The Stolen Airliner | |
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Directed by | Don Sharp |
Written by | Don Sharp John Pudney |
Based on | novel Thursday Adventure by John Pudney |
Produced by | Howard Thomas |
Starring | Fella Edmonds Diana Day Michael Maguire |
Cinematography | Jo Jago |
Edited by | Eily Boland |
Music by | Philip Green |
Production companies | |
Release date |
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Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
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. [1] [2] It was written by Sharp and John Pudney based on Pudney's 1955 adventure story for boys, Thursday Adventure. [3]
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.
It was Don Sharp's debut feature film as director, although he had directed some documentaries, following his decision to abandon acting. [4] According to Anthony Hayward the film "demonstrated [Sharp's] ability to keep the action fast-paced". [5] 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". [6]
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." [7]
The Way to the Stars is a 1945 Anglo-American black-and-white Second World War drama film made by Two Cities Films. The film was produced by Anatole de Grunwald, directed by Anthony Asquith, and stars Michael Redgrave, John Mills, Rosamund John, and Douglass Montgomery. In the United States it was shortened by 22 minutes, and the shortened version was distributed by United Artists under the title Johnny in the Clouds.
Donald Herman Sharp was an Australian film director.
John Sleigh Pudney was a British poet, journalist and author. He was known especially for his popular poetry written during the Second World War, but he also wrote novels, short stories and children's fiction. His broad-ranging non-fiction, often commissioned, served as his primary source of income.
The Devil-Ship Pirates is a 1964 British pirate adventure film directed by Don Sharp.
A Pair of Briefs is a 1962 black and white British courtroom comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Michael Craig, Mary Peach, Brenda De Banzie and James Robertson Justice. The screenplay was written by Nicholas Phipps based on the 1960 play How Say You? by Harold Brooke and Kay Bannerman.
The Men of Sherwood Forest is a 1954 British adventure film directed by Val Guest and starring Don Taylor, Reginald Beckwith, Eileen Moore and David King-Wood. It was written by Allan MacKinnon. The score was by Doreen Carwithen. The film follows the exploits of Robin Hood and his followers.
Background is a 1953 British domestic drama film dealing with the effects of divorce, directed by Daniel Birt and starring Valerie Hobson, Philip Friend and Norman Wooland. It marked the film debut of Barbara Hicks. It was based on the 1950 play of the same title by Warren Chetham-Strode, who also wrote the screenplay for the film, with Don Sharp. It was made at Southall Studios, with sets designed by the art director Michael Stringer. The film was produced by Group 3 Films and distributed by ABPC.
Witchcraft is a 1964 British horror film directed by Don Sharp and starring Lon Chaney Jr., Jack Hedley and Jill Dixon. The script was written by Harry Spalding.
Dark Places is a 1973 British psychological horror film directed by Don Sharp and starring Robert Hardy, Christopher Lee, Joan Collins and Herbert Lom. It was written by Ed Brennan and Joseph Van Winkle.
It's All Happening is a 1963 British musical film directed by Don Sharp and starring Tommy Steele, Michael Medwin and Angela Douglas. It was written by Leigh Vance.
Taste of Excitement, also known as Why Would Anyone Want to Kill a Nice Girl Like You?, is a 1969 British mystery thriller film directed by Don Sharp and starring Eva Renzi, David Buck and Peter Vaughan. It was written by Sharp and Brian Carton based on the 1965 novel Waiting for a Tiger by Ben Healey.
Child's Play is a 1954 British science fiction film directed by Margaret Thomson and starring Mona Washbourne and Christopher Beeny. The script was by Don Sharp, who also worked on the film as an assistant.
The Blue Peter is a 1955 British film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Kieron Moore and Greta Gynt. It was written by Don Sharp and John Pudney. It was released in the United States in December 1957. The film is about youth seamanship at the original Outward Bound in Aberdyfi, Wales, a program similar to Sea Scouting or Sea Cadets.
The Adventures of Hal 5 is a 1958 British children's adventure film directed by Don Sharp and starring William Russell and John Glyn-Jones. It was produced for the Children's Film Foundation (CCF) and was written by Sharp based on the 1955 novel Hal 5 and the Haywards by Henry Donald.
The Violent Enemy is a 1968 film directed by Don Sharp and starring Tom Bell, Susan Hampshire, Ed Begley, and Noel Purcell. It was written by Edmund Ward based on the 1966 novel A Candle for the Dead by Hugh Marlow.
Devil's Point is a 1954 British drama film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Richard Arlen, Greta Gynt and Donald Houston. It was written and produced by Charles Deane as a second feature, one of two he made starring Hollywood actor Arlen; the other was Stolen Time (1955). The film was released in the United States by 20th Century Fox.
Adventure in the Hopfields is a 1954 British children's film directed by John Guillermin and starring Mandy Miller. It was made for the Children's Film Foundation. Location filming took place in and around Goudhurst in Kent.
24 Hours to Kill is a 1965 British thriller film shot in Techniscope and Technicolor that was filmed in the Lebanon. It was directed by Peter Bezencenet, and stars Lex Barker, Mickey Rooney and Walter Slezak.
Fella Edmonds, also known as Eddie Edmonds, is a British child actor of film and television.
Alex Sharp, also known and credited as Alex Sharpe was an American actor, stuntman, and writer, perhaps best known for his work in television western shows such as Bonanza and Gunsmoke.