By Frank Miller
Flight of the Lost Balloon
Brief Synopsis
An adventurous professor fights to keep his hot air balloon safe on a rescue mission.
Cast & Crew
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Mala Powers
Ellen
Marshall Thompson
Dr. Joseph Faraday
James Lanphier
The Hindu
Douglas Kennedy
Sir Hubert
Robert Gillette
Sir Adam
Felippe Birriel
Golan
Film Details
Genre
Adventure
Release Date
Jan
1961
Premiere Information
Baltimore opening: 8 Nov 1961
Production Company
W. M. J. Productions
Distribution Company
American International Pictures; Woolner Bros. Pictures
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 31m
Sound
Mono
Color
Color (Eastmancolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
2.35 : 1
Synopsis
In an old fortress on the Nile, a despotic Hindu is holding as his prisoner a British explorer, Sir Hubert, who has discovered the hidden tomb where Cleopatra's treasure is buried. Sir Hubert refuses to disclose the location of the jewels, and the Hindu goes to England and tricks the London Geographical Society into organizing a rescue mission. Included in the expedition is Sir Hubert's fiancée, Ellen, whom the Hindu plans to torture until Sir Hubert agrees to talk. A young explorer, Dr. Faraday, convinces the Society that the trip should be made by balloon, and he, Ellen and the Hindu set out for Egypt. After several adventures, including their temporary capture by cannibals and an attack by huge condors, the trio arrive at the Nile fortress. The Hindu has Ellen tortured on a stretching rack, but the greedy Sir Hubert still refuses to divulge his secret. They are both rescued by Faraday, but Sir Hubert dies trying to load the balloon with chests of treasure. Faraday and Ellen make their escape but are forced to jettison the gold and jewels in order to keep the balloon aloft. Ellen, however, saves one diamond for a wedding ring.
Cast
Mala Powers
Ellen
Marshall Thompson
Dr. Joseph Faraday
James Lanphier
The Hindu
Douglas Kennedy
Sir Hubert
Robert Gillette
Sir Adam
Felippe Birriel
Golan
A. J. Valentine
Giles
Blanquita Romero
The Malkia
Jackie Donoro
Native dancer
Crew
Film Details
Genre
Adventure
Release Date
Jan
1961
Premiere Information
Baltimore opening: 8 Nov 1961
Production Company
W. M. J. Productions
Distribution Company
American International Pictures; Woolner Bros. Pictures
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 31m
Sound
Mono
Color
Color (Eastmancolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
2.35 : 1
Articles
Flight of the Lost Balloon
Jules Verne was the hottest 130-year-old writer in Hollywood in the late 1950s and early 1960s. With the success of Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) and Michael Todd's Around the World in Eighty Days (1956), everybody was looking to capture his combination of science fiction and 19th-century whimsy. Nor did it hurt that his books were mostly in the public domain. That's how Nathan Juran, who had scored a hit with The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, got the funding to produce, direct and write this adaptation of Verne's Five Weeks in a Balloon. He even beat Irwin Allen's bigger budget version to the screen by a year. Oddly, when AIP released this fanciful tale of a British scientist (Marshall Thompson) piloting a balloon to rescue an explorer who has discovered the lost treasure of Cleopatra, they removed all reference to Verne's original, only keeping the name of the balloon, the Victoria. Juran shot location scenes in Puerto Rico, combining Caribbean foliage with some not-very-convincing matte shots for the flying scenes. The results did well on the kiddie matinee circuit, though today the images of African natives seem hopelessly outdated.
By Frank Miller
By Frank Miller
Flight of the Lost Balloon
Jules Verne was the hottest 130-year-old writer in Hollywood in the late 1950s and early 1960s. With the success of Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) and Michael Todd's Around the World in Eighty Days (1956), everybody was looking to capture his combination of science fiction and 19th-century whimsy. Nor did it hurt that his books were mostly in the public domain. That's how Nathan Juran, who had scored a hit with The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, got the funding to produce, direct and write this adaptation of Verne's Five Weeks in a Balloon. He even beat Irwin Allen's bigger budget version to the screen by a year. Oddly, when AIP released this fanciful tale of a British scientist (Marshall Thompson) piloting a balloon to rescue an explorer who has discovered the lost treasure of Cleopatra, they removed all reference to Verne's original, only keeping the name of the balloon, the Victoria. Juran shot location scenes in Puerto Rico, combining Caribbean foliage with some not-very-convincing matte shots for the flying scenes. The results did well on the kiddie matinee circuit, though today the images of African natives seem hopelessly outdated.
By Frank Miller
Quotes
Trivia
An advertising gimmick used for this film was the giveaway of "motion sickness pills" to ticket buyers. The critics has a field day with this gimmick.
Notes
Location scenes filmed in Puerto Rico.
