Back from Eternity
Encyclopedia
Back from Eternity is a 1956
drama film
about a planeload of people stranded in the South America
n jungle and subsequently menaced by headhunters
. It is a remake of an earlier 1939 film, Five Came Back
, starred Chester Morris
and Lucille Ball
, also directed and produced by John Farrow
. Richard Carroll, who is credited with writing the story for Back from Eternity, wrote the original story for Five Came Back.
. The supposed New York airport control tower shown near the beginning of the film is actually that of Bob Hope Airport
in Burbank
, California
.
Passengers: Jud Ellis (Gene Barry
) is escorting his fiancé Louise Melhorn (Phyllis Kirk
); repentant political assassin Vasquel (Rod Steiger
) is being transported back to the proper authorities by detective Crimp (Fred Clark
); mobster Pete Bostwick (Jesse White
) is accompanying a little boy named Tommy, whose father is Bostwick's boss; an elderly couple, Professor and Mrs. Spanger (Cameron Prud'Homme and Beulah Bondi
), are apparently on vacation; and jilted blonde bombshell Rena (Anita Ekberg
), on her way to a South American casino, is vying for Ellis's attention.
After a temporary stop in Panama
, Professor Spanger wishes to order “arroz con pollo” at a local restaurant. His wife prevents him from ordering a dish not “meant for human consumption;” the dish is merely Spanish
for chicken and rice.
During its flight, the plane enters a rough storm and is dangerously jostled about. A portable oxygen tank is loosened from its mooring, and crashes through one of the fuselage doors, killing the flight attendant when she is thrown out of the plane.
The crew is then forced to make an emergency landing in the jungle, aircraft intact. Crimp tries to take charge of the group, but the captain stops him.
Momentarily, Ellis becomes psychologically unhinged, and tries to force himself upon Louise, but co-pilot Brooks steps in to dissuade him.
Late at night, Crimp renders Bostwick temporarily unconscious, steals the gun he was guarding, then flees into the jungle.
Later, the aircraft is repaired, but soon after searching and finding an errant Tommy, Bostwick and Rena discover Crimp’s headless body. Soon, local head hunters shoot Bostwick dead by poison dart.
The crew and passengers decide the best escape strategy; since there is only one good engine to help the plane fly over the mountains, the human cargo will have to be exceptionally light, so some will have to stay behind. With gun in hand, Vasquel forcibly takes charge of the matter, and chooses those that will be able to return to civilization; Ellis tries to stop him and is shot dead. The plane manages to take off, dropping off a cliff and then narrowly clearing the mountains.
The elderly Spanger couple choose to stay behind, facing a horrible death from the head hunters. With only two bullets left in his gun, Vasquel shoots the Spanger couple and prays for forgiveness as he waits for his own death.
1956 in film
The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
about a planeload of people stranded in the South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n jungle and subsequently menaced by headhunters
Headhunting
Headhunting is the practice of taking a person's head after killing them. Headhunting was practised in historic times in parts of China, India, Nigeria, Nuristan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Borneo, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Micronesia, Melanesia, New Zealand, and the Amazon Basin, as...
. It is a remake of an earlier 1939 film, Five Came Back
Five Came Back
Five Came Back is a 1939 melodrama and a precursor of the disaster film genre. The film was directed by John Farrow, photographed by renowned film noir cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca, and written by Jerry Cady, Dalton Trumbo and Nathanael West....
, starred Chester Morris
Chester Morris
Chester Morris was an American actor, who starred in the Boston Blackie detective series of the 1940s.-Career:...
and Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
, also directed and produced by John Farrow
John Farrow
John Villiers Farrow, CBE was an Australian, later American, film director, producer and screenwriter. In 1957 he won the Academy Award for Best Writing / Best Screenplay for Around the World in Eighty Days and in 1942 he was nominated as Best Director for Wake Island.-Life and career:Farrow was...
. Richard Carroll, who is credited with writing the story for Back from Eternity, wrote the original story for Five Came Back.
