The Odyssey of Flight 33

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"The Odyssey of Flight 33"
The Twilight Zone episode
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 18
Directed by Justus Addiss
Written by Rod Serling
Featured music Stock
Production code 173-3651
Original air date February 24, 1961
Guest actors
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"The Odyssey of Flight 33" is episode 54 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. An unlikely break of the time barrier finds a commercial airliner sent back into the prehistoric age and then to New York City of 1939. The tale is a modern telling of the Flying Dutchman myth. It originally aired on February 24, 1961 on CBS.

Plot

The episode takes place on Global Airlines Flight 33, en route from London to New York City. About 50 minutes from Idlewild Airport (now called JFK), Captain Farver and his crew notice that the speed of their Boeing 707 is increasing rapidly. A flash of light is seen, accompanied by severe turbulence. The crew is able to identify the coastline of Manhattan Island, the East River, Hudson River, Staten Island and other geographic landmarks, but see no signs of civilization. Unable to contact anyone on radio, the crew realizes that they have traveled far back in time when they look out the window and see no signs of civilization, only grazing dinosaurs.

Determining that their only hope of returning to the present day is to repeat the previous maneuver, and with dwindling fuel supply, the plane increases altitude in an attempt to catch the same freak jet stream and to return to 1961. At first, the maneuver appears to work; New York City is once again visible, and although they still cannot contact Idlewild, they are able to reach LaGuardia Airport, which the crew initially plans to use to refuel. However, the air traffic controller on the radio does not understand references to current aircraft technology (VOR, ILS and jet aircraft). The air traffic controller makes reference to the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), an organization that was replaced by the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) in 1958.

Soon, a crew member spots the buildings and structures from the 1939 New York World's Fair below — they have come forward in time, just not far enough. Because LaGuardia's runway is too short to handle a jet of Flight 33's size, the captain decides not to attempt a landing there and instead to make another attempt to return "home" to 1961, despite the fact that the plane is running critically low on fuel. "All I ask is that you remain calm", he informs the passengers over the P.A. system, "...and pray".

Cast

  • John Anderson as Captain "Skipper" Farver
  • Paul Comi as First Officer Craig
  • Sandy Kenyon as Navigator "Magellan" Hatch
  • Harp McGuire as Flight Engineer Purcell
  • Beverly Brown as Janie
  • Wayne Heffley as 2nd Officer Wyatt
  • Betty Garde as Passenger
  • Jay Overholts as Passenger
  • Nancy Rennick as Paula
  • Lester Fletcher as RAF Man
  • Robert McCord as Passenger (uncredited)

Production notes

The Brontosaurus model and miniature jungle set from the 1960 film Dinosaurus! were used for the stop motion animation.

Graphic novel

This episode was one of several Twilight Zone stories adapted as a graphic novel.[1]

Original idea

Serling originally developed the idea for the show when he learned that American Airlines had a mockup of a 707 interior, previously used for flight attendant training, that they would make available to TV or film production companies.[2]

Cockpit dialogue

Serling’s brother, aviation writer Robert J. Serling, helped Serling with the cockpit dialogue for the show by discussing the show’s premise with a Trans World Airlines captain; after the show aired, several pilots later wrote to say that they thought the cockpit dialogue was among the most authentic ever in a television show (albeit the situation described was impossible).[3]

Authentic elements of the dialogue include:

Names of actual airports that a London to New York flight of the 1960s might have contacted:


There was one slight anachronism: LaGuardia Airport, although it had opened in October 1939 (and thus was open during the second half of the 1939–40 World's Fair held in New York), was not officially named after LaGuardia until 1947 and was officially named New York Municipal Airport prior to that point.

Air navigation/aeronautical terms:

 

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Zone-Odyssey-Flight-33/dp/0802797199/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
  2. ↑ Dimensions Behind The Twilight Zone: A Backstage Tribute to Television's Groundbreaking Series by Stewart T. Stanyard, ECW Press, Toronto, 2007, p. 143
  3. ↑ Dimensions Behind The Twilight Zone: A Backstage Tribute to Television's Groundbreaking Series by Stewart T. Stanyard, ECW Press, Toronto, 2007, p. 143
  • DeVoe, Bill. (2008). Trivia from The Twilight Zone. Albany, GA: Bear Manor Media. ISBN 978-1-59393-136-0
  • Grams, Martin. (2008). The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic. Churchville, MD: OTR Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9703310-9-0

External links

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