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Sole Survivor
In 1960, the ruins of an American bomber were found in the Libyan desert, but the remains of the crew were never located. In Guerdon Trueblood's teleplay, the ghosts of a bomber crew hang around their derelict plane, awaiting the day that their bones will be recovered and given a decent burial. The sole survivor, navigator Russell Hamner, has in the intervening 25 years become a General. He joins an investigation team that has come across the wreckage, while the ghosts, headed by Major Devlin, plot to expose Hamner as a coward who deserted his post and left his crew mates to die.
| Release : | 1970 |
| Rating : | 7.3 |
| Studio : | Cinema Center 100 Productions, |
| Crew : | Art Direction, Set Decoration, |
| Cast : | Vince Edwards Richard Basehart William Shatner Lou Antonio Lawrence P. Casey |
| Genre : | Fantasy Drama TV Movie |
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Cast List
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Reviews
It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
I was lucky enough to watch this recently, from a copy someone had on VHS, (which i promptly converted to DVD) what a story, I cant believe you cant buy this. as I would gladly buy it for a better DVD quality copy (Though the VHS rip i have is pretty good)As for the story, I to saw this as a kid back in the early 70s I must of been 8 or 9 yrs old. Even then it haunted me. So glad I could see it again. I must make mention of Mr Glass's haunting music. reminded me of planet of the apes in parts (which is a good thing)I know its based loosely on a true story, which also adds to the it keeping you fixed to the screen watching.
Time and my fading memory is probably too generous - but what I recall of this story is its uniqueness and crafty written twists and turns. The long drag into the realization that these airmen were never going to interact with anyone else alive again was well done. The mystery and suspense was well done. All this was great...but the heart-wrenching ending was just too good. The crew could never be 100 percent together in life - but would be joined in death. Spectacular story that I hope Hollywood leaves alone. I do hope this does come out in DVD. And I do hope this is not redone - especially in a more modern format. The cast in this movie cannot be topped...these people were true to their craft as opposed to some phony political agenda that they have no clue about.
I remember seeing this as a TV movie quite some time ago, but never forgot it. A great bit of storytelling in the way it carefully meters out the details that expose the truth, both through factual and paranormal elements.William Shatner is dependable as always, and a great ensemble cast portrays the timeless crew members, but Richard Baseheart delivers a truly great performance as a man haunted by his past, stuck upon the horns of overwhelming guilt and pride as he grapples with the revelation of a truth that will destroy not only his career, but ultimately, will be his undoing as well.I saw an old Twilight Zone episode today called "King Nine Won't Be Coming Back" that seems like it is either based on the same B-24 discovery that spawned "Sole Survivor", or perhaps was an inspiration to this movie. The story line was so similar as to make it seem like more than a coincidence. In any event, the two of them would be enjoyable to view together.
Not much point in rehearsing the impact this movie made on me, or the long and until now fruitless search I've made to discover its real title... the experience was much the same as that recounted so many times by others on this page, though unlike several of you I have seen it only once. But, in response to tiamaria_102's comment from April 2005, I too saw the film in the UK - it was broadcast there in 1979 and I still have the diary in which I made an entry commenting on how profoundly it disturbed me, at age 16.SPOILER ALERT!!! Like tiamaria_102, I have a strong recollection that the last body was never found, and that the final scene, certainly as it was transmitted in the UK, featured the last remaining ghost (the tail gunner?) picking up the baseball bat, striking a long drive into the desert, and then dropping the bat and trudging off into the distance to retrieve the ball... presumably to repeat the action forever.I'm sure it's possible my memory has edited out the belated discovery of the final corpse, but that's certainly how I remember the film concluding, and why I remember it making such an impact on me.It's interesting, too, to review the other movies that the screenwriter, Guerdon Trueblood, was involved in... Tarantulas, SST: Death Flight, The Bastard, The Savage Bees. Not much sign in that oeuvre of the sensitivity and perception that so many have commented on here.