Plot
The plane is bound for bound for Boca Grande, somewhere in South America, making a pick-up stop in Central AmericaCentral America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. The supposed New York airport control tower shown near the beginning of the film is actually that of Bob Hope Airport
Bob Hope Airport
Bob Hope Airport is a public airport located 3 miles northwest of the central business district of Burbank, a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
in Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Passengers: Jud Ellis (Gene Barry
Gene Barry
Gene Barry was an American stage, screen, and television actor. Barry is best remembered for his leading roles in the films The Atomic City and The War of The Worlds and for his portrayal of the title character in the TV series Bat Masterson, among many roles.-Personal life:Barry was born...
) is escorting his fiancé Louise Melhorn (Phyllis Kirk
Phyllis Kirk
-Early life and career:Born Phyllis Kirkegaard in Syracuse, New York , she contracted polio as a child which resulted in health problems for the rest of her life. As a teen, she moved to New York City to study acting and changed her last name to "Kirk"...
); repentant political assassin Vasquel (Rod Steiger
Rod Steiger
Rodney Stephen "Rod" Steiger was an Academy Award-winning American actor known for his performances in such films as On the Waterfront, The Big Knife, Oklahoma!, The Harder They Fall, Across the Bridge, The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, and Waterloo as well as the...
) is being transported back to the proper authorities by detective Crimp (Fred Clark
Fred Clark
Frederick Leonard Clark was an American film character actor.-Career:Born in Lincoln, California, Clark made his film debut in 1947 in The Unsuspected. His 20-year film career included almost 70 films, and numerous television appearances...
); mobster Pete Bostwick (Jesse White
Jesse White (actor)
Jesse White was an American television, film, and stage character actor. He is best remembered for portraying the Maytag repairman in television commercials, a role he played from 1967 to 1988.-Life and career:...
) is accompanying a little boy named Tommy, whose father is Bostwick's boss; an elderly couple, Professor and Mrs. Spanger (Cameron Prud'Homme and Beulah Bondi
Beulah Bondi
Beulah Bondi was an American actress.Bondi began her acting career as a young child in theater, and after establishing herself as a stage actress, she reprised her role in Street Scene for the 1931 film version...
), are apparently on vacation; and jilted blonde bombshell Rena (Anita Ekberg
Anita Ekberg
Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg is a Swedish model, actress and cult sex symbol. She is best known for her role as Sylvia in the 1960 Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita which features the legendary scene of her cavorting in Trevi Fountain alongside Marcello Mastroianni.-Biography:Ekberg was born in...
), on her way to a South American casino, is vying for Ellis's attention.
After a temporary stop in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Professor Spanger wishes to order “arroz con pollo” at a local restaurant. His wife prevents him from ordering a dish not “meant for human consumption;” the dish is merely Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for chicken and rice.
During its flight, the plane enters a rough storm and is dangerously jostled about. A portable oxygen tank is loosened from its mooring, and crashes through one of the fuselage doors, killing the flight attendant when she is thrown out of the plane.
The crew is then forced to make an emergency landing in the jungle, aircraft intact. Crimp tries to take charge of the group, but the captain stops him.
Momentarily, Ellis becomes psychologically unhinged, and tries to force himself upon Louise, but co-pilot Brooks steps in to dissuade him.
Late at night, Crimp renders Bostwick temporarily unconscious, steals the gun he was guarding, then flees into the jungle.
Later, the aircraft is repaired, but soon after searching and finding an errant Tommy, Bostwick and Rena discover Crimp’s headless body. Soon, local head hunters shoot Bostwick dead by poison dart.
The crew and passengers decide the best escape strategy; since there is only one good engine to help the plane fly over the mountains, the human cargo will have to be exceptionally light, so some will have to stay behind. With gun in hand, Vasquel forcibly takes charge of the matter, and chooses those that will be able to return to civilization; Ellis tries to stop him and is shot dead. The plane manages to take off, dropping off a cliff and then narrowly clearing the mountains.
The elderly Spanger couple choose to stay behind, facing a horrible death from the head hunters. With only two bullets left in his gun, Vasquel shoots the Spanger couple and prays for forgiveness as he waits for his own death.
