moon (Hugh Wakefield), President of TAAC, who thinks Honey is a madman.
I don’t know what they do in England, but I am sure an American employer would turn their back on Honey and never allow him to return to the airfield, much less stay with him through the investigation.
The newspapers treat Honey pretty well, saying things like he is a David who stopped a Goliath. Honey is not allowed on TAAC flights, and the Royal Airforce has to send a plane to return him for the hearing. They also dispatch another investigator to Laborador to investigate the first crash.
Monica Teasdale arrives to talk with Sir John about Honey. Scott and Sir John greet Teasdale. She has returned to England to ensure his bosses don’t toss him to the wolves. Teasdale says she believed Honey even though she didn’t understand his theory. She says he is brave and kind. Scott walks Teasdale out, and she is going to visit Elspeth.
Honey returns to England in an RAF Avro Lancaster B Mk VII. A screaming mob of reporters and photographers is waiting for him when he arrives. He goes inside to see his experiment being run by other people. Guards and scientists are standing very near the tail section that may fall to the ground at any point.
Honey arrives at Sir John’s home and complains that his work has been taken away. Scott is there as well. Sir John explains that the test will continue until they find out if the airplanes are safe. He also says if the test fails, a press release will be sent blaming Honey backed up with psychological testing. Honey agrees to take the tests.
Honey goes back to his apartment and hears a female voice. It is Marjorie. She has been staying with Elspeth and has wholly cleaned the messy apartment. She has even replaced the curtain. Teasdale has provided furniture and stuff for Elspeth. The ladies had lobster for supper, and Marjorie goes to make Honey a plate. Wow. What is she getting paid?
Honey sees Elspeth asleep but holding a new frilly dress.
Marjorie and Teasdale both believe that Honey did the right thing by wrecking the plane on the ground. He says he would do the same thing again even though it was not scientific or orderly. When Honey finds out that Marjorie has been staying at the apartment, he worries that people will gossip. She says she is a nurse, a requirement for being a stewardess, and she will get her nurse uniform in the morning.
Honey is allowed to go to work and oversee the tests.
Monica Teasdale comes to the apartment and finds Marjorie there. Teasdale realizes that she could never be the type of woman that Honey needs and that Marjorie is the one that would make a good wife. Marjorie says she was married for a month before her husband was shot down and killed. Teasdale decides that she will go back to the movies. Teasdale has more gifts for Elspeth. She sends Elspeth to her room and slinks out while the young girl is away. Teasdale’s last words are that Marjorie should keep telling Elspeth she is pretty.
At the tail testing area, Honey, Scott, and Sir John wait for the 1,440 hours tail failure to arrive. Honey expects the tail to fall at 2:00 p.m. The workday ends without any action. The hours on the test rise to 1,522.
Honey returns home late and tells Marjorie that he is a failure. He thinks the inquiry will deem him insane. Marjorie gets a little hot that Honey is giving up. She says she is returning to work the next day and wouldn’t it be funny if they put her back on a Reindeer. She also says Elspeth can no longer be raised using rigorous science and training. Elspeth is not excited about life going back to normal. She says she is a social outcast because she is so intelligent. She breaks down at the thought of going back to the old ways.
The inquiry begins with Honey, Scott, Sir John, and a large group from TAAC. Sir Moon refuses to ground the Riendeers based only on a theory. Honey stands up and says he believes the mathematics are correct. Honey says he is resigning to protect the RAE. He also says he will wreck any Reindeer that tries to take off. Sir John smiles as Honey leaves.
Honey goes home and gets a drink of sherry. He tells Marjorie that he resigned after his speech. She is worried that he won’t have enough money for Elspeth. Marjorie asks for his bank book. She finds he only has around 3 pounds. She asks where his money is, and he shows her seven months’ worth of undeposited checks.
Marjorie begins to cry and says she can’t leave Honey without someone to take care of him. She says she is going to marry him and live in the apartment whether he has a job or not.
Sir John and Scott leave the meeting and are given a note. The new inspector in Labrador has located the tail spar, which has a metal fatigue fracture. Before Sir John can give the news to Sir Moon, Moon reports that the plane Honey wreck was repaired and made another flight. After it landed, the tail section fell off onto the runway.
Sir John, Scott, and Marjorie run into the tail testing room. Honey is there even though he resigned earlier. Honey is completely vindicated by the two pieces of news. However, he is only concerned with why his experiment failed.
Suddenly, the tail section breaks and falls to the floor. Scott and Sir John are overjoyed. Honey sees a wall thermometer and realizes that he did not control the experiment for the temperature variable. The plane that Honey dropped the nose gear on had been flying in the warm climates of South America before it was moved north. He and Marjorie smile, and the film ends.
Conclusion – No Highway in the Sky (1951)
Underappreciated English actor Robert Donat was scheduled to play the role of Honey. This would have made this film a mostly English film reducing the chances that it would be seen by me. Donat had a recurring illness that kept him out of many great films. Standing only six feet, Donat does not meet the description of a mousey little man either. With Donat out, they had to transform Stewart into a Rhodes Scholar that never left England.
The aircraft used for the Reindeer was a Handley Page HP-70 Halifax. The actual plane used had previously flown 116 missions during the Berlin Airlift.
Nevil Shute wrote the source material for this movie in 1948, and the movie was released in 1951. Strangely, a very similar crash occurred in 1954. Several de Havilland Comet 1 jetliners crashed from metal fatigue. The Comet had large square passenger windows. It was determined that the stress around the windows caused the metal fatigue.
This all reminds me of Aloha Airlines Flight 243. On April 28, 1988,[5] a Boeing 737 had an 18-foot section of its roof torn off while flying at 24,000 feet. The metal fatigue resulted from the airplane flying in a saltwater environment.
In this film, Marlene Dietrich, as Teasdale, lights and smokes 8 cigarettes. This reminds me that I want to give an Old Smoky Town shout-out to Michael DiGiovanni and Andrew Bloom from Classic Film Jerks, who are turning over the reins of their show after 11 years of podcasting.
World-Famous Short Summary – Thank goodness for the little round windows.
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Beware the moors.
[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043859/
[2] No Highway in the Sky – Rotten Tomatoes
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/1951/09/22/archives/the-screen-in-review-no-highway-in-the-sky-wit-james-stewart-and.html
[4] Royal Aircraft Establishment – Wikipedia
[5] 30 years since the Aloha Airlines flight 243 tragedy (hawaiinewsnow.com)
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