ELTC Presents THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY, 6/29

"The High and the Mighty" directed by William Wellman will be shown on June 29 at 8:30p.m., and is the second of East Lynne Theater Company's and The Cape May Film Society's "Sunday Film Series" with the theme "Pilots and Pirates." The "Pirate" films come later, with "The Crimson Pirate" and "The Black Pirate" on August 3 and 10 at 8:30p.m. In the fall, on October 19 at 8:00p.m., the final day of the Cape May Film Festival, it's an evening of spooky classic silent short films.

William Wellman teamed up with John Wayne for the World War II adventure "Island in the Sky" (1953) and "The High and the Mighty" (1954). "The High and the Mighty," about a routine flight that encounters engine trouble, was filmed mostly inside a plane, with John Wayne and Robert Stack in the cockpit, presaged the disaster flick craze of the 1970s. Nominated for several Academy Awards in 1954, including Wellman's third Oscar nomination for Best Director, Dimitri Tiomkin was the only winner for "The High and the Mighty," garnering Best Film Score. Jan Sterling won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Wellman's film "Wings" (1927), recently shown by ELTC and the Cape May Film Society, received the first Oscar for Best Picture. Wellman also shared an Oscar with Robert Carson for Best Original Story for "A Star is Born" (1937), which he also directed. Other films he's hemed include "The Public Enemy" (!931), "Nothing Sacred" (1937), "The Ox-Bow Incident" (1943), and "Battleground" (1949).

Tickets are $10, with ages 12 and under free. The location is The First Presbyterian Church of Cape May, 500 Hughes St., where ELTC is in residence. For reservations and information, contact ELTC at 609-884-5898 or online at www.eastlynnetheater.org.

Meanwhile, the 1922 comedy/drama, "The First Fifty Years" by Henry Myers, about a marriage from just after the honeymoon to the Golden Anniversary, is still playing through July 19, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:30p.m., except there's no show on July 4, and an added show on Sunday, July 6.