The Big Lift (1950)
Reference View | Change View
- Approved
- 2h 0min
- Drama, War
- 14 Jul 1950 (Mexico)
- Movie
Experiences of two Air Force sergeants during the 1948 Berlin Airlift.
Director:
Writer:
Award:
- 1 nomination.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Montgomery Clift | ... |
Danny MacCullough
|
|
| Paul Douglas | ... |
Hank Kowalski
|
|
| Cornell Borchers | ... |
Frederica Burkhardt
|
|
| Bruni Löbel | ... |
Gerda
|
|
| O.E. Hasse | ... |
Stieber
|
|
 |
Dante V. Morel | ... |
Dante V. Morel
(as Capt. Dante V. Morel)
|
|
|
John R. Mason | ... |
John R. Mason
(as Capt. John R. Mason)
|
|
|
Gail R. Plush | ... |
Gail R. Plush
(as Capt. Gail R. Plush)
|
|
|
Mack Blevins | ... |
Mack Blevins
(as Capt. Mack Blevins)
|
|
|
William A. Stewart | ... |
William A. Stewart
(as Capt. William A. Stewart)
|
|
|
Alfred L. Freiburger | ... |
Alfred L. Freiburger
(as 1st Lt. Alfred L. Freiburger)
|
|
|
Gerald Arons | ... |
Gerald Arons
(as 1st Lt. Gerald Arons)
|
|
|
James Wilson | ... |
James Wilson
(as 1st Lt. James Wilson)
|
|
|
Richard A. Kellogg | ... |
Richard A. Kellogg
(as 1st Lt. Richard A. Kellogg)
|
|
|
Roy R. Steele | ... |
Roy R. Steele
(as 1st Lt. Roy R. Steele)
|
|
|
James H. Blankenship | ... |
James H. Blankenship
(as S/Sgt. James H. Blankenship)
|
|
|
Harold E. Bamford | ... |
Harold E. Bamford
(as S/Sgt. Harold E. Bamford)
|
|
|
D.R. Simmons | ... |
D.R. Simmons
(as S/Sgt. D.R. Simmons)
|
|
|
O.B. Schultz | ... |
O.B. Schultz
(as S/Sgt. O.B. Schultz)
|
|
|
Andrew Shamlee | ... |
Andrew Shamlee
(as Sgt. Andrew Shamlee)
|
|
|
Elbert Garrett | ... |
Elbert Garrett
(as Sgt. Elbert Garrett)
|
| William Pierson | ... |
Billy Pierson
(as Sgt. Billy Pierson)
|
|
|
|
Donald R. Neild | ... |
Donald R. Neild
(as Cpl. Donald R. Neild)
|
|
|
Herman Dornbusch | ... |
Herman Dornbusch
(as Sgt. Herman Dornbusch)
|
|
|
William L. Davenport | ... |
William L. Davenport
(as Pfc. William L. Davenport)
|
|
|
William J. Hardiman | ... |
William J. Hardiman
(as Pfc. William J. Hardiman)
|
|
|
Donald W. Keniston | ... |
Donald W. Keniston
(as Pfc. Donald W. Keniston)
|
|
|
T.F. Lancer | ... |
T.F. Lancer
(as Lt. Col. T.F. Lancer)
|
|
|
Harry Pretty | ... |
Harry Pretty
(as Lt. Col. Harry Pretty)
|
|
|
R.L. Hetzel | ... |
R.L. Hetzel
(as Maj. R.L. Hetzel)
|
|
|
John T. Mitchell | ... |
John T. Mitchell
(as Maj. John T. Mitchell)
|
|
|
Werner T. Michau | ... |
W.T. Michau
(as Capt. W.T. Michau)
|
|
|
Harry Holt | ... |
Harry Holt
(as Capt. Harry Holt)
|
|
|
C.C. Hurt | ... |
C.C. Hurt
(as Capt. C.C. Hurt)
|
|
|
Ray Tyler | ... |
Ray Tyler
(as Capt. Ray Tyler)
|
|
|
William Thompson | ... |
William Thompson
(as 1st. Lt. William Thompson)
|
|
|
Richard O'Malley | ... |
Self - AP Correspondent
|
|
|
Lyford Moore | ... |
Self - ABC Correspondent
|
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
|
|
Lucius D. Clay | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
(as Gen. Lucius D. Clay)
|
|
|
Harold Dyrenforth | ... |
Bit Role (uncredited)
|
|
|
George Ghermanoff | ... |
Bit Role (uncredited)
|
|
|
Walter Gross | ... |
Zigarettenschnorrer (uncredited)
|
| Jan Hendriks | ... |
Bit Role (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Ernö Király | ... |
Bit Role (uncredited)
|
|
|
Bruce Morgan | ... |
Bit Role (uncredited)
|
|
|
Franz Nicklisch | ... |
Gunther (uncredited)
|
|
|
John S. Peters | ... |
Bit Role (uncredited)
|
|
|
Fred Spitz | ... |
Bit Role (uncredited)
|
|
|
Walter Thiele | ... |
Bit Role (uncredited)
|
Directed by
| George Seaton | ||
Written by
| George Seaton | ... | (written by) |
Produced by
| William Perlberg | ... | producer |
Music by
| Alfred Newman | ||
Cinematography by
| Charles G. Clarke | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| William Reynolds | ||
