Fate Is the Hunter
Brief Synopsis
An airline investigator refuses to believe pilot error caused a fatal crash.
Cast & Crew
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Ralph Nelson
Director
Glenn Ford
Sam McBane
Nancy Kwan
Sally Fraser
Rod Taylor
Capt. Jack Savage
Suzanne Pleshette
Martha Webster
Jane Russell
Herself, guest star
Film Details
Genre
Drama
Adaptation
Disaster
Release Date
Jan
1964
Premiere Information
Boston opening: 30 Sep 1964
Production Company
Arcola Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Twentieth Century--Fox Film Corp.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Fate Is the Hunter by Ernest K. Gann (New York, 1961).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 46m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
2.35 : 1
Synopsis
Continental Airlines flight 22, piloted by Capt. Jack Savage, crashes after departing Los Angeles, killing all 53 passengers and crew members except stewardess Martha Webster. Sam McBane, the airline's director of flight operations, begins an investigation of the disaster. He learns that Savage radioed shortly after takeoff that his right engine was on fire and requested permission to land. He was told to maintain altitude on his left engine until a flight path could be cleared, but the plane crashed. McBane is baffled because the left engine's thrust should have been enough to maintain altitude. He learns from Martha, who had been in the cabin serving coffee, that soon after the right engine caught fire, a signal flashed indicating that the left engine was also aflame. Savage switched off that engine, too, and tried to land on a secluded beach but was unable to avoid crashing into an old pier. Inspecting the wreckage, McBane discovers that the left engine never caught fire, and he wonders about Martha's story. Rumors are spread that Savage was drunk before taking off, but McBane, who had served with Savage during the war, doubts this and investigates further. Sally Fraser, Savage's beneficiary in his will, insists the crash was just fate. McBane decides to reenact the fatal flight in the same kind of plane and with Martha aboard. When he cuts off the right engine, the plane lurches, causing Martha to spill the coffee she is serving. Shortly afterward, the warning light flashes, indicating that the left engine is aflame. McBane has the panel on which the coffee spilled pried up and discovers that the liquid had shorted the wires that controlled the fire signal, causing it to flash. Savage is vindicated.
Director
Ralph Nelson
Director
Cast
Glenn Ford
Sam McBane
Nancy Kwan
Sally Fraser
Rod Taylor
Capt. Jack Savage
Suzanne Pleshette
Martha Webster
Jane Russell
Herself, guest star
Wally Cox
Ralph Bundy
Nehemiah Persoff
Ben Sawyer
Mark Stevens
Mickey Doolan
Max Showalter
Dan Crawford
Constance Towers
Peg Burke
Howard St. John
Mark Hutchins
Robert J. Wilke
Stillman
Bert Freed
Dillon
Dort Clark
Ted Wilson
Mary Wickes
Mrs. Llewelyn
Robert F. Simon
Proctor
Dorothy Malone
Lisa Bond
Crew
L. B. Abbott
Special Photography Effects
Hilyard Brown
Art Director
Margaret Donovan
Hairstyles
Carlton W. Faulkner
Sound
Jerry Goldsmith
Music
Jerry Goldsmith
Composer
William Kaplan
Production Manager
Emil Kosa Jr.
Special Photography Effects
Milton Krasner
Director of Photography
Moss Mabry
Costume Design
Harold Medford
Screenwriter
Ben Nye
Makeup
Elmer Raguse
Sound
Stuart A. Reiss
Set Decoration
Leo Robin
Composer
Aaron Rosenberg
Company
Aaron Rosenberg
Producer
Ad Schaumer
Assistant Director
Walter M. Scott
Set Decoration
Leon Shamroy
Addl Photographer
Robert Simpson
Film Editor
Jack Martin Smith
Art Director
Harry Warren
Composer
Don Wolf
Composer
Film Details
Genre
Drama
Adaptation
Disaster
Release Date
Jan
1964
Premiere Information
Boston opening: 30 Sep 1964
Production Company
Arcola Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Twentieth Century--Fox Film Corp.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Fate Is the Hunter by Ernest K. Gann (New York, 1961).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 46m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
2.35 : 1
Award Nominations
Best Cinematography
1964
Articles
Fate is the Hunter
An airline investigator refuses to believe pilot error caused a fatal crash.
Fate is the Hunter
An airline investigator refuses to believe pilot error caused a fatal crash.
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Winter December 1964
Scope
Released in United States Winter December 1964
