Alan Baker William Holden was the biggest male star in Hollywood in the mid fifties after a string of hit movies (Stalag 17, Bridges at Toko Ri, Country Girl, Sabrina, Love is a Many Splendored Thing, Picnic). At the time many of Tinseltown's big names were setting up their own production companies (Bogart's Santana, Wayne's Batjaq, Kirk Douglas' Bryna); Holden also set up his own. "Toward the Unknown" was Toluca Productions only film and if you sit through it you'll know why. Turgid dialogue mouthed by miscast actors all seemingly off form. Holden plays a burned out ex POW Korean vet who belongs to the please yourself section of the Air Force so turns up unannounced at top secret Edwards Air Force base looking for a ride. Nobody asks to see his orders, just like real life. Base Commander is Lloyd Nolan, an actor who may be alright as a country lawyer, but not cutting it as a crack test pilot. Nolan turns Holden down as a test pilot as he thinks he will be unreliable, in spite of employing a histrionic recovering alcoholic played by an over acting Murray Hamilton as his top jock. He also employs a lunatic aide who seems to have wandered in from a different movie. Complicating things is Holden's old flame and current beau of Nolan played by Virginia Leith with all the charisma and acting talent of Barbie's ugly sister. Holden shouldn't worry about not getting the hot ships as Nolan seems to do all the flying himself. There's lots of irrelevant stock footage of nearly everything in the Air Force inventory and it's amazing that the Air Force and Manufacturers cooperated in the making of the movie as nearly every flight seems to end in a crash Even the aircraft are miscast as we are asked to believe that a failed early fifties light bomber (the Martin XB-51) is a hot new fighter. Unfortunately, it's wings are skinned in wet bedsheets but nobody will believe Holden when he tells them. James Garner makes his movie debut as an ill fated pilot but spends most of the time looking bemused as if wondering if the movies are the right way for a grown man to earn a living. This tripe was written by ex pilot Beirne Lay Jr. who had written the much better "Strategic Air Command" the year before. Respected director Mervyn Le Roy seems to have phoned his work in while Holden spends the movie looking as though he wished he was somewhere else.

bkoganbing The one and only film that William Holden produced as well as starred in is this great tribute to the test pilots of the United States Air Force who were breaking all kinds of flying speed records in the Fifties, the new age of jet and rocket propulsion. Toward The Unknown is about as authentic as you can get in a film about flying, being shot at Edwards Air Force Base as it was.Holden plays an Air Force pilot who was a POW in Korea and was tortured and broke under it. For that reason General Lloyd Nolan is reluctant to give him a chance at test flying the latest jets and even more so with the untried rocket technology of the X-2. Pulling for him is Nolan's second in command at Edwards, Charles McGraw, and Virginia Leith who is Nolan's secretary. In fact Nolan and Holden are both out courting her as well which puts another dimension to the situation.This film is an absolute must for aviation buffs just like Jet Pilot, the Howard Hughes produced film that starred John Wayne and Janet Leigh. Unlike that film, the story plot is reasonable and coherent in Toward The Unknown.James Garner has a small part in this film as another test pilot in one of his earliest feature roles. So does Murray Hamilton who has a drinking problem and a real dislike for Holden whom he sees as a rival.Toward The Unknown, fine product that it was, was the last film that William Holden was involved on the production end with. He found he did not like being involved in all the aspects of production as it were as so many of his other contemporaries enjoyed. Still as a producer Holden batted 1.000. Toward The Unknown is a fine production and should be required viewing for aviation buffs.

irac123 I would like to purchase this movie as it has been out of circulation for almost 20 years. If anyone has any prior knowledge to any upcoming commercial free viewing of this excellent filmed classic please post the dates and times of wonderful classic adventure. This movie is the best film flight adventure movie ever made with at the time it was filmed it contained an all star cast. The flight scenes performed by the United States Air Force made "Top Gun", "Strategic Air Command", "The Hunters","McConnell Story" "Air Force" and even William Holden's classic "The Bridges at Toko-Ri appear as good runner-ups. I hope this comment raises interest in Warner Bros. re-introducing the fine classic on DVD or at the very least an unlimited airing of this movie on a commercial free cable movie channel. Please e-mail if this will happen.

rmerts I agree with orexis. The acting is good and the flying is integrated into the story line very well; unlike a lot of movies where it's a story line with some flying scenes thrown haphazardly in because it's a "flying movie". One of Holden's better performances and a movie I thoroughly enjoy watching every time I am able to catch it. The rest of the actors also deliver a good performance and the movies maintains a good enough pace to keep it interesting.If you enjoy watching entertaining movies with a military and historical flavor then this movie will definitely interest you. The glimpse into America's early attempts at faster than sound flight are good and the flight sequences are entertaining enough to hold your attention.