FIVE CAME BACK

US, 1939, 75 minutes, Black and white.
Chester Morris, Wendy Barrie Lucille Ball, Joseph Calleia, Kent Taylor, Patrick Knowles, Sir C.Aubrey Smith, Elizabeth Risdon, Allen Jenkins, John Carradine.
Directed by John Farrow.

Five Came Back is a disaster movie before they became popular. There had been some disaster films like San Francisco in 1936 and The Hurricane in 1938. However, this is one of the first air disaster films.

It is interesting to look at the aviation of the time, the planes, the pilots, the accommodation on board, destinations and stopovers.

The story involves 12 people on a plane bound for Latin America. The passengers seem normal enough, although there is a selfish man, rich, running away with his secretary to marry her, Patrick Knowles and Wendy Barry, there is a jaded goodtime girl, Lucille Ball in an early role, and a dignified elderly couple played by Sir C.Aubrey Smith and Elizabeth Risdon. Chester Morris and Kent Taylor are the two pilots. The other interesting character is a killer being extradited to Panama, handcuffed to a bounty hunter, Joseph Calleia and John Carradine. In fact, the killer turns out to be one of the decent members on the plane.

The plane crashes in a violent storm, in remote valleys, which searches do not find. Nevertheless, the group make a community, make do with what they have, with the pilots repairing the plane. Not everyone can take off and so the elderly couple remain behind and the killer makes the decision as to who should leave.

Later plane disaster films, including the Airport series, were more sophisticated in their filmmaking, but not necessarily better in the range of characters, behaviour and dialogue. The film was directed by veteran, John Farrow, who is to make a number of action films in the next decade. The 1957 remake was Back From Eternity.

1. A popular disaster film of the 1930s? An air disaster? Aviation in the 1930s, passenger flights, the size of the planes, their comforts, the staff? In comparison with later decades?

2. The black and white photography, the airport settings, inside the plane, the jungle settings? Musical score? The cast?

3. The preparation of the flight, technical aspects in the United States, the plane ready for the flight? The two pilots, their characters?

4. The range of passengers: Alice and Ellis, wealthy background, secretary, eloping? Peggy, the girl with the past? The elderly couple, 35 years married, his expertise in science, her devotion? The little boy and his gangster father, entrusted to Pete? The prisoner, his background, the bounty hunter and his determination to deliver his prisoner?

5. The flight, the comfort on board, Bill and his flirting? Alice and the air-conditioning? The little boy, Pete telling him the story? All normal? The first landing, the meals, continuing the flight? News about the gangster gunned down?

6. The storm, the little boy and his being upset, the women taking care of him? The pilots, turbulence? The door, the steward and his being dragged out of the plane? The bounty hunter and his drinking, pulling the gun?

7. The crash landing, success? Marooned, the jungle, hearing the local drums, fear? The number of weeks in the valley, the attempts at search, their not being found, speculation as to where they should be?

8. The group managing, the officer in charge, the elderly professor and his observations and analysis of the situation? The bounty hunter, his disappearance?

9. Managing, repairing the plane? Testing the engines? Difficulties? Unable to take off with all the passengers, Pete and his being attacked, his death? Ellis and his trying to bribe to get on the plane? The elderly couple and their decision to stay, devotion to each other, appreciating each other and their long marriage?

10. The killer, getting the gun, wanting order, the group allowing him to make the decision as to who should go since he was being objective, he had to stay and not return to execution? His decision against novels, Ellis’ death?

11. Peggy, the attraction to the pilot, offering to stay, going? Alice, the attraction, leaving her fiance behind?

12. The take off, the five coming back?