Crash Landing (1958): A Tense Mid-Century Aviation Thriller
Director: Richard C. Sarafian
Writer: Gerald Drayson Adams
Cast:
- Gary Merrill as the pilot
- Nancy Davis Reagan as the concerned wife
- Supporting cast includes a variety of character actors who add depth to the ensemble.
"Crash Landing," released in 1958, presents a gripping survival tale set against the backdrop of mid-century aviation. The film opens with an urgent air of tension as a commercial flight faces an emergency when both engines fail over the vast Atlantic Ocean. At the helm is the resolute airline pilot, played by Gary Merrill, who embodies the calm yet commanding presence needed to navigate the perilous situation.
Nancy Davis Reagan delivers a poignant performance as a worried wife aboard the doomed flight, bringing warmth and vulnerability to her role. Her character’s emotional journey highlights the personal stakes behind the collective crisis, showcasing the film’s knack for weaving soap-style subplots among the diverse cast of passengers. Each subplot contributes to the overall tension of the narrative, emphasizing themes of desperation, hope, and interpersonal connections during a traumatic experience.
The film expertly balances suspense with melodrama, resembling the kind of ensemble-based storytelling that would eventually inspire larger-scale disaster films of the 1970s and beyond. With its high-stakes premise and emphasis on camaraderie amidst chaos, "Crash Landing" captures the essence of "we’re-all-in-this-together" drama.
Featuring dynamic performances and a gripping storyline, "Crash Landing" remains a noteworthy entry in the lexicon of classic aviation thrillers. Its place among the genre highlights not only the technical challenges of flight but also the enduring human spirit in the face of adversity.
Watch the video by Stream City
Video “Crash Landing | FREE MOVIE (Gary Merrill, Nancy Davis Reagan)” was uploaded on 06/10/2025 to Youtube Channel Stream City



































I was pleasantly surprised . that was really pretty good .
Another Hollywood movie that takes liberties with reality. (Pretty much Hollywood hocum). I do like the time/era [that] it was made. 1957-58. Appreciated.
GOOD MOVIE ENTERTAINMENT TILL THE END.
😂😂
All 31 on board Pan Am Flight 6 survived the ditching. Three life rafts were deployed by the crew and passengers who had been assigned to help. One raft failed to inflate properly, but rescue boats from the U.S. Coast Guard cutter were able promptly to transfer the passengers from that raft.
All were rescued by the Coast Guard before the last pieces of wreckage sank at 6:35 a.m. Crew on the cutter filmed the landing and the rescue. A ten-minute film was later produced, including a re-enacted recording of the radio conversation between the Pan Am pilot Richard Ogg and the Coast Guard cutter.
The passengers were housed in the cutter's officers' quarters and returned to San Francisco several days later. There were a few minor injuries, including an 18-month-old girl who bumped her head during the impact and was knocked unconscious. Forty-four cases of live canaries in the cargo hold were lost when the plane sank.
Some time later, the Pan Am crew received awards for their work on the flight, having prevented any fatalities. Pilot Richard Ogg was the first recipient of the Civilian Airmanship Awards presented by the Order of Daedalians.
Crash Landing is based on a true story:
Pan Am Flight 6 (registration N90943, and sometimes erroneously called Flight 943) was a round-the-world airline flight that ditched in the Pacific Ocean on October 16, 1956, after two of its four engines failed.
Flight 6 left Philadelphia on October 12 as a DC-6B and flew eastward to Europe and Asia on a multi-stop trip. On the evening of October 15 the flight left Honolulu on a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser Clipper named Sovereign Of The Skies (Pan Am fleet number 943, registered N90943). The accident was the basis for this 1958 film.
Bonus Comment: Crew aboard the USCG Cutter Pontchartrain (which was the ship in the area at the time, NOT a U.S. Navy ship) used their home movie cameras to film the actual ditching. It is available all over the Net and on YouTube).
30:34
Great movie, first acting appearance by Nancy Davis our future First Lady, that I've ever seen. Great!
