No Highway In The Sky DVD - (1951) - James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Glynis Johns, Jack Hawkins, Janette Scott

No Highway in the Sky (a.k.a. No Highway) is a 1951 British black-and-white aviation film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Louis D. Lighton, directed by Henry Koster, that stars James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Glynis Johns, Niall MacGinnis, Janette Scott and Jack Hawkins. The screenplay was written by Oscar Millard, with additional material provided by Alec Coppel. The film is based on the 1948 novel No Highway by Nevil Shute and was one of the first films that depicted a potential aviation disaster involving metal fatigue. Although the film follows the plot of Shute's novel in general, No Highway in the Sky notably omits references to the supernatural contained in the original novel, including the use of automatic writing to resolve a key element in the original novel's story. Also, the role of Scott, the recently appointed administrator who narrates the novel, is curtailed in the film version, which means that the featured scientist - Mr Honey - comes across as more eccentric than in the book, changing the relationship between them. The film also introduces the term Boffin for the under-appreciated and seemingly self-centred and eccentric scientists, as distinct from earlier usage as scientists who are making vital (and appreciated) contributions.

Starring - James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Glynis Johns, Jack Hawkins, Janette Scott