The High And The Mighty is the original airline disaster novel, inspiring many imitators such as Arthur Hailey's Airport and the classic series of films that followed. Ernest K. Gann (Island In The Sky) wrote it in 1953 when both air travel and being a passanger was simpler and more exotic. While it deals with all the technical issues of aircraft, it also packs a dramatic and entertaining punch.
Dan Roman is almost washed up as a pilot following a crash that killed his family and left him wounded. He has a last chance as co-pilot on flight 420 from Honolulu to San Francisco. Sullivan is the no-nonsense pilot with spells of flying anxiety. Spalding is the (self described) dumb-bunny stewardess serving the wine and steaks, and stowing the minks.
On board is a collection of only 16 passengers for the twelve hour flight at 3000ft. There are the newlyweds, a long married couple and a divorcing couple, a famous producer and his wife, a man with a fatal disease, a womanizing businessman, an aging blonde, the jaded beauty, a young Korean girl, a Mexican gentleman - and we get to know their histories and motivations for being on this particular flight. Also on board is Humphrey Agnew, a man obsessed with revenge, there to kill another passenger or himself before they land.
Nearing the halfway point of no return, engine number one blows, left hanging on the end of the wing and leaking fuel. The crew must prepare everyone for a ditch landing in the ocean, or find a way to somehow land in Frisco. When the passengers realize the danger, many future plans change and they bond together in the crisis.
The second half of the novel is on the technical side, as every instrument and dial is double checked, along with the navigator looking through the cockpit's glass ceiling at the stars with octant and pencil in hand. You can tell Gann knows all the flight procedures and instrumentation, and for 1953, it's amazing how primitive they are. With the radio down as well, they rely on nearby ships to relay their coordinates and fly blind by the seat of their pants, right up to the intense last pages.
Gann wrote the screenplay for the film of The High And The Mighty starring John Wayne, Robert Stack and Claire Trevor in 1953. Nominated for 6 Oscars, it won for best score.
This is a classic disaster novel with tense situations and passengers in peril. Classy enough to not be camp yet, it's a thrilling tale of a time when air travel was not an everyday adventure. Although often imitated using boats, buildings, trains, you name it, it's an entertaining read.
1953 / Hardcover / 342 pages
Comments