Skyway to Death (1974)
The passengers in an aerial tramway are trapped when the tramway breaks down 8,500 feet in the air.
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everything you have heard about this movie is true.
brilliant actors, brilliant editing
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
I first saw this movie way back in the eighties, and because there are few cable car disaster movies I remember it quite well. I actually taped it in the late 90's when it was on TV for old times sake, and I still have it somewhere! All the action takes place on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway (they even have their own website - check it out!). some of the effects are typical '70's', but its an OK film all in all. Some of the exterior shots are so obviously done in a studio (climbing up the gooseneck of the cable car etc) but then again some of the shots of the car near the end in its 'out of control' mode are very clever and sure get the adrenaline pumping - excellent. A remake could be easily done on this theme, as a lot of people would be genuinely scared if trapped and hanging in the mid-air. I know I would!
I haven't seen this movie in years but it was kind of eerie when New York City's Roosevelt Island Tram car got stuck for over 11 hours in April of 2006. It reminded me of this movie and all I can remember is that Ruth McDevitt is in it and she's wearing a hat and it flies off her head and she utters "Dam" and covers her mouth after she says it. That was probably one of the few curse words allowed on 1974 TV which it why it stuck in my head. Overall, I don't remember much of the movie but Bobby Sherman was one of the people stuck in the tram and he was supposedly one of the draws of this TV-movie. ABC ran the trailer for this movie over and over again and like all of their movies of the week, had that "I have to watch it" feeling. Too bad a lot of these rare gems are not seen anymore and with the advent of cable and satellite TV, you would think somebody would create a home for these movies. A sort of "70's retro-movie channel." A DVD release would be great, but who would remember it?