Cast
- Robert RyanRobert RyanRobert Bushnell Ryan was an American actor who often played hardened cops and ruthless villains.-Early life and career:...
as Bill Lonagan - Anita EkbergAnita EkbergKerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg is a Swedish model, actress and cult sex symbol. She is best known for her role as Sylvia in the 1960 Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita which features the legendary scene of her cavorting in Trevi Fountain alongside Marcello Mastroianni.-Biography:Ekberg was born in...
as Rena - Rod SteigerRod SteigerRodney Stephen "Rod" Steiger was an Academy Award-winning American actor known for his performances in such films as On the Waterfront, The Big Knife, Oklahoma!, The Harder They Fall, Across the Bridge, The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, and Waterloo as well as the...
as Vasquel - Phyllis KirkPhyllis Kirk-Early life and career:Born Phyllis Kirkegaard in Syracuse, New York , she contracted polio as a child which resulted in health problems for the rest of her life. As a teen, she moved to New York City to study acting and changed her last name to "Kirk"...
as Louise Melhorn - Keith AndesKeith AndesKeith Andes was an American film, radio, musical theatre, stage and television actor.-Early life:John Charles Andes was born in Ocean City, New Jersey on July 12, 1920. By the age of 12, he was featured on the radio....
as Joe Brooks - Gene BarryGene BarryGene Barry was an American stage, screen, and television actor. Barry is best remembered for his leading roles in the films The Atomic City and The War of The Worlds and for his portrayal of the title character in the TV series Bat Masterson, among many roles.-Personal life:Barry was born...
as Jud Ellis - Fred ClarkFred ClarkFrederick Leonard Clark was an American film character actor.-Career:Born in Lincoln, California, Clark made his film debut in 1947 in The Unsuspected. His 20-year film career included almost 70 films, and numerous television appearances...
as Crimp - Beulah BondiBeulah BondiBeulah Bondi was an American actress.Bondi began her acting career as a young child in theater, and after establishing herself as a stage actress, she reprised her role in Street Scene for the 1931 film version...
as Martha Spanger - Cameron Prud'Homme as Professor Henry Spanger
- Jesse WhiteJesse White (actor)Jesse White was an American television, film, and stage character actor. He is best remembered for portraying the Maytag repairman in television commercials, a role he played from 1967 to 1988.-Life and career:...
as Pete Bostwick - Adele MaraAdele MaraAdele Mara , born Adelaide Delgado, was an American actress, singer and dancer who appeared in films during the 1940s and 1950s. During the 1940s, the blond actress was also a popular pinup girl....
as Maria Alvarez - Jon ProvostJon ProvostJon Provost is a former child actor of film and television. He is best known for his role as young Timmy Martin in the CBS series, Lassie....
as Tommy Malone - Barbara EdenBarbara EdenBarbara Eden is an American film and television actress and singer who is best known for her starring role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early years:...
made her screen debut in this film, in a minor, uncredited role as a photojournalist - Tristram Coffin as Paul, Rena's 'Patron'
- James BurkeJames Burke (actor)James Burke was an American actor born in New York City. He made his stage debut in New York around 1912 and went to Hollywood in 1933. He made over 200 film appearances during his career, which ranged from 1932 to 1964...
as Grimsby, Airline Manager - Tol AveryTol AveryTol Avery was an American film and television character actor with more than a hundred screen appearances between 1950 and 1974...
as Thomas J. Malone - Joe Gray as Gambler
- Charles MeredithCharles Meredith (actor)Charles Meredith was an American film and television actor. When Meredith died, The Incredible Mr. Limpet was said to be his last film.-Selected filmography:...
as Dean Simmons - Harold J. StoneHarold J. StoneHarold J. Stone was an American film and television character actor.Born Harold Hochstein to a Jewish acting family, he began his career on Broadway in 1939 and appeared in five plays in the next six years, including One Touch of Venus and Stalag 17, following which he made his motion picture...
as Dealer