$2½ million four engine airliner!!! Those were the days… Nancy Reagan's Oscar® award winning Big screen performance…
Man, those airplane engines sound like a model- A ! 😮
Funny you have an engine failure and the pilot puts the flaps down to increase drag to make things worse
I have flown on over 50 flights so far in my life. And in all those flights except 2 none had any problems at all. But on one flight like in this moving. The stewardess had people change their seats to level the plane. Moving reminded of it. But was happy when they stopped people from smoking in the plane. One guy was sitting in front of me smoking a cigar and that smoke was coming back to me which was making me feel awful. It was a long 8 hour flight. Once he stopped smoking I was thinking great finally. But then a half hour later lit up again. I felt like jumping out of the plane.😊
During that time Tube is not yet available 🙂 ✈️ Nancy Davis -? Reagan
she was beautiful ❤️
Nancy Reagan in this movie
The smoking on board looks silly. I remember taking flights where they would ask you if you wanted smoking or non smoking?! I would think it was ridiculous cause the cigerette smoke would float into the non smoking area. I have never smoked. So I was that person that it all floated to. I tried to ignore it. Now everything is non smoking. I feel sorry for smokers. I quit flying cause you have to be searched. I refuse to go anywhere if their going to do that. I feel my privacy is being invaded. Last time my mom flew was Las Vegas Nevada. I didn’t go. I liked it better when they were stewardesses or stewards. Now their all flight attendants. Oh well. Time changes everything.
Boy Gary Merrill is mean in this. Poor little boy.
Gary Merrill use to be married to Bette Davis. Roger smith has since passed away. Ann Margaret is still alive and kicking.
Omg I would be terrified to go through that!
I. Sa. This. Dramatically. Disaster. Movie. A. Wild. Ago. All. I. Can. Say. Its. A. Very. Good. Classic. Movie. Absolutely. Whit. A. Splendid. Script. And. Story. And. Top. Acting. Also. Much. Worthy. To. Watch. This. Top. Classic. Disaster. Movie. 👌😉👌🎉🎉🎉🎉👌😊👌👍💣👍
At the end of the movie, the flight attendant asked the priest to take off his cross because it could hurt him, but then he hold onto it with his hands. What the hell was that all about? I know it’s minor but why?
btw, Nancy Davis (Reagan) plays Gary Merrill's wife not one of the passengers.
U.S. Navy destroyer escorts were named; there really was a "Destroyer Escort 347" –USS Jesse Rutherford (DE-347), though she was no longer in commission in 1958.
Great film but spoiled by YouTube pathetic endless interrupting adverts
DC-3?
And Irene Hervey was in Play Misty For Me!
Gary Merrill married Bette Davis and dated Rita Hayworth!
No Ray Harryhausen!
Love these old movies … I keep thinking I'm going to hear some lines from Airplane.
Too many ads 😡.
I think movie makers today could and should be strongly encouraged by the studios and decision makers in Hollywood to watch these old B&W movies and take notes. Perhaps then movies go-ers/watchers globally would line up just to be among the first to see their movies like so many of us used to do!
That was an awesome movie from 'back in the day'! I thoroughly enjoy these old, black and white movies and have watch quiet a few of them, many several times over. However, I have never even heard of this one until it came across my feed here on YouTube. I recognize the actor who played the part of the Captain and have seen him in other B&W movies and TV shows like the 'Twilight Zone' which is where I remember or noticing him in. He consistently had been cast in similar roles, what we now call "typecasting" and he plays the parts/roles rather well, (IMO)! Anyway, this is a very good movie all around!
28:34 an Orthodox Christian Bishop, interesting!
1958 flew home to the UK , Boston Mass to London in a BOAC Super Constellation . The safety brochure said that this aircraft can keep aloft with one engine !. Doubtful , but with two no problem .
A work colleague got back from a bombing mission over Germany in a Halifax with two engines shot out , which earned him the DFC.
Its flying just fine on 2 engines, just keep going to NY.
Im holding on to the sofa on a hot Sunday afternoon waiting to ditch. I know Nancy is waiting well here we go. Fasten your seat belts.
Good movie. Thaks for the entertainment.
The title says it all.
– –
Sounds like the plane from Flying High (Aeroplane for you yanks) But not a bad movie overall.
Love these old movies, great actors and great plots too
really enjoyed the film,great cast l well acted ,,tense ,but happy ending,what more do you need,thanks for showing the film,😊❤