I am trying to name a film but no movie databases has the answer. A plane has crashed and the cast of the film turn out to be ghosts who 'disappear' as their bodies are recovered. In the end there is one sole 'ghost' until the searchers return and find his body under the tail plane. Have I imagined this as no one seems to know what i'm talking about?

Julian McCarthy, Kingston upon Thames UK

• It's a made-for-tv movie from 1970 called 'Sole Survivor' It stars Richard Basehart.

  John Dean, Oxford UK

• This rings a bell with me. I'm pretty sure it was an episode of The Twilight Zone, though, not a film as such. If memory serves it may even have been directed by Steven Spielberg. The crew of US airmen had crashed their WW2 plane when a bomb got stuck in the bomb bay. They could not die properly until their remains had been found but their ghosts were accessible though some sort of time portal. The last scene was of the final guy being discovered beneath the wrecked tail plane.

  Leo Hickey, Barking UK

• This film has been driving me crazy for years! I know a couple of people who have seen it but neither can remember its name, nor any of the cast. I too have searched on databases and have even gone into chat rooms to ask people! I am afraid I can't help with the title, but I can assure you that it is not your imagination (unless we are both crazy!) One person did suggest that it may have been a "Twilight Zone" episode, but I remember it as a feature length film. I think, although it was set in WWII, it was made in the late 60s or early 70s.

  Pennie, Nottingham UK

• This sounds a bit similar to a Robert Powell film of 20 years ago, based on James Herbert's book "The Survivor".

  Jeff Vagg, Beckenham UK

• It sounds very like a book by James Herbert called Survivor (or The Survivor) - not sure if they ever made a film of it though.

  Pete, London UK

• this intriguing film is called "Sole Survivor", and was a TV movie made in 1970, directed by Paul Stanley and starring William Shatner. This film had "haunted" me for years until I finally tracked the title down after many, many lengthy internet searches. On at least two occasions when talking about films in the pub, someone has asked "anyone remember that film where there's a crashed bomber and a crew that don't know there dead?"

  Gareth, Keighley UK

• The film in question ISN'T "The Survivor" (the film of the James Herbert book). The plot for The Survivor was that one man survives a plane crash (I think totally unharmed) and in his struggle to come to terms with this uncovers the fact that the plane was sabotaged/blown up. The twist is that he didn't survive. He is a manifestation of the will of all the lost souls and as soon as the truth is reveals he dies.

  Dan Marchant, London

• I sent this very enquiry to "Empire" film magazine last year and they confirmed that the film is indeed Sole Survivior, a TV movie made in the early 1970's and starring , amongst others, William Shatner. Unfortunately the film is not available on video.......if anyone knows of a way to obtain a copy I'd love to have one. It's a great film.

  Hayley lord, Bristol UK

• Sole Survivor is indeed the film in question, although you might not recognise it from its description in most databases. They tend to emphasise the come-uppance of the now senior aviator who was responsible for the crash, rather than the more interesting supernatural aspect that everyone actually remembers the film for. Any similarity to The Twilight Zone episode is probably down to the fact Rod Serling also wrote Sole Survivor. It's likely that he drew inspiration from the discovery of the crashed WWII US bomber 'Lady Be Good' in the Libyan desert during the late '50's.

  Captain Pedantic, London

• Thanks, Ray. The film definitely has no survivors and nothing to do with a navigation error - it definitely has baseball in it and there are no survivors at the end, all the ghosts are laid to rest. Please keep insisting!

  Dee, Manchester UK

• Jeez, is Ray Mitcham still yammering on about this one? The Sole Survivor is Richard Basehart. The navigator. The only one who got out of the plane. The one who bailed out and left them lost. Get it now?

  Mark Power, Dublin

• I cannot remember the name of the film, I saw it a long time ago, it may have been 1970 - or earlier, or both. I may be mixing up more han one version, but seem to remember William Shatner and Richard Basehart. My memory of the story is that someone (possibly a survivor) has come with a team to the bomber''s crash site to recover the bodies and possibly to investigate the cause of the crash. As each body is found the ghost (and they know they are dead) disappears. One of the crew does not expect to be found because he tried to walk out and his body was some miles away from the ''plane, but he is found. However, I do remember that the body under the collapsed tailplane is NOT found. I know that because the image of the single ghost left on his own in the desert really touched my imagination. I still find it horrible to think about. Perhaps, as there are those who remember all the bodies being found, another version was made with a sanitised "happy" ending. I don''t think it would have been as memorable as the original though. Sole survivor sounds about right.

  Mary B, Leominster UK

• Whatever the name of this film is, one thing i remember is the ghosts of the departed crew being in awe of a helicopter that turns up at the crash site, with one of them remarking that it 'hangs in the air just like a bird' or something like that.Suggesting that when they died there were no helicopters in service.

  Mike, Manchester

• I have a video of this film. It is indeed Sole Survivor starring Shatner and Basehart.

  Gareth, Bedford

• Wow! I remember this film, which I saw when it was shown on TV in the UK in the late 70s. I remember the plane (it was a B24 or B25) and I remember Richard Basehart, recognising him from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. I dont remember William Shatner, which is odd as I was a real Star Trek fan as a young kid. I remember that one of the ghosts was not recovered... I think that the others had bailed out with a dingy, believing the navigator that they were over the water off the (Libyan?) coast. One stayed with the plane )the pilot?) and had survived the crash (the sole survivor?) he had taken shelter from the sun under the tail section, which broke off and crushed him. This is why the air accident investigation team didnt find his body. They couldnt understand how there were no bodies, until one of the investigators realised that the navigator (who had survived - the other play on the 'sole survivor' title) had got the position wrong - but he bailed out first and survived the drop. As I recall Basehart was the navigator. Yes, I too wish I could get a copy!

  Bob Keeley, Ashford UK

• This page has just answered a quest I have had for over a decade - I've asked all sorts, including those who title themselves film afficiondos Its weird to see that so many other people have been trying to find the title of this film as well - a bit like our own episode of the Twilight Zone. I can rest easy now. Thanks again.

  Bish, Dublin Ireland

• The answer to a question that has been driving both my father and I mad for 15 years is finally found! thank you! I too have been told it was the Twilight Zone episode "King Nine", but have spent what seems an eternity searching the web for the real movie name. Now, where to rent it from...

  heather, bothell, wa usa

• I too have been trying to find this film for years - and am still confused! I agree entirely with those that say there were no survivors, and particularly with what Ray Mitcham says - that is spot on. Thing is I think the title was Flight of the Phoenix, but obviously NOT the film with Jimmy Stewart in, maybe a made for TV film with the same name? But also - not an episode of anything, it was a full length flm. So - anyone out there know about the film Ray and I are talking about!

  Trev, Selby

• I agree with Ray too. I don't think it is the film Sole Survivor. I have been searching for the answer too. I'm sure it is a black and white movie too? Does anyone else agree with that?

  Naomi, Leeds, UK

• Going back to Steve Williams answer. The Movie opened with the ghosts playing baseball. Two of them walk in from the horizon and say that they cannot walk out of the dessert. They''re not sure now if they are alive or dead. The rescue plane shows up, and they line up at attention. The commander of the rescue mission walks down their row, lokking them up and down - then comments about the plane. You realize he never saw the ghosts and they realize they are dead. The middle part is mostly forgettable, but they try to communicate with the resue party. And you find out that everyone bailed. They were trapped in the desert. One of the crew goes to the plane wreck to try to find supplies. In the burning sun, he crawls into the shade of the plane, where he died. And was covered by sand - this is why the rescue party cannot find any bodies. Eventually one of the party thinks he sees the ghosts, goes crazy and hops in a jeep an flees. When the party catches up with him, he hasstumbled onto one of the bodies of the crew, where he parachuted and died. Back at the plane one of the ghosts says all he can see is a flag. The party drapes the corpse in a flag. The ghost disappears. The resue party then says, "there's another" Another ghost diappears and then the rest. The movie ends with the ghost who died at the plane (body not found) playing baseball by himself. Is it "Sole Survivor"? Not a clue.

  Jim, Leesburg, VA USA

• Yes, that is the one that I've been hunting for, I remember the one crewmember saying "They''re touching me!" right before he vanished. It has to be 25 or 30 years since I've seen it. It is definitely not TZ's King Nine but there are a number of similarities between the stories.

  Flight of the Phoenix has been offered by a number of people during my quest...but, of course Hollywood is about to release a new desecration - erm, version of that classic.

  J. Steven Bonnell, Cincinnati, USA

• Good Lord! I thought I was the only one in the world who wondered about this! I've been looking for the answer for years. God bless the Grauniad.

  Chy, Perth, Australia

• The movie is definitely Sole Survivor from 1970, with William Shatner, Richard Basehart and Patrick Wayne. Wayne is the pilot, Basehart was the nav who bailed out over the Med and left the others to crash in Libya. The Sole Survivor was played by Lou Antonio who was the tail gunner on the B-25 Mitchell and who couldn't rest because his body was under the tail section. They were all angry at Basehart's character Hamlin who had left them to die and who was overcome with guilt. A great TV movie which ITV shows about every ten years or so ! Does anyone have it on DVD?

  Robert Smith, Exeter, UK

• At long last I find that my sister and I are not alone in our seemingly impossible task of finding out a) was this a movie or a 'Twilight Zone' episode and b) What on earth was it called??? The over-riding memory for us are 4 (or possibly 5) air crew during WW2 marooned in the desert next to their crashed plane. They spend their day playing baseball, then one by one they disappear until there is only one left. He is running around at the end trying to find his mates but they've all gone. This is because their bodies are found and they are laid to rest. However, the real sadness - and why we think it sticks out for us - is that the last one is never found because his body is under the tail wing. If this is a false memory then we are very happy but I don't think so. I always thought it was in black and white but hey, the memory fades after 30 years or so...

  Fran, Richmond, UK

• I think there are two different films being talked about here. The one with the ghosts disappearing one by one rings no bells at all, but I do remember watching a film on TV when I was about 9 (so mid-70s)with William Shatner in it (and I think also some other actor from Star Trek) and being gripped by it. They had crashed in the desert and new their chances of rescue were slim but tried to help themselves. Then a rescue crew turn up and you're relieved until the twist, with the rescuers walking through the crash "survivors" and you realise they are ghosts. I think one of the rescue party says something about it looking as though they died instantly in the crash. I was really freaked out by the twist in the tale, and it has hovered at the back of my mind for years. I'm not sure that the film was called "Sole Survivor" though - and that wouldn't really tie in with my memory of the crash as I can't remmebr there being any survivors.

  Ali, London, UK

• I can't believe so many other people are trying to find the name of this film. I watched this on TV about 25years ago and have always remembered it and tried to find out what it was called. It definitely wasn't Flight of the Phoenix because it is on tv at this very minute and it has prompted me to start looking again. The description of Sole Survivor sounds similar but I was sure that the film I saw was black and white. I definitely remember the navigator surviving because he had told the crew to bail out over the sea but in fact it was the desert and the crew haunted him when they realised they were dead. Maybe there are two versions of this film, the colour one and also the older b/w one, would love to know for sure.

  Claire, Nuneaton, UK

• Every week, I look at the TV film listings in the hope of finding this film, trying to remember its name, every week the same nagging disappointment that I can never find it.

  How curious to find I am only one member of a sect who was profoundly touched by seeing this film as a child in the 70s.

  This phenomenon surely needs investigation -was there some kind of cold war subliminal message in the film that touched us all - is this why it is never shown now - any conspiracy theories?

  Simon Porges, Brighton, UK

• Sole Survivor.

  Debbie, Poole, UK

• The film is 'Sole Survivor' and as it is public domain some people have transferred it from VHS to DVD and are legally selling copies on Ebay. Hope this helps.

  Chas, Lancing, England

• I got it I got it! Have just today finished downloading it via bittorrent and now have a copy. I was right in everything I said in my earlier post except that the title IS 'Sole Survivor' with Vince Edwards and William Shatner. Have skipped to the end where the Capt is left on his own and starts to play baseball by himself (my most vivid memory of the film!) and it is the one that I have been hunting all these years ! Oh I'm so happy! (maybe I need to get out more?)

  Malcolm, Cardiff, Wales

• I won't add to the controversy about whether this is "Sole Survivor" or not. I remember both this movie, and the great performance of Bob Cummings in the Twilight episode "King Nine Will Not Return" (he carried the whole show in this episode that opened TWZ's second season). But here is a matter that might be of a little interest to everyone on this blog. In one of William Shatner's book, he related an episode of when he was having lunch with Vince Edwards and Richard Basehart during the filming of "Sole Survivor". A woman walked by them, looked at the three men, and while shaking her head said to her friend: "And he used to be so famous!" All three men looked at each other, and laughingly decided that she could have been talking about any one of them!

  Gary, San Diego USA

• well, ive just watched 'sole survivor' on dvd. its the one with william shatner playing an air force crash investigator. in this film it is clear that the crew know they are ghosts right at the start, and that its been seventeen years since the crash. the film i remember has the whole crew (no survivors) believing that they are still alive. it doesn't come to light that they are all dead until right at the end of the film when a helicopter turns up at the crash site and freaks the crew out (no helicopters in general service at the time of the crash) and the helicopter crew cant see the (dead) crewmen. there is a scene in sole survivor with a helicopter but this is half way into the film, long after the plane wreck has been found, and not the initial discovery.

  richard, hull england

• The answer is indeed Sole Survivor. I have it on VHS tape. Lou Antonia's character died when the tail of the crashed plane fell on him as he sheltered from the sun after having walked back to the plane for water. The pilot was a baseball player and had his ball, bat and glove on the plane. The ghosts played baseball everyday. Richard basehart abandoned the plane after arguing with the captain about returning to Italy (where they were performing a bombing run) instead of possibly crashing in the Mediterranean Sea. Basehart was the only survivor. William Shatner is the "Brass shy" investigator at the crash site. The ghosts taunt a drunk Basehart and he drives off in a jeep. The ghosts steer him north and he finds the rubber life boat out in the desert with Shatner and Vince Edwards hot on his trail. They find and bag all the remians except for Antonio's. Edwards is convinced by an entry in a diary found by their Libyan guide that the remaining corpse is at the crash site and proceeds to drive back. The film closes with Antonio taking up the baseball and bat, scratching out a baseball diamond in the sand and hitting the ball as the camera angle draws back and up into the sky.

  Randall, Denver USA

• Well I'm more confused than I ever was, everyone seems to have a different answer. I suppose until I actually see the film again (which may never happen) I'm just going to have to have sleepless nights. I know I didn't imagine the movie and a friend of mine says he saw it too, so we are not all mad!

  Karl, Newton Abbot UK

• Wow! I'm so glad to have found this discussion. I have asked people for literaly at least 15 years about this movie and they all think I'm nuts. I saw it in the 70's when I was a kid and the twist was amazing at the end. It is the first movie I remember that had a "sixth sense" type ending! I will be trying to get ahold of the recommendations above. I hope one of them is the one I remember. I know it wasn't the Twilight Zone version though since this was a full length movie I remember. Thanks so much everyone!

  Letzel, TX USA

• My partner and I both remember this film from our childhood but have been unable to find anyone else who does. Thank you for confirming that we didn't imagine it. Would love to see it again.

  Una, Dublin Ireland

• IT IS NOT 'SOLE SURVIVOR'. William Shatner was not in it. It was filmed in B&W. It was not an episode of the Twilight Zone. Please, can anyone remember the name of the B&W version, and stop telling us we watched Shatner in a colour version? There is obviously more than one version of this film, and I am not after 'Sole Survivor'. The 'survivors' did not know they were ghosts until they started to realise that they could not leave the area of the crashed plane. They did play with a baseball. At the very end of the film one ghost was left alone in the desert as his body was never recovered. Please help?!

  Duff, Derbyshire, UK

• Im 41 and remember watching this film with my mam, i thought we were the only ones to remember this no matter who we asked, glad i found this thread at least i know i'm not totally mad. There appears to be 3 differing opinions here, the main things that sticks in my mind are the lone airman with the baseball at the end and the film was in black and white, this seems to rule 'sole survivor' out in my mind. sorry cannot be anymore help at the moment but will keep searching as i would love to see this again !!

  Andy, Toft Hill England

• Sole Survivor - as many ppl have clearly stated. You think it was in b&w because most ppl still had b&w tvs back in the 70s when it was shown. There are no other "versions". http://imdb.com/title/tt0065007/ CASE CLOSED!

  Nick Morgan, Sutton UK

• I have just watched "Sole Survivor" It's in colour, never new that, since we had a black and white telly back when I first saw this film. I am 100% positive that this is the film we are all talking about, I just think our young minds back then don't quite remember it exactly, because I was sure they didn't know they were dead either. But yes this film ends with a guy with baseball bat, his body not yet found. Got it for e-bay for £9 (April 08. Just wish I could get a better quality DVD.

  Paul Taylor, Stone UK

• Okay - Last week I went and bought a copy of Sole Survivor to satisfy myself - and it's not the same film!!! Case NOT closed. The original black and white version is still out there somewhere, with some very important differences from the colour/William Shatner version. The simple fact that so many people remember it in black and white should indicate that there was such a version - not that we are all deluded and remembering wrongly from years ago..!

  Duff, Derbyshire UK

• I just had sole survivor delivered to me and raced home to watch it in the hope it was the movie I remembered, It was not.......I am now crushed as I don't think anyone remembers the name of the movie. For those of you who wish to buy a copy of Sole survivor, I bought it off ebay. The plots of the two movies are similar, but the crew in Sole Survivor knew they were dead. I seem to remember a barrier in the other movie that the crew could not penetrate. Maybe we should make our own movie!

  Jen, St Peters Australia

• Incredible! I've been thinking about this film since I was a kid (I'm 35 now). I think I only caught the end of the movie and it left such an impression on me I vowed to watch the whole film one day. Every now and then it would pop into my head and I would think I must try to find the name of it sometime. So, tonight finally I type in a long-shot search into Google and stumble across this thread! I can't believe it! I so agree with many of you who thought this film was a figment of their imagination. What was it about this film that hooked us so much - I mean, I was a little girl, my main joy was my Cindy dolls, ballet and ponies - why would a movie about war, airplanes & dead pilots leave such an impression?! Anyway, after reading all your posts I've just been on eBay and bought a copy of Sole Survivor. I don’t know if it's going to be the one I remember, but I'll let you know when I've received it and watched it - fingers crossed.

  Anita, London UK

• Interesting I've been looking for the same program and stumbled into this site. The television program I remember was performed as if live, in a studio and if I remember correctly was in the middle 60's. Plot was as mentioned before airmen don't know their dead and disappear as they are found until one remains because his body is not recovered. Sure would like to figure this one out.

  Tim, Riley United States

• I think I may have found it! Ghost Bomber:Lady Be Good, Armstrong Circle Theater episode 301, season 11. First aired Feb. 3, 1960. Star? George Segal. Sounds about right to me. Thats all for now, trying to find a way to get that episode.

  Tim, Riley United States

• Both my brother and I have been keeping each others' sanity on this one for years. We watched it about thirty-odd years ago, with our mum and nan, in my nan's living room at Christmas. I remember it so clearly. Unlike most, we remembered the title, but couldn't find it anywhere - not even in filmographies and what-not. It was driving us mad, until we discovered references like these!!! I'm off to buy a copy!!!!

  Jo, Corringham, UK

• I started thinking about this film after visiting a WW2 aircraft crash site in the far north of Scotland (near Gairloch). It is a war grave, and there is still debris from the plan scattered over the hillside and the loch. But back to the film. This is what I remember. It is black and white. The crew do not know that they are dead. As their bodies are discovered, they "vanish". They do play baseball, and the guy with the mitt and ball does not get found. I don't think it was called "Sole Surviver", I think the title was longer and might have had the name of the plane.

  Alison, Biggar, Scotland

• I think Ghost Bomber was an Armstrong circle theatre episode and not the other (apart from Sole Survivor 1970) war movie regarding a crashed air crew in the desert. I have seen Sole Survivor and I know it is definitely not the movie some of us are looking for. In the movie I am looking for, there is no sub plot about the navigator getting out of the plane before it crashed. The "rescue crew" appeared at the middle of the movie and there is no helicopter. When each crew member remains are found they simply disappear. The movie was in black and white, as I remember the TV I was watching it on was colour. I hope someone knows the name of the movie as it has been driving me crazy for years.

  Jen, Cronulla Australia

• I don’t think you all are speaking of the correct movie that the original fella was looking for ... Indeed there appears to be a similar movie called Sole Survivor with Shatner & Baseheart – and indeed we all may have seen it (and therefore are getting them mixed up). I think I recall baseball as well, perhaps even a helicopter, but I can’t recall if it was color or black and white ... could have been the TV! :) But the one thing I recall in the movie, was that though they tried many times to walk to safety, they couldn't venture far from the plane and always ended up back at the crash site. Can anyone that found & viewed the 1970 Sole Survivor verify that it had this scene in it? Till then, I’ll just have to keep pulling out the ol’ Dennis Weaver / Duel movie to get my nostalgia fix :)

  Joe, Pittsburgh, USA

• The plane was called the home-run. The pilot couldn't stay in pro-ball because he couldn't hit an inside fastball. Great movie and it was called Sole Survivor.

  Michael Lowery, Reynoldsburg, Ohio, US

• I'm amazed that we can't find the name of this movie and also that SO many other people remember it so vividly from seeing it once in their childhood. I too remember a film, in B&W, that didn't star Shatner, that had a great twist in the end. I don't remember the helicopter but the crew were invisible to the 'rescue' party. It definitely wasn't Sole Survivor. Surely someone can think/knows of a source, in Hollywood perhaps, where we could direct this question to.

  Adam Macer, Golden, B.C, Canada

• Yep, been driving me crazy for all these years too. It must be Sole Survivor as no other suggestions have been forthcoming. From memory, the last crew member was left alone with his baseball & bat as his skeleton was stuck under the tail; the ghosts definitely did NOT know they were dead; I remember it in colour but your mind can plays tricks especially as you were probably only 7 or 8 when you saw it. Was it Sole Survivor? Now about to find out as it is available on Google...

  Andrew Moreton, Carlisle

• Marta in Nebraska, if indeed you have a copy contact me and let me and the others know how to get a copy. As you can see everybody is looking for it.

  Shaheen Butt, London, UK

• B&W or color? Perhaps folks did not have color sets? Or, we were relegated to viewing on the old TV in the cellar? Well, this is the closest I have gotten to a movie that I saw at least 35 years ago and have wondered about since. I guess I am pleased to know there are others out there who thought it was worthy of wonder too.

  Jeff Olson, Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA

• I recall the scene with Richard Bassheart driving drunk off into the desert and the crew disappearing as described that they wanted all of them to be found, that in trying to solve the mystery of the missing crew they find the personal effects of each on the plane including a harmonica. That the searchers couldn't understand why the crew thought they were over water until they figured out the moonlight and clouds that the sand looked like water. And that Bassheart was the navigator that bailed out on them and that the crew haunted, I swear it was a 70's TV movie, it may have been color, as others have said I don't recall the title or having seen it again. It led me to the book about the real crash of the Lady Be Good and its facts. It might have been mentioned in the opening or closing credits.

  Peter Kelly, Blair, USA

• I can not believe I found this site where you all are looking for the same movie I've been searching for for years. A show I remember watching as a child on a rainy Saturday afternoon . The movie so intrigued me because of the twist at the end and stuck with me all these years. I thought that surely I'd see it again but have not. What I remember was that the bomber crashed in a jungle or forest and the men did not know they were dead until the end and they all disappeared one by one. Don't think Shatner was in it because I was a big Star Trek fan also. It would be so awesome if someone out there knew the name of this movie.

  Wayne Lowe, Youngstown, Ohio, USA

• I saw this movie...I'm also trying to figure out the name. It streams instantly on Netflix, and I can't remember the title, but thought the ending of LOST was a rip off of the plot, LOL. They have a support group of the survivors and each one disappears (evidently as their issues are resolved) and the psychologist leading the group is the last to figure out she's dead too.

  Dawn, Florida, USA

• Amazing that this film impacted so many of you as it did me! I was 13 in 1979 when I saw this movie and fixated by films at the time. That year I carefully logged every film I saw, on what date, I even gave it its own critique. My late father kept this 'log' of mine in his loft until he died last year. I never ever forgot that movie and have spent the last 30yrs asking friends, family video dvd stores etc etc if they know it! I can however confirm with absolute truth that the film was called Soul Survivor and was made in 1970 shown on UK TV in 1979. It was about the crew of a US WW11 airplane crashing into the desert and in short never realising they had died until the modern day 'rescue' team arrive at the crash site. It was sad, intense, exciting, magical and for a 13yr old it left a memory of joy and sadness and a feeling of 'who knows'. I loved it and wish I could see it again to see if it truly is a great film or if you have to 13 to be wowed by it!

  Shaz, Kent, England

• I have had this memory as well for the last 20-30 or so years! I understand the concept that our family might have only had a B&W TV, but I remember it filmed in the style of B&W - you know, it's recognisable. I too do not remember Captain Kirk in the film I saw. Sole Survivor is the duplicate stoyline- down to the harmonica. I too also remember that the ghosts disappeared one at a time. That is what made the fact of him being left alone so horrible- it was slowly happening slowly enough so they all finally realized they were going to leave the plane and they began to recognize the guy under the tail of the plane would not be found. It was agonizing!!!! Nothing like the ending I saw in "Sole Survivor"!!!! Personally, I thought the film was called "then there was one" or "then there was none".... but I have yet to find ANYTHING on this title. I'm gonna keep looking thanx all for assuring that I'm not nuts remembering this movie.

  Brad B, Chicago, US

• Okay everyone... Let's get this straight right from the start - I am also looking for this film, I have bought and watched Sole Survivor, and IT IS NOT THE SAME. Being a huge Star Trek fan as a child I would clearly have remembered something as important as William Shatner being in a film I had enjoyed so much. He wasn't in it. Also, the film was in b&w, not colour. We had a colour TV at home, and did not own (at any point) a b&w one. Can people responding please stop being patronising and telling half of the contributors that their memories are incorrect, or that they must be wrong about whether or not they had colour or b&w TVs? For some people here Sole Survivor is the film they saw and remember - great, no need for you to contribute anymore - but for the rest of us the search is not over and the film title remains a mystery. The original post is clear; the crew did not know they were dead until they slowly realised that they could not leave the site of the crash no matter how they tried; and as their bodies were discovered by rescuers they disappeared one by one, until one ghost was left by himself at the crash site because his body was never recovered. I agree that this bears remarkable similarities to Sole Survivor, but they are not the same film. After having bought Sole Survivor to satisfy myself of that I was left disappointed. So, does anyone else out there have any ideas please? And let's not have another flurry of Sole Survivor posts - after having seen both (and there's nothing wrong with my memory), they are different films.

  Duncan, Swindon, UK

• This movie has been driving me crazy too. I remember just the way described by some here. The belly gunner was the only ghost left at the end. It was a real spooky ending.

  Godfrey, Chicago USA

• There seems to be a number of variants. I recalled a Black and White version and the actors having the 'perfect english' reminiscent of the old war films - I recall the crew sitting under a sheet under the wing of the plane and talking about not being able to leave the dessert... maybe its the 1968 one mentioned by the Film buff in Spain

  Ashley, Orpington, UK

• go on net type in soul survivor 1970 film then go to external links click on sole survivor google video then you can watch it

  chris, faversham kent

• WOW and I thought I was the only one who was searching for this..... I haven't read all the comments above but I agree, and for the sake of Ian Collis I won't state the name....... ok I will, it's 'Sole Survivor'. Within minuets of finding this add, I also found the link below with the film.... how ironic, or luck but this is the film I was looking for even if it's not what some of you were, hope it is though as it does drive you crazy over time not knowing. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7574338161920794843#

  Martyn, London UK

• While many people insist it was "Sole Survivor," other (and more) articulate people are just as confident that it was not, and even brought up some details about the film I saw that I hadn't mentioned to the people I was asking about this over the past few years. Interestingly, many many of you remember it being called "Flight of the Phoenix," as did I; and some (like myself) gleefully found and watched the newer film (but not the recent remake) with that name, hoping it was what we remembered. But alas, of course, it was not. Here's my theory: this excellent film, which we know was excellent not only for its plot (which engaged me even as a pre-pubescent female uninterested in war stories, so it must have had gripping dialogue and interacton), but because it has lingered with us so vividly for almost 50 years, was called "Flight of the Phoenix," and then when another screenplay using that title (based on the real plane with that name) came along, this one got shelved permanently (or destroyed). Parts of it apparently were changed and incorporated in the later "Sole Survivor," which however differs markedly in that the "survivors" actually know they're dead. (As some pointed out, this was the original "Sixth Sense" film story.) Intellectual property was probably less well-defined in those days and if the film had had a different name, maybe it would have survived. Wonderful to find vindication (as many post-ers on the site stated) that I am not crazy, or at least not with regard to this particular item. ;)

  Pamela, Saint Louis USA

• Very strange, because I also remember that the movie we're wanting the name to had the twist at the end where the realisation kicks in, for the crew, that they were dead all along. In the film Sole Survivor, the crew already knew they were ghosts from the start. What doesn't make sense is that it would appear that two movies, made at around the same time, would have almost identical plotlines. I'm scratching my head.

  BlueBoy, Stockport, UK

• I stumbled upon this thread in search of a black and white movie where the a plane crashes, the pilot dies, and two other men survive the crash. They discover tons of cash in the plane, or on the pilot, and the plot is about how the money affects the friendship. I realize this is off-topic. However, regarding the controversy of whether or not you all are talking about the same movie or two or three different movies... YOU CANNOT PROVE A NEGATIVE! No-one can tell another person that they are confused because they have seen the movie from their memory. You can't say that your memories are the same as each other. You can't say that another similar movie does NOT exist simply because you watched one of the two. STOP telling people there is only one movie that can fit this description. If you have found the movie from your memory, that's great. But you cannot tell someone else that there is only one possible movie they could be talking about. As long as the POSSIBILITY exists for there to be more than one movie, you cannot tell them otherwise.

  Tony, Dayton, OH USA

• No answer, but it isn't Sole Survivor. I saw it many years ago but we had a color TV and it was black and white and not a TV episode but a full feature film. Hope someone comes up with it because I loved the movie and would love to own it.

  Robyn, Arizona USA

• Another voice here confirming that Sole Survivor is NOT the film that many of us are seeking. I ordered that and watched it this afternoon, and, good as it is, it ISN'T the film in which the characters gradually realise they are dead as their bodies are found. The two films are so similar, though, it's seems likely that they are based on the same root story.

  Nick, London UK

• There is another!! Sole Survivor (though an excellent TV movie) is not the only movie with this captivating story line and the ghostly, or should I say ghastly, ability to make men have a mid life crisis trying to remember the movie title. The other similar movie does not have Bill Shatner in it, nor do the crew members know that they are dead (about 16 mins into Sole Survivor one of the crew members states “we are dead”), and each crew member disappears as their bodies are found in the desert. Many people seem to be accepting Sole Survivor as the title for this other movie, causing great confusion, but this movie does exist and is being denied its name being spoken by the “Sole Survivor”! (what is the name of this other movie?)

  Me, Here In This Place

• It's not "sole survivor".But,I did want to add some of my recollections.The beginning scene was the bomber crashing in the desert.They all get out of the plane and figure they won't be found.So,they need to find a way to fix the plane.The plane had the numbers 477 or something close to it....I thought the title was "phantom fight" something.I do know as a fact.The movie was black and white,the ENTIRE crew were dead and DID NOT know it until the very end of the movie.It was in the very early 70's that I saw this movie but,that doesn't mean that's when it was made.There was a narration at the beginning,whether it was a "Twilight Zone" or "Outter limits" airing..I don't know.Maybe we never will.

  robin, new york usa

• Just some historical data with references to Sole Survivor and Twilight Zone. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Be_Good_(aircraft)

  james, las vegas america

• Oh how disappointing, I was hoping there would be an answer for me here. I too remember watching this film as a child in the 1970's an have been trying to find it for years. I've seen Sole Survivor and Flight of the Phoenix. It is most certainly neither of these. The film I'm looking for was black & white and the airmen did not know they were dead. That's the big twist at the end. I'm fairly sure it was a feature film too, not an episode of Twilight Zone. It was shown on a weekend afternoon. I hope someone can get to the bottom of this one!

  Gennie, Suffolk UK

• Anyone seeing "Sole Survivor" in the UK in 1970 or thereabouts would almost certainly have seen it in black and white which may explain why it keeps getting mixed up with a Twilight Zone episode. It's possible that there are several versions of it in circulation which have been edited, with varying degrees of incompetence, to fit tv time slots (I'm not convinced by the "theatrical release" idea) which make the story end earlier than in the complete version. But the movie in question really is "Sole Survivor". Common sense suggests that a movie with such a similar plot, sought by so many people, would have surfaced long before now if it actually existed. Sadly, it doesn't: it's just the vagaries of broadcasting and some memory glitches creating a myth.

  Stephen Haigh, London UK

• Borgnine was NOT , I repeat not a flight engineer in Flight of the phoenix. The movie I asked about is based on the true incident which took place in the Everglades in the early 1970s. I believe it also had Kim Basinger as a stewardess who survived the crash.

  Allan Myers, Mobile USA

• Allen Myers, The film you are looking for about the airliner crash in the everglades is "Ghost of Flight 401".

  Larry Warren, Chattanooga, TN, United States

• In my recollection Treat Williams was in the movie, and that's the search that brought me here. I don't know if that helps narrow things down? Definitely in color, and the ghosts disappear one by one.

  Jon Evans, London UK

• This film has haunted me since I saw it 40 years ago. I have tried to find out what movie it was for 20 years, with no luck. I had just about given up when I tried a bunch of words on google and this page came up. I am surprised that I'm not the only one who has wondered about this movie for so many years. I was a young child when I saw it and the memory of them disappearing as soon as a flag was draped over their body or casket has had a life long effect on me for some reason. I would love to see this movie one more time. Thanks so much for starting this topic and thanks so much to all those who answered the question. Now I can finally put the question of the name of this film to bed forever. Thank you, Bob Bowen.

  Bob Bowen, New York, USA

• This should answer most people's question, a complete storyline and lots of info on this cult classic http://totalscifionline.com/features/5327-cult-movie-vault-8-sole-survivor-1970

  Bob Bowen, New York, USA

• I remember the film so well. It was the talk of school playgrounds after airing on Brit TV. It's not a feature Hollywood type picture. In the 70s, "Made-for-TV" films were popular, and frequently shown. I'd love to see it again. Googling "made-for-tv" with the title might help.

  Chris Pass, Uxbridge, UK

• Hi, been looking for this film myself for a long time, it was very impressive. NOT SOLE SURVIVOR AND NOT FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX, not sure why it is so elusive with so many people looking for it, seems someone could find it. I'm 71 and I saw it many many years ago, old movie. People keep trying, and good luck. Going to keep looking on this site.

  mavis, kenai, AK US

• I too am haunted by the memory of this film. And I agree,the title was Catch 22. It must have been in the late 1960's on TV. I remember their spirits disappearing traumatically one at a time as their bodies were discovered. And the poor soul that is left behind by himself for eternity... that's what's so haunting about it. My question is this: How is it possible, this day and age, for a film that was so unique and admired to simply vanish with no trace?

  Randy , Denver, CO USA

• Can someone ask William Shatner? I remember watching this film when I was a kid, I was sent to bed early for being naughty or ill? Can't remember much about the events surrounding watching it BUT I DO REMEMBER THE FILM. Everything except the NAME. So if ANYONE knows then TELL us, put me and loads of others out of our misery. Either that or could someone invent a time machine big enough for us all to fit into, that way we can all go back to the 70's and watch it again together, this time I promise to be good mum. Scrimmy

  Scrimmy, Scotland, UK

• The movie you’re looking for may well be Passengers (2008) starring Anne Hathaway. I’ve been on a similar quest for this plot-line, and this is the one I was seeking. The "survivors" disappear one by one, as their spirits acknowledge the fact that they're dead. Have a look at it here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449487/

  Lee, Prescott, Arizona, US

• I have also been looking for this movie. It was so haunting. I seem to remember that they had a radio and would listen to baseball games. Could be wrong on that part. But would love to see it again.

  Barb, Wayland, USA

• Spooky have just been thinking about this film. Watched it a long time ago and would love to see it again. Definitely NOT Sole Survivor NOR a Twilight Zone episode. American aircrew crashed in desert. Playing baseball around plane. Didn't know they ere ghosts. Disappeared one at a time as their bodies were found by an 'investigation' team. Will pesevere with trying to find title.

  gordon, hereford england

• The movie was Sole Survivor, and actor Vince Edwards was in it. Robert Cummings was in the episode of Twilight Zone I don't remember the title, I think it was called "The Ace of Spades won't be coming home", but he was in the Libyan desert near his crashed B-25.

  Dale, Kannapolis,NC USA

• I agree with the men not knowing that they are dead and remember the film as. So g in b&w for most of it and only being in colour at the end when the rescuers arrive and I think John Wayne's son was in it. I so have been trying to find out the name of this film for years

• This movie has haunted me for years, I was a 9 or 10 year girl when I saw it on TV, and it was in black and white, no William Shatner. I am now 55 years old and would love to see this movie again. I will keep looking to see if I can find it, I had no idea that so many other people saw it and were so affected by it, as I was.

  Allie, Seattle USA

• The one thing that no-one has said is that there were females as survivors also. I remember this as a dialing for dollors movie after school.

  Duke, scranton usa

• No-one has metioned that there were females included as survivors. I saw this on a dialing for doloors movie after school as a kid.

  duke, scranton pa usa

• I'm curious, what makes you so certain that the movie is called Catch 22. According to the vastness that is the internet, no film exists with that name, other than the 'wrong' ones we know about.

  Paul, Stockport England

• Thanks for your reply Paul Kennedy. I am not saying that you are not right, but I just want to find this film. Like so many others, I have remembered watching it as a child and it never left me. Some time ago I bought Sole Survivor and it didn't seem to be quite the film I remembered. As children though, I doubt that we would really know film titles. I find it hard to believe that a film can be made such as the Catch 22 which you mention, and there not be one mention of it on the whole internet. So far, in my humble opinion, the most likely explanations are that we simply remember the film a little differently from so long ago, or there is actually another edit as someone has said. Every version of Sole Survivor I have seen (aside from the one I saw on TV as a child)has been the U.S. version it seems. Could there be a European/UK edit? Someone has mentioned on here that they have seen two versions. I have spent some time looking for Catch 22, and variants on that title, but nothing yet.

  Paul, Stockport England

• No title yet, another haunting memory is the one ghost telling the others that he just needs some help digging under the tail of the plane because he just knows that his dog tags are there. I thought the title was or included "17 days" some memory of my Dad and I discussing how they didn't have water for that period of time. Probably wrong on that memory.

  Mike, Houston USA

• Yep, almost certain you are talking about 'Sole Survivor'. A great film - and I even have a copy on VHS! Can't track it down anywhere else as I'd like a 'restored' version if possible, ah well.

  Kev Williams, Hampshire

• The movie is on imdb http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065007/?ref_=sr_2 and does have william shatner, richard basehardt and vince edwards.....

  Paul, Lakecounty usa

• After over 40 years of frustration and blank stares, it's nice to know I'm not the only person on this planet that saw and was affected so deeply by this movie. I, like many of you, saw it as a child. It aired on a local television station here in New York in the late 1960's as one of the "Million Dollar Movies", old black and white films from the 1950's or earlier that my mother loved to watch. I'm familiar with the staged plays for television called, I believe, American Playhouse that were made for television in the '60's/early 70's and this was not one of them. I did see part of the William Shatner version, probably around 1970, and remember being disappointed. To put it bluntly, it was a poorly made copy lacking the poignancy and beauty of the original. I believe some respondents to the poster's question may be referring to the 1970 version but many of us saw the old black and white film. This is what I remember about the end of the movie: The men were in the middle of a baseball game when they saw the plane of rescuers and began jumping for joy. But I knew something was odd when the army brass and others exited the rescue plane yet the men remained quietly in their places on the baseball diamond. Their faces told us, the viewers, that something was very wrong. Their expressions went from animated joy to a serious, almost blank calm as the rescuers failed to acknowledge their presence. One by one, each faded in place as his body was discovered until only one man was left on the field. I remember the baseball glove dropping from his hand as he watched the rescuers begin to leave without finding his body. The look on his face said everything - sadness, shock, understanding, disappointment and ultimately a soldier's stoic acceptance as he tossed the ball into the air and swung his bat. At this point, my mom and I were crying and I can't remember how his body was finally discovered and he, too, slowly faded. If I ever find the original movie or learn its name, I'll return to this site and post it. I hope it wasn't left in some Hollywood film vault to degrade beyond repair. Someone, somewhere has got to know something.

  Kelly R., New York USA

• Everybody please stop trying to guess the movie if: you think it is in color or you think that William Shatner is in it, because neither of those things is true. It is a black and white film, and the crew of the crashed plane don't ever stray very far from it, nor do I remember seeing any other characters aside from them. I also remember a harmonica being in the mix. It was a slow paced film from what I can recall. I'm glad I'm not alone in this, but sad we can not figure it out! Doug

  Doug , New York City, US

• The reason one was left behind was because rescuers found all the men's name tag except one who was left behind because he threw his away in a temper.

  J Connell, Liverpool, UK

• Definitely not the Armstrong Circle Theater episode - just watched it, that is a documentary, not the movie that I remember. Not Sole Survivor either, because there were no survivors. The search continues ...

  Julie, Destin, FL, US

• Passengers

  Jose, Tampa USA

• The name of the film was sole survivor and if you go to you tube and type in sole survivor you can sit back and enjoy the movie.

  Robert, Wildomar usa

• It could be a film called lost horizon. It was made in 1973.

  Acosta ga usa

• The movie I'm trying to find the name of is airliner crashes at airport and the pilot walks away from the crash in a daze. Then end of the movie he is found strapped in his seat in the cockpit.

  Victor, Texas Texas