The Stolen Airliner is a 1955 British Children's Film Foundation production, directed by Don Sharp and starring Fella Edmonds, Diana Day and Michael Maguire. It was written by Sharp and John Pudney based on Pudney's 1955 adventure story for boys, Thursday Adventure.
Premise
An international gang of revolutionaries hijack a plane which is being guarded by three young air cadets. The crooks are overpowered in midair, and the Royal Air Force eventually comes to the rescue.
Cast
- Fella Edmonds as Fred
- Diana Day as Anne
- Michael Maguire as John
- Peter Dyneley as Uncle George
- Nicola Braithwaite as Kitty
- Ballard Berkeley as Mr. Head
- Iris Russell as Mrs. Head
- David King-Wood as controller
Production
It was Don Sharp's debut feature film as director, although he had directed some documentaries, following his decision to abandon acting. According to Anthony Hayward the film "demonstrated [Sharp's] ability to keep the action fast-paced". Sharp had written a number of films with John Pudney, whose novel formed the basis for this film. Sharp called it "a very good little action movie".
Reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "'The film takes a little time to warm to the excitements of the story, and some of the climaxes are spoilt by poor timing, but once the plot is under way it gets its response from the child audience. No great demands are made on the boy and girl players, who, on the whole, acquit themselves with credit, but the adults are less effective; Uncle George, in particular, plays in a brusque, unsmiling manner which it is hard to believe is attractive to children. The villains are suitably obvious; their excessive ineptitude, however, to some extent weakens the tension at moments of danger. Not'the best of the C.F.F. films, it is, nevertheless, a welcome addition to the repertoire of Saturday morning entertainment."
References
External links
- The Stolen Airliner at IMDb
