THE HORROR AT 37,000 FEET

Chuck Connors

THE HORROR AT 37,000 FEET (CBS telefilm/1973). Director: David Lowell Rich. 

Captain Slade (Chuck Connors of Hot Rod Girl) is flying a passenger plane from Heathrow airport to New York. Architect Alan O'Neill (Roy Thinnes of The Invaders) is shipping, via the cargo hold, an altar, among other items, from an abbey that was built over a place of Druid sacrifice. Another passenger, Mrs. Pinder (Tammy Grimes), failed to stop Alan from taking the altar from England via legal means but is planning to try again in New York. Meanwhile, once the flight takes off, Alan's wife, Sheila (Jane Merrow), begins hearing frightening voices. And the cargo bay begins to develop a frigid atmosphere that quick-freezes the poor flight navigator (Russell Johnson). Before long there's a full-stage panic aboard the plane as Slade tries to get his ship out of an unholy wind and the passengers fight against the demonic force in the cargo bay. 

William Shanter, Jane Merrow, Roy Thinnes

The Horror at 37,000 Feet is one of a great many made-for-TV horror films that proliferated during the seventies, and it's an entertaining picture, although anyone expecting a masterpiece of terror will be disappointed. Despite the absurdities of the plot and some of the situations, the movie is fast-paced and harrowing enough to easily help the viewer suspend disbelief. A big plus for the production is the way the entire cast plays so well together even after things get seriously weird and some of the characters become understandably hysterical. Although William Shatner [Dead Man's Island] doesn't quite get a handle on his role as an ex-priest, generally playing in too perfunctory a style (but at least not over-acting), Conners is solid and Tammy Grimes excellent as the strange Mrs. Pinder. 

Buddy Ebsen and Will Hutchins

Being a TV movie, it's no surprise that the film is full of TV stars, including the already named along with Buddy Ebsen (as a wealthy entrepreneur) and Will Hutchins (as a cowboy star in foreign movies) with Paul Winfield and Lynn Lowry along for the ride. The whole thing reminds one of a slightly longer episode of Twilight Zone or Outer Limits, and works on that level. One wishes there had been more outside shots of the plane in flight to remind viewers that everyone is miles up in the air, adding another degree of fear and tension to the proceedings. France Nuyen plays a model and H. M. Wynant is a co-pilot. Jane Merrow is an English actress who did a lot of work on American television (as well as British TV series) and appeared in such films as Hands of the Ripper and Island of the Burning Damned; she is fine. Creepy theme music by Morton Stevens. 

Verdict: Don't watch before booking your next plane trip. ***. 

HOT ROD GIRL

Chuck Connors and John Smith

HOT ROD GIRL (1956). Director: Leslie H. Martinson. 

Mechanic Jeff Northrup (John Smith of Legacy of Blood) goes into a funk after his younger brother, Steve (Del Erickson), is killed after being goaded into racing in his hot rod. Although Jeff, who was in the car with his brother, tried to stop him, he loses his license and loses an interest in racing. His girlfriend, Lisa (Lori Nelson), tries to help him get over his depression, along with sympathetic cop Ben Merrill (Chuck Connors). Later, Jeff resists getting into a race with an out of town hotshot, Bronc (Mark Andrews), but tragedy results anyway. Now it's a question of who is responsible for a boy's death -- Jeff or Bronc?

Lori Nelson and Mark Andrews

Hot Rod Girls is an acceptable time-passer that might have amounted to something with a better script. The acting is generally competent, with John Smith giving a very good portrayal of a decent guy caught up in circumstances beyond his control.  Frank Gorshin of Batman fame scores as Flat Top, a flippant friend of Jeff's. Although he had very few credits, Mark Andrews makes his mark as the sinister and unpleasant Bronc. Roxanne Arlen is cast as the dippy blonde, L. B., and Dabbs Greer owns the auto shop where Jeff is employed. There's a fairly exciting sequence when Bronc and Flat Top play "chicken" in their cars, as well as a chase at the climax. Like most of these movies, the teens in this are played by actors in their thirties or thereabouts. Although Lisa is shown to be a racer herself in the movie's opening scene, this aspect of the film -- women racers -- is completely ignored despite the title. 

Verdict: Won't make your pulse race, but entertaining enough on its own terms. **1/2.