| Robert L. Simpson | ... | (as Robert Simpson) |
Art Direction by
| J. Russell Spencer | ... | (as Russell Spencer) |
| Lyle R. Wheeler | ... | (as Lyle Wheeler) |
Costume Design by
| Bobbe Brox | ... | (costumes designed by) |
Production Management
| Gene Bryant | ... | production manager (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Roger Heman Sr. | ... | sound (as Roger Heman) |
| Charles Hisserich | ... | sound |
Visual Effects by
| Fred Sersen | ... | special photographic effects |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Louis Kunkle | ... | camera operator |
| Ernst Ortmann | ... | assistant camera |
| Erich Küchler | ... | assistant camera (uncredited) |
| Kenneth Lang | ... | gaffer (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Sam Benson | ... | wardrobe (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Edward B. Powell | ... | orchestrator (as Edward Powell) |
| Alfred Newman | ... | conductor (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Twentieth Century Fox (presents) (produced by)
Distributors
- Twentieth Century Fox (1950) (United States) (theatrical) (as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) (released by)
- Fox-Europa Production (1950) (France) (theatrical)
- Netherlands Fox Film Corporation (1950) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Twentieth Century Fox Film Company (1950) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Twentieth Century-Fox (1950) (Mexico) (theatrical)
- Centfox (1953) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Alpha Video Distributors (2002) (United States) (DVD)
- Reel Media International (2004) (World-wide) (VHS)
- Reel Media International (2007) (World-wide)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) (acknowledgement)
- Unites States Armed Forces (we wish to express our gratitude to: without whose cooperation this film could not have been produced)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
In 1948, the Soviet Union blockades the Allied sectors of Berlin to bring the entire city under their control. A semi-documentary about the resulting Berlin Airlift gives way to stories of two fictitious U.S. Air Force participants: Sgt. Hank Kowalski, whose hatred of Germans proves resistant to change, and Sgt. Danny McCullough, whose pursuit of an attractive German war widow gives him a crash course in the seamy side of occupied Berlin.
Written by Rod Crawford |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | From the Ruins came Hope and Despair See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | Add content advisory for parents » |
| Certification |
|
Additional Details
| Also Known As |
|
| Runtime |
|
| Country | |
| Language | |
| Color | |
| Aspect Ratio |
|
| Sound Mix | |
| Filming Locations |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | The film was made in occupied Germany. All scenes were photographed in the real locations associated with the story, including episodes in the American, French, British and Russian sectors of Berlin. See more » |
| Goofs | Throughout the film, Montgomery Clift's army uniform has sergeant stripes, then it doesn't, then it does, etc.etc. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Referenced in Woman on the Run (1950). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Aloha Oe See more » |
| Crazy Credits | At the end of the movie, the "Hollywood" stars (Clift, Douglas etc.), are not credited, however a panoramic coda does credit the principal military service members who portrayed themselves in the film. It shows them standing at attention in front of a C-54, with their names and ranks scrolling across. See more » |
| Quotes |
Frederica Burkhardt:
When you live in a sewer, you soon discover that the sewer rats are best equipped to survive. See more » |