Twelve people are aboard Coast Air Line's flagship the Silver Queen enroute to South America when the airplane encounters a storm and is blown off course. Crashing into jungles known to be inhabited by head hunters, pilots Bill and Joe race against time to fix the engines and attempt a take off. The situation brings out the best and worst in the stranded dozen as they create a makeshift runway and prepare to escape before the natives attack. But damage to the plane and low fuel reserves means that only 5 people can be carried to safety.
Similar titles
Reviews
Why so much hype?
Touches You
Let's be realistic.
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Everybody has some drama in their life, and for this "Motel 6" variation of "Grand Hotel", it is first set aboard a tin can of a puddle jumper then somewhere deep in the jungle with rumored cannibals nearby. The plane goes down, dramas amongst the crew and passengers ensue, then the group must decided who will stay behind and who will return thanks to the inability of the repaired plane to make it over a mountain range with everybody aboard. Among those on the plane are wanted criminal Joseph Calleia, tired party girl Lucille Ball, socialite Wendy Barrie and elderly couple C. Aubrey Smith and Elisabeth Risdon. They are lead by pilot Chester Morris who tries to keep it all together.Tense and often nail biting, this ranks as one of RKO's best B movies. It shows future funny girl Lucille Ball off to be quite a fine dramatic actress which makes me wonder what her career might have been like had she not moved into radio then T.V. to gain a reputation as a comic. Smith and Risfon are touching as a devoted, long married couple with issues of their own, reminding me of Ida and Isador Strauss from the "Titanic" legend. A pretty decent remake, "Back From Eternity" came out during the last days of RKO and is well worth seeing too.
Passengers get ready for the ill-fated flight foreshadowed in the film's title "Five Came Back". Handsome businessman Patric Knowles (as Judson Ellis) and pretty blonde secretary Wendy Barrie (as Alice Melbourne) are going to elope. Looking like either a movie star or a classy call girl, beautiful Lucille Ball (as Peggy Nolan) wants to straighten up and fly right. Elderly botany professor C. Aubrey Smith and his wife Elisabeth Risdon (as Henry and Martha Spengler) want to enjoy their twilight years. As his gangster father is threatened with extinction, cute little Casey Johnson (as Tommy Mulvaney) is shuttled to safety with henchman uncle Allen Jenkins (as Pete)...Veteran airman Chester Morris (and Bill Brooks) and co-pilot Kent Taylor (as Joe) announce a slight delay when they are asked to take on detective John Carradine (as Crimp) and his prisoner Joseph Calleia (as Vasquez)...When the plane crashes in an Amazon jungle thought to be inhabited by hungry head-hunters, the crew must chose only five passengers to return home on their rickety, repaired plane. The director, John Farrow, re-made this as "Back from Eternity" in 1956. The later film has a stronger script, but with performances becoming overly obvious. Here, the swiftness highlights subtlety; for example, note the impassionate love between Mr. Knowles and Ms. Barrie, then how Mr. Taylor telegraphs his interest. The more toned-down tart played by Ms. Ball is superior, but lacks detail. You're well off seeing both versions as they make up for things lacking in each other.******* Five Came Back (6/23/39) John Farrow ~ Chester Morris, Lucille Ball, Joseph Calleia, Patric Knowles
A pleasant surprise of a film! It has a common theme of surviving a disaster (in this case, a plane crash but other themes might be shipwreck or being stranded in the desert) and trying to survive against all odds. Not everyone can make it out so it's a study in character and sacrifice. The jungles are lush and the natives are a bit stereotyped, however back then I think not due to the producers and directors but to captivate a less sophisticated audience. With Lucille Ball, John Carradine in early roles, it's a curiosity and well-acted. The budget was small and it's called a B movie, but in many ways, it's not. 8 for acting and plot/influence.
Often the smaller "B" pictures were better than the expensive "A" pictures that they frequently were shown with. "Five Came Back" is a perfect example of that. This film has excellent pacing, fine performances from everyone, especially C. Aubrey Smith and Lucille Ball. It is one of her best film performances. The story is solid and always interesting, it's well photographed and the character development is outstanding. Finely written with crisp dialog. The film is very memorable as well, with an ending you won't easily forget. John Farrow's direction is definitely a plus, and it is a good example of his flair for direction toward the beginning of his career.
Top Streaming Movies
