A midwestern U.S. hub airport struggles to remain open despite the worst snowstorm in 25 years, angry homeowners from a nearby housing tract and pilots refusing to obey noise abatement rules during the storm. Mel Bakersfield (Burt Lancaster) is the airport manager who must not only fight the weather and the home owners but his pilot/playboy brother-in-law (Dean Martin), his divorce seeking wife, a deranged man with a bomb (Van Heflin), a plane stuck in the mud and blocking the main runway, a little old lady stowaway (Oscar Winning Actress Helen Hayes) and the airport commissioners. A very accurate, for its time, depiction of the day-to-day goings on at a busy airport-- with some extra high drama thrown in for seasoning. Hilarity ensues.
Trivia: The real star of the show, the Boeing 707 (a 707-349C, serial no. 19351 [503rd 707 off the production line], originally registered N324F), was leased to MCA/Universal Pictures from Flying Tiger Line (now merged with Fedex) for the filming of the exterior shots. After filming was completed, the aircraft returned to Flying Tigers and was later sold, going through various owners before meeting a tragic end while on an approach to landing accident on March 21, 1989 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Trans Global Airlines was the name of the notional airline for the film. For many years it was not unusual to see props from the movie (with the fictional TGA logo) in other Universal films where airliner interior scenes were shot. Dean Martin received 10% of the film's gross, which added an additional $7,000,000 to his salary.
After watching the Texans get mangled by the Redskins last Sunday, what should my thoughts turn too? That's right, disaster movies. And no this is not a theme week, even though there will be a few "A" movies showing up in the next few days. Well, actually, I am going to be involved in an online roll playing game that uses movie characters so I have adopted the character of Joe Patroni played by George Kennedy as mine so I am watching the movies as research. Patroni is the cigar-chomping head mechanic/miracle worker that works to pull the stuck airplane out of the mud. Patroni will return in all the other Airport movies, twice (I think) as a vice president of the airline (Airport '75, Airport '77) and once as a pilot with over thirty years of experience (The Concorde: Airport '79).
Okay, back to the picture. This was one of the first to use the formula of getting strong, recognised ensemble casts that then committing various disastrous acts on them and see who survives. This one hard Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Helen Hayes, Jacqueline Bisset, Maureen Stapleton, Barry Nelson, and Gary Collins. Maureen Stapleton was actually nominated for an Oscar for her role as the distraught wife of the bomber, her most memorable scene, walked around to every passenger as they got off crying and saying "I'm sorry". Stapleton didn't win because...Helen Hayes did. Hayes' character of the old lady who stows away on planes all the time really stole the show. I only have one question, they took off from Lincoln Airport (I am guessing Lincoln Nebraska, but they never actually say, fly past Cleveland, and end up in New York space when they find out there may be a bomb on board. What do they do? Slowly turn around and fly back to Lincoln, the don't ask if there is a closer airport until halfway back. Okay, two questions, the DVD cover shown above has a big explosion on it...where the heck did that come from?
Up Next: Well, you probably guessed it, Airport '75.
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14 years ago
4 comments:
I do believe I'd much rather watch Airplane.
"Surely you can't be serious. I am serious and don't call me Shirley"
"What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains at the windows, wheels, and it looks like a big Tylenol." "To the tower! Rapunzel, Rapunzel!" hehehe.
Airplane was one of those movies that I'll remember for the rest of my life because I saw it as a teenager (those naive years). I could quote just about every line back then. I know it's really cheesy, but I thought/think it was hilarious.
Airplane! pulls a lot of stuff from the Airport movies. Airplane! is one of the funniest movies ever made.
I totally agree. Airplane IS one of the funniest movies ever made. But, then we think it's funny because of when we were the target audience for funny movies. Airport was the drama of the day, Airplane was the spoof of that movie. This is like nowadays where Austin Powers spoofs so movies or what about the Scary Movie series (too many to warrent). Some people might think they are the funniest movies ever. What about Porkies, or Caddyshack, or Blazing Saddles. I asked Brad what he thought was the funniest movie ever made and he couldn't answer me (mainly because he was in the middle of watching a pretty weird movie at the time with nothing funny about it). We need an official question asked of everyone....what was the funniest movie ever made? I pick Airplane.
I don't know, Airplane is in my top 3 but I would have to go with Blazing Saddles.
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