Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962): Cast & Plot
Five Weeks in a Balloon is a 1962 family comedy directed by Irwin Allen, starring Cedric Hardwicke as Fergusson, Peter Lorre and Richard Haydn. It runs 1 hour 41 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 41m (101 min)
- Director
- Irwin Allen
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- 20th Century Fox
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Five Weeks in a Balloon About?
The premise of Five Weeks in a Balloon without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
The adventure takes viewers from Zanzibar’s slave market to the forbidden city of Timbuktu and across the treacherous Sahara Simoon. Professor Fergusson sets out to make aviation history, traveling across Africa in a balloon to explore and claim uncharted West African territories as proof of his invention’s value.
Five Weeks in a Balloon Themes & Keywords
· 47 tags- based on novel
- psychotronic film
- hot air balloon
- professor
- suspension bridge
- exploration of africa
- explorer
- playboy
- newspaper reporter
- investor
- newspaper publisher
- slave-trader
+35 more Show fewer
- unexplored territory
- slave girl
- foot chase
- jungle
- chimpanzee
- chased
- rescued slave
- storm
- sultan
- pretending to be a god
- palace
- banquet
- quick getaway
- chased by a lion
- desert
- sandstorm
- oasis
- timbuktu
- incarceration
- rescue operation
- caravan
- sheik
- slave market
- crash landing
- hot air balloon crash
- waterfall
- crash landing into a river
- 1860s
- lion
- english
- prime minister
- american
- military officer
- journalist
- zanzibar
Five Weeks in a Balloon Cast & Characters
Cedric Hardwicke leads the cast as Fergusson, with Peter Lorre as Ahmed and Richard Haydn as Sir Henry Vining. Directed by Irwin Allen; 13 actors are credited in all.
- Director Irwin Allen
-
Cedric Hardwicke as Fergusson -
Peter Lorre as Ahmed -
Richard Haydn as Sir Henry Vining - Fabian as Jacques
Also Starring in Five Weeks in a Balloon
· 9 more- Red Buttons Donald O'Shay
- Herbert Marshall The Prime Minister
- Reginald Owen Consul
- BarBara Luna Makia
- Barbara Eden Susan Gale
- Henry Daniell Sheik Ageiba
- Billy Gilbert Sultan/Actioneer
- Mike Mazurki Slave Captain
- Jonathan Gilmore Chief Slave (uncredited)
More from Irwin Allen
More films directed by Irwin Allen, best-rated first: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, The Swarm and Lost in Space - No Place to Hide.
Five Weeks in a Balloon Plot Summary
What happens in Five Weeks in a Balloon from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
** The Jupiter, a manned balloon with a unicorn-shaped gondola, plummets from the skies during its maiden voyage. Ahmed, a slave trader, and Sir Henry Vining, the head of the Royal Geographic Society, scream in terror as the craft collapses, while the calm genius behind it, Fergusson, remains composed, planning a dramatic demonstration to showcase the balloon’s controls. On the instructor’s cue, Jacques powers the ascent with a pressure gauge that promises no loss of gas or ballast. The near-disaster leaves Sir Henry and his treasurer wary of further funding, and they walk away from the project in frustration.
Full summary
The whole story of Five Weeks in a Balloon, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know Five Weeks in a Balloon?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
In what year is the film primarily set?
Seen Five Weeks in a Balloon?
Movies Like Five Weeks in a Balloon
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Flight of the Lost Balloon, Fantastic Voyage in a Baloon and The Balloonatic.
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Flight of the Lost Balloon 1961 -
Fantastic Voyage in a Baloon 1975 -
The Balloonatic 1923 -
Five Came Back 1939 -
Fun in Balloon Land 1965 -
Now We’re in the Air 1927 -
Balloon Farm 1999 -
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes 1965 -
Jules Verne’s Rocket to the Moon 1967 -
The Conquest of the Pole 1912 -
Lost in the Stratosphere 1934 -
Up to His Ears 1965
Five Weeks in a Balloon FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Five Weeks in a Balloon, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Five Weeks in a Balloon?
Five Weeks in a Balloon runs 1 hour 41 minutes (101 minutes).
When was Five Weeks in a Balloon released?
Five Weeks in a Balloon was released on August 22, 1962.
Who directed Five Weeks in a Balloon?
Five Weeks in a Balloon was directed by Irwin Allen.
More films by Irwin Allen Who is in the cast of Five Weeks in a Balloon?
Five Weeks in a Balloon stars Cedric Hardwicke as Fergusson, Peter Lorre as Ahmed and Richard Haydn as Sir Henry Vining, among 13 credited actors.
Does Five Weeks in a Balloon have a post-credit scene?
No. Five Weeks in a Balloon has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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