The President's Plane Is Missing (1973)

Just what I expected

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The President's Plane Is Missing is one of those TV movies I went in with low expectations. Instead, I was pretty entertained by it, even though the ending was a little bit of a let down. In case you don't know the plot, the President of the United States boards Air Force One for a standard trip. Then for the first time in its history, it mysteriously disappears off the radar. This creates a huge crisis, because no one knows whether to declare the President dead and swear in the Vice President, a bumbling fool who who was only chosen as running mate to help the President win key states. To make matters worse, Red China is nipping at the US's heels, and the Vice President is literally the last person on earth anyone wants taking charge in such a crucial moment. Peter Graves plays a crusader who is not ready to give up on the President and believes that he is still alive. Naturally, everyone around him thinks he's cuckoo for cocoa puffs and gives him a hard time because all fingers point to the President being dead.Going into this film, don't expect to be blown away. (It is a 1970s TV movie, after all.) But expect a rather entertaining movie with some decent acting and a mystery that will definitely have you guessing until the final reveal. The payoff to the mystery isn't as great as it could've been (it plays things a little too safe) but is worth the price of admission.

This installment of "The ABC Movie of the Week" is based on a novel by Robert J. Serling. When it begins, the President is headed out on Airforce One when the unthinkable happens...the plane disappears and it appears as if it's crashed. The Vice President (Buddy Ebsen) has been told and it's likely he's now the President! The worst part about this is that this Vice President may be called on to deal with a huge Chinese crisis...and it will take a very strong and decisive person to deal with the escalating problem. But, when they are unable to find the President's body in the wreckage, things get really confusing! As far as the cast goes, this one is a bit more star-studded than usual for a made for a TV movie. Apart from Ebsen, Peter Graves, Arthur Kennedy, Raymond Massey, Mercedes McCambridge and Rip Torn star in this one. Because of this and because it's a really interesting story, this installment of "The ABC Movie of the Week" is a standout...well worth seeing and very well made. And, if you'd like to see it, many of the movies from this series (including this one) are available to watch on YouTube.

I saw this on TV back in the 1970s, and again on video in the 1990s. It is a well-done political/mystery movie, a pleasant evening's diversion. The cast and plot are solid. I read Robert J. Serling's novel recently; the movie holds up well against the book.