Bailout at 43,000 ** (John Payne, Karen Steele, Paul Kelly, Richard Eyer, Constance Ford, Eddie Firestone) – Classic Movie Review 12,751

The 1957 American drama film Bailout at 43,000 is a moderate flag-waver about US airmen testing ejector seats for bombers, with Major Paul Peterson (John Payne) going through a guilt thing about not having to try out a new device

‘Human Bullets… Cannon-Catapulted Into Space!’

Director Francis Lyon’s 1957 American drama film Bailout at 43,000 is a moderate flag-waver about US airmen testing ejector seats for bombers, with Air Research and Development pilot Major Paul Peterson (John Payne) going through a guilt thing about not having to try out a new device.

The airfield scenes and pauses for romance are not particularly exciting, but the aerial sequences help the basic B-movie production, the story is fairly interesting and the acting rescues the very humble film a bit.

Bailout at 43,000 stars John Payne, Karen Steele, Paul Kelly, Richard Eyer, Constance Ford and Eddie Firestone.

The film is made by Pine-Thomas-Shane Productions and was released on 1 May 1957 by United Artists.

It was the final Pine-Thomas Productions film (then known as Pine-Thomas-Shane) from producers William H Pine and William C Thomas.

Paul Monash’s screenplay is based on Bailout at 43,000 Feet, an episode of the Climax! anthology TV series, shown on December 29, 1955 and directed by John Frankenheimer. It starred Charlton Heston as Lieutenant Paul Peterson, Nancy Reagan as Carol Peterson, Richard Boone ss Colonel Hughes and Lee Marvin as Captain Cavallero. Interesting that the TV movie is much starrier than the film.

The cast are John Payne as Major Paul Peterson, Karen Steele as Carol Peterson, Paul Kelly as Colonel Hughes, Richard Eyer as Kit Peterson, Constance Ford as Mrs Frances Nolan, Eddie Firestone as Captain Mike Cavallero, Adam Kennedy as Lieutenant Ed Simmons, Gregory Gaye as Dr Franz Gruener, Steven Ritch as Major Irv Goldman, and Richard Crane as Captain Jack Nolan.

It runs 78 minutes.

Filming started 1 October 1956 with the cooperation of the US Air Force and features airfield and aerial sequences with Boeing B-47 Stratojet bombers.

Paul Kelly (August 9, 1899 – November 6, 1956) makes his last film appearance, ending a long career that began in 1911 as a child actor in silent films. His career survived a manslaughter conviction, tied to an affair, that caused him to spend time in prison in the late 1920s. Kelly was sentenced to up to 10 years, but served only 25 months in San Quentin prison. He died of a heart attack at 57.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,751

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