''Destination 60,000'' (aka ''Jet'') is a 65-minute 1957

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

, directed by George Waggner and produced by the

Allied Artists Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios in ...

. The film stars Preston Foster,

Pat Conway Patrick Douglas Conway (January 9, 1931 – April 24, 1981) was an American actor best known for starring as Sheriff Clay Hollister on the Western television series ''Tombstone Territory'' (1957–1960). Early years The son of Metro-Goldwy ...

and

Jeff Donnell Jean Marie "Jeff" Donnell (July 10, 1921 – April 11, 1988) was an American film and television actress. Early years Donnell was born in South Windham, Maine, to Harold and Mildred Donnell, when her father was superintendent at a boys' reform ...

. ''Destination 60,000'' depicts the life of test pilots flying the fastest experimental

supersonic Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound ( Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...

fighter designs from

Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is E ...

."Edwards AFB Prime movie, TV location."
''The Free Library''. 1999. Retrieved: October 17, 2014.

Plot

A new experimental aircraft, "The Dream" is the pride of the Buckley Aircraft Corporation. Owner Colonel Ed Buckley (Preston Foster), has designed and built a prototype that his former wartime flying buddy, Jeff Connors (Pat Conway), wants to fly. Buckley's wife Ruth likes Jeff, who is godfather to their son "Skip" ( Bobby Clark). Test flying is dangerous work, and Jeff has to learn how to fly to supersonic speeds, coached by Mickey Hill (

Denver Pyle Denver Dell Pyle (May 11, 1920 – December 25, 1997) was an American film and television actor and director. He was well known for a number of TV roles from the 1960s through the 1980s, including his portrayal of Briscoe Darling Jr. in se ...

). Ed's secretary, Mary Ellen (

Coleen Gray Coleen Gray (born Doris Bernice Jensen; October 23, 1922 – August 3, 2015) was an American actress. She was best known for her roles in the films '' Nightmare Alley'' (1947), '' Red River'' (1948), and Stanley Kubrick's '' The Killing'' ( ...

), is another reason for Jeff to want to join the company. Although Mickey is scheduled to do the first test, his wife Grace (

Anne Barton Anne Barton (previously Righter, born Barbara Ann Roesen; 9 May 1933 − 11 November 2013) was a renowned American-English scholar and Shakespearean critic. Life Born in Scarsdale, New York, the only child of Oscar and Blanche (née Williams) R ...

) is expecting, so Ed assigns Jeff. "The Dream" is carried to altitude by a Boeing B-29/P2B mothership before being released to fly on its own power. When Jeff tries to ignite the rocket motors, the aircraft explodes. but he ejects using an escape pod, landing safely. Suspected of somehow being responsible for the explosion, he is placed on a 30-day suspension, but Jeff protests and quits. With his partner Dan Maddox (

Russell Thorson Russell Thorson (October 14, 1906 – July 6, 1982 ) was an American actor, perhaps best known for his co-starring role as Det. Lt. Otto Lindstrom in ABC's 1959–1962 hit crime drama, ''The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor''. Backgroun ...

), Ed constructs a second prototype, with Mickey as the test pilot. A repeat of the same explosion lands Mickey in the hospital. He had blacked out, but the automatic escape pod had deployed, saving his life. In a visit to the hospital where he sees Ed, Jeff asks to come back, claiming he will serve his suspension while a new aircraft is being built. With his company's fortunes at a low ebb, Ed believes he has the answer to the violent explosions and elects to fly the next test himself. Jeff accompanies him. "The Dream" climbs to 60,000 feet, then Ed cuts the motors and reignites them successfully, but blacks out. Jeff sends out a

Mayday Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications. It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organiza ...

, shouting, "Bandits at two o'clock." Like he had in wartime, Ed instinctively reacts and pulls out of the dive. With the test a success and the company again in good shape, Ed and Jeff land safely and return to Ruth and Mary, who are waiting for them.

Cast

* Preston Foster as Col. Ed Buckley *

as Pat Connors *

as Ruth Buckley *

as Mary Ellen * Bobby Clark as "Skip" Buckley *

as Mickey Hill *

as Dan Maddox *

as Grace Hill

Production

''Destination 60,000'' has the feel of a

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typic ...

, weaving a fictional story into a depiction of the brave test pilots flying the

Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket The Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket (or D-558-II) is a rocket and jet-powered research supersonic aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the United States Navy. On 20 November 1953, shortly before the (17 December) 50th anniversary of pow ...

. Principal photography began in mid-August 1956 at California Studios. Full cooperation from the Douglas Aircraft Company was acknowledged. The ability to film at Edwards Air Force Base also enhanced the "first-hand" descriptions.

Reception

''Destination 60,000'' was primarily a B film, "one of a cycle of late-1950s films dealing with the exploits of supersonic-jet test pilots. ... Destination 60,000 was put together by Gross-Krasne Productions, a firm more closely associated with weekly TV series (''Big Town'', ''Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal'', ''Mayor of the Town'', etc.)."Erickson, Ha
"Overview: Destination 60,000."
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', 2014. Retrieved: October 17, 2014.

References

Notes Citations Bibliography * Libis, Scott. ''Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket'' (Naval Fighters Number Fifty-Seven). Simi Valley, California: Ginter Books, 2002. . * Winchester, Jim. "Grumman X-29". X-Planes and Prototypes. London: Amber Books, 2005. .

External links