Five Weeks in a Balloon *** (1962, Cedric Hardwicke, Peter Lorre, Red Buttons, Richard Haydn, Billy Gilbert, Fabian, Barbara Eden, Herbert Marshall, Reginald Owen, Henry Daniell, BarBara Luna) – Classic Movie Review 11,538

Up, up and away with Cedric Hardwicke, Peter Lorre, Red Buttons, Richard Haydn, Barbara Eden and Fabian.

Director Irwin Allen’s 1962 adventure film Five Weeks in a Balloon stars Cedric Hardwicke, Peter Lorre, Red Buttons, Richard Haydn, Billy Gilbert, Herbert Marshall, Reginald Owen, Henry Daniell, Fabian, Barbara Eden, BarBara Luna and Mike Mazurki.

A group of Victorian explorers cross 4,000 miles of Africa in a balloon to plant the British flag on an unclaimed piece of land, in this bland but bright, good-looking and amusing Jules Verne fantasy adventure, with an exceptional band of performers.

Hardwicke stars as grumpy true Brit Professor Fergusson who leads the group, daffy Buttons plays star reporter newsman Donald O’Shay, Haydn plays foppish scientific boffin passenger Sir Henry Vining, and Fabian plays the hunky young hero pilot Jacques who soon romances exotic slave Makia (BarBara Luna).

Peter Lorre in M.

Lorre (enjoying himself as Ahmed, the lip-smackingly evil boss of the slave market), Eden (as kidnapped American teacher Susan Gale) and Billy Gilbert (as the Sultan) also contribute to the fun, as does Winton Hoch’s bright CinemaScope photography and the snappy direction from co-writer and producer Allen.

Five Weeks in a Balloon is lightweight, but then it would need to be!

The screenplay by Irwin Allen and Charles Bennett is loosely based on the 1863 novel of the same name by Jules Verne. Irwin Allen, who had just made the hit The Lost World, wanted to release the film in 1962 in time for the 100th anniversary of the novel.

Although set in Africa, it was filmed in Hollywood except for some second unit shots in Africa.

Balloonist Don Piccard is the film’s technical advisor.

A model of the balloon was used, as well as a full-sized unicorn gondola hung from a crane.

The cast are Red Buttons as Donald O’Shay, Fabian as Jacques, Barbara Eden as Susan Gale, Cedric Hardwicke as Professor Fergusson, Peter Lorre as Ahmed, Richard Haydn as Sir Henry Vining, BarBara Luna as Makia, Billy Gilbert as the Sultan, Herbert Marshall as The Prime Minister, Reginald Owen as Consul, Henry Daniell as Sheik Ageiba, Mike Mazurki as Slave Captain, Alan Caillou as Inspector, Ben Astar as Myanga, Raymond Bailey as Randolph, and Chester the Chimp as ‘The Duchess’.

Fabiano Anthony Forte was born on 6 February 1943.

Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,538

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Fabian is the young hero who romances exotic slave Barbara Luna.