''Family Flight'' is an American

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

that originally aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

on October 25, 1972. The film stars

Rod Taylor Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He appeared in more than 50 feature films, including '' Young Cassidy'' (1965), '' Nobody Runs Forever'' (1968), '' The Train Robbers'' (1973), and '' A Matt ...

and centers on a family whose plane crash-lands in the Baja California peninsula. The film was one of the first times Taylor was cast to play a father.

Plot

A family on a small plane gets caught in a storm and crash lands in the desert. Short on food and water they manage to repair the plane. But the attempt is ruined by a family member draining the battery by falling asleep listening to the plane's FM radio the night before takeoff. After admonishing the boy, the father attempts to manually start the plane from spinning the propeller with his arms. The plane starts but the propeller lacerates the father's arm severely. The family takes off with the son at the controls and attempts to land on a nearby aircraft carrier. They fail and have to try again. In the end they are rescued and the father is given emergency surgery in the ship's hospital.

Cast

as Jason Carlyle *

Dina Merrill Dina Merrill (born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton; December 29, 1923 – May 22, 2017) was an American actress. She had more than a hundred film and television credits from the late 1950s until 2000s. She married three times. Early life Merrill was ...

as Florence Carlyle *

Kristoffer Tabori Kristoffer Tabori (born Christopher Donald Siegel; August 4, 1952) is an American actor and television director. He is also known as K.T. Donaldson. Early life Tabori was born in Malibu, California, the son of American film director Don Siege ...

as David Carlyle *

Janet Margolin Janet Natalie Margolin (July 25, 1943 – December 17, 1993) was an American theater, television and film actress. Early life Margolin was born in New York City to a Jewish family. Her father, Benjamin Margolin, was a Russian Jewish accountan ...

as Carol Rutledge *

Gene Nelson Gene Nelson (born Leander Eugene Berg; March 24, 1920 – September 16, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, screenwriter, and director. Biography Nelson was born Eugene Leander Berg in Seattle, Washington. By 1924, he and his parents mov ...

as Aircraft Carrier Captain *

Richard Roat Richard Roat (July 3, 1933 – August 5, 2022) was an American actor. Early years Roat was born on July 3, 1933, in Hartford, Connecticut. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Roat, and he graduated from Trinity College. He pursued acting ...

as Officer of the Deck * Paul Kent as First Controller *

James Sikking James Barrie Sikking (March 5, 1934 – July 13, 2024) was an American actor, best known for his roles as Lt. Howard Hunter on the 1980s television series ''Hill Street Blues'' and David Howser on '' Doogie Howser, M.D.'' Early years James B ...

as Second Controller *

Bill Zuckert William Zuckert (December 18, 1915 – January 23, 1997) was an American actor. Early years Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Zuckert worked in the Office of Indian Affairs in Washington, D. C. for six years. During that time he beca ...

as Frank Gross * Ed Begley Jr. as Driver

Reception

Howard Thompson gave ''Family Flight'' a positive review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', praising Rod Taylor's "fine, gutsy performance" and the "credible precision of the climax." ''New York Magazine'' also praised the "strong performances" and labelled it "a good adventure story".

References

External links

* 1972 films 1972 television films American television films American aviation films Films directed by Marvin J. Chomsky Films produced by Harve Bennett Films set in Mexico 1970s American films {{US-tv-drama-film-stub