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who saw the "High and Mighty"??

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Vavso

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2001
Posts
202
Really enjoyed the movie but wondered what the head honcho meant at the end when he said "so long you ancient Pelican " Was that a good thing or bad ??? I know its a stupid question but....
 
just a way of saying he was an old pilot, and I have it digitized need to convert an burn a dvd until the real one comes out , then I'll buy it
 
sad to see the guy walk away going home to an empty home after his wife and kid died in his previous plane crash vavso
 
Vavso said:
wondered what the head honcho meant at the end when he said "so long you ancient Pelican " Was that a good thing or bad ???

No, it was a sign of respect.

Really cool movie, finally saw it on Friday. Very melodramatic, but it was filmed in 1954 I believe.

Some trivia: The radio operator on the ship is the same actor that plays the hotel manager in the movie Rio Bravo. Funny how the same faces keep showing up in John Wayne movies.

DVD of the movie soon out for sale. I'm getting it!
 
PHX767 said:
No, it was a sign of respect.

Really cool movie, finally saw it on Friday. Very melodramatic, but it was filmed in 1954 I believe.

Some trivia: The radio operator on the ship is the same actor that plays the hotel manager in the movie Rio Bravo. Funny how the same faces keep showing up in John Wayne movies. DVD of the movie soon out for sale. I'm getting it!


I liked it and I dislike John Wayne, odd? Maybe it was the airplanes and the era that made it hoaky, it was funny.
 
So anybody care to offer opinions on whether or not someone could have muscled open a cabin door enough to jetison luggage with the aircraft in flight as protrayed in the movie? Also, is there sort of an implied connection between Robert Stack's character in the movie airplane and the "High and Mighty" or was that all just part of the movies sarcasm and parody schema?
 
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The man making the "So long..." statement was probably portraying Songinger (sp.?) who was the ops manager at the real airline where Gann worked. That airline was Maston Air that flew DC-4’s on that route. Songinger and Gann worked together at American Airlines; Songinger talked Gann into giving up his AAL seniority number to come to work at Matson. Gann was probably portraying himself in John Wayne, read “Hostage to Fortune” and Faith is the Hunter” you will see the story of the High and the Mighty develop.
 
pilotyip said:
The man making the "So long..." statement was probably portraying Songinger (sp.?) who was the ops manager at the real airline where Gann worked. That airline was Maston Air that flew DC-4’s on that route. Songinger and Gann worked together at American Airlines; Songinger talked Gann into giving up his AAL seniority number to come to work at Matson. Gann was probably portraying himself in John Wayne, read “Hostage to Fortune” and Faith is the Hunter” you will see the story of the High and the Mighty develop.

Sloniger and Gann crossed paths early in the war as they established the Northern route to England. Sloniger was, in the realm of numbers, senior at AA. Most people do not realize that Gann was the youngest captain in AA's history. The High and The Mighty and Island In The Sky are both based on some actual experience that Gann had, even to the point of having an incompetent crew member.

Even though I publish both books, my pick of movie and book is Island In The Sky, as it is a bit more geared to the pilot, and portrays the risks and hardships endured in early 1942.

In order to get a full grasp of Gann, one has to read A Hostage To Fortune. The book is probably the best nonfiction adventure book of the 20th century.

www.bdkingpress.com
 
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The best part is when John gets to slap the Captain. They have always told me not fight over the controls but never said anything about b1tch slapping the Captain cause he's flaking out. And I don't think it was really John Wayne whistling, it sounded way to cool but if I could whistle like that, I'd get all the chicks then.
 

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