Seven Were Saved (1947)
Directed by William H. Pine, Seven Were Saved is a tense adventure-drama set in the aftermath of World War II. Blending military protocol with human drama, the film follows a group of survivors stranded in the South China Sea after a military transport plane crashes. With a runtime of 73 minutes, it delivers a compact, emotionally charged story of endurance and redemption.
Plot Summary
A U.S. military transport plane carrying a mix of passengers—including a war crimes suspect, an army nurse, and several officers—crashes into the ocean. The survivors, adrift in a rubber life raft, must confront not only the elements but also their own secrets and tensions. Among them is Colonel Yamura (Richard Loo), a Japanese officer en route to trial for war crimes, who attempts to hijack the plane before the crash.
As the group battles dehydration, fear, and moral dilemmas, Captain Jim Willis (Russell Hayden) breaks protocol to aid in the rescue, while Captain Allen Danton (Richard Denning) and Lt. Susan Briscoe (Catherine Craig) struggle to maintain order and hope. The film builds toward a dramatic rescue and a reflection on the cost of war and the resilience of the human spirit.
Cast Highlights
- Richard Denning as Capt. Allen Danton
- Catherine Craig as Lt. Susan Briscoe
- Russell Hayden as Capt. Jim Willis
- Richard Loo as Col. Yamura
- Ann Doran, Byron Barr, Don Castle, and George Tyne round out the ensemble
Behind-the-Scenes Trivia
- The film was produced by William Pine and William Thomas, known as the “Dollar Bills” for their cost-effective productions
- Actress Catherine Craig was married to actor Robert Preston in real life
- A character references Enoch Arden, mistakenly calling it a book—it’s actually a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson
