My father first saw "The High and the Mighty" with John Wayne in the theater back in the 1950s. Ever since then he had been wanting to see it again, but it wasn't available. It was never released on home video (other than 16mm), and was hardly ever shown on TV. It was as if the movie was lost forever.

To make matters worse, each year when I asked pop what he wanted for his birthday, he'd say "The High and the Mighty", knowing full well that it was unavailable. So a few years back, I got it for him. I scoured the internet and was able to purchase (for a pretty penny) a video transfer of the 16mm film. It looked horrible and to me was unwatchable. It looked like a tape of a tape of a tape. But he loved it and was so excited when opening his prize. It had been nearly 50 years since he'd seen it.

Well, now he's about to see it again. And I know where he and many other John Wayne fans will be this weekend. Watching AMC:

Long requested by many fans of "The Duke," the aerial dramas "The High and the Mighty" and "Island in the Sky" will make their DVD debuts Aug. 2 via Paramount Home Entertainment (although both movies were released theatrically by Warner Bros.). Before that, the films will have their first television showings in years on AMC, as the cornerstones of a full weekend of Wayne attractions.

"Island in the Sky" airs Saturday at 8 PM; "The High and the Mighty" will be on Sunday at 8 PM. Don't miss them.