When I was wee, I had two obsessions, the supernatural and military aircraft. So when i first caught this movie in the mid 70's at about 8 years old, I was in 7th heaven.
Actually, in my humble opinion, this is a lost classic, even though it stars William Shatner, don't hold that against it as there's also a fine performance by Richard Baseheart as well.
IMBd gives a brief plot description....
"When a bomber believed to have crashed in the ocean 17 years ago is found in the Libyan desert. A Colonel and Major accompany the only surviving member of the crew, who is now a General to figure out what happened. The General claims that he and the other members of the crew jumped over the ocean when in reality he bailed out leaving the others to fend for themselves. And while the Colonel just wants the whole thing closed, the Major insists on finding the truth. And watching them are the ghosts of the crew."
One reviewer also added...
"Sole Survivor is one of the weirder entries in the WWII genre and difficult to classify. Written by Guerdon Trueblood as a TV movie, it tells the tale of a B-25 Mitchell stranded in the Libyan desert. Comparisons are sometimes made between this and Flight of the Phoenix and shouldn't be, as Sole Survivor really has no thematic equal. Richard Basehart and Vince Edwards are fine in their roles, although Shatner had by this time been typecast as Captain Kirk and can't seem to shake that in his role as Gronke. Fans of Pat Wayne will enjoy a somewhat better performance than his usual, and Lou Antonio was in the middle of a career that spanned multiple decades. For some reason this one is difficult to find, which is a shame as it is absolutely unique and an experience that tends to stay with you long after the closing credits roll."
Sounds kinda corny, but it's a well put together piece of TV theatre.
You can catch a rather ropey rip on you tube below. It's in 10 minute chunks, but that's better than nothing.
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