Eλευθερί Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 I had seen Airport (1970) as a kid, on a small black-and-white screen, years ago, with all the commercial breaks and the edits for tv--and I think I must have missed a good chunk of the beginning. Just watched it for the first time as an adult the other night. I realize now that a lot of the material in it had flown completely over my head when I watched it before. It deals with a number of "adult" topics, many of them just as relevant today as when the film was released almost a half-century ago. - adultery - abortion - post-traumatic stress disorder - airlines safety - politics (rights of individual citizens vs needs of the public more broadly, among other issues) - race (not mentioned explicitly in any dialogue in the film; but seeing the black flight attendant and the black doctor among the passengers must have been pretty remarkable for audiences watching in 1970) An interesting enough story, nicely lit and photographed (Ernest Laszlo), and memorable performances from Burt Lancaster, Helen Hayes, a larger-than-life George Kennedy, the ill-fated Jean Seberg (who would die of an overdose at age 40 less than 10 years later), Dean Martin (playing stereotypical Dean Martin, of course), and Maureen Stapleton, among others. Just the right blend of suspense and comedy (Hayes' role as the little old lady who preys on the airline staff's sympathies to stoway on cross-country flights that must have cost a small fortune back in those days when everybody got all dressed up for flights). I hadn't known that Airport (often considered the first of the big Hollywood disaster films of the '70s) actually won an Oscar--to Hayes for best actress in a supporting role--and was nominated for multiple others, including for Maureen Stapleton, who also was up for best actress in a supporting role, in the year in which the Oscars were dominated by Patton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJ Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 I realize now that a lot of the material in it had flown completely over my head when I watched it before. It deals with a number of "adult" topics, many of them just as relevant today as when the film was released almost a half-century ago. - adultery - abortion - post-traumatic stress disorder - airlines safety - politics (rights of individual citizens vs needs of the public more broadly, among other issues) - race (not mentioned explicitly in any dialogue in the film; but seeing the black flight attendant and the black doctor among the passengers must have been pretty remarkable for audiences watching in 1970) I watched it on a week-long bender of 70's disaster movies, and was surprised to find out it doesn't really deserve the paternity suit of "creating" the 70's Disaster Movie. Although we get the big rescue idea at the end in the snowstorm, and all the colorful subplots of Helen Hayes and Dean Martin, it seems to more reflect Arthur Hailey's book, which was meant to be an "expose'" of the modern problems of airport bureaucracy, and how it could endanger the lives of passengers if something did go wrong. We get some of that in "Towering Inferno", as Steve McQueen debates the fire problems of overbuilding skyscrapers, but here, there's just SO much Burt Lancaster, they barely even bring up the bomb until an hour into the script. Btw, all these years, I had it confused with a Rod Serling-scripted story where the bomb would go off if the plane landed below a mile in altitude, and the pilots come up with the brilliant last-minute idea of landing at Denver's mile-high airport instead...Darn, what movie AM I thinking of, then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eλευθερί Posted March 25, 2017 Author Share Posted March 25, 2017 Btw, all these years, I had it confused with a Rod Serling-scripted story where the bomb would go off if the plane landed below a mile in altitude, and the pilots come up with the brilliant last-minute idea of landing at Denver's mile-high airport instead...Darn, what movie AM I thinking of, then? Me too!! What was that film (or tv show episode)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeem Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 Submitted for your approval, it was a 1966 NBC made-for-television movie starring Van Johnson, Edmond O'Brien, Jack Lord, Ed Asner, Richard Carlson and Greg Morris... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eλευθερί Posted March 25, 2017 Author Share Posted March 25, 2017 Submitted for your approval, it was a 1966 NBC made-for-television movie starring Van Johnson, Edmond O'Brien, Jack Lord, Ed Asner, Richard Carlson and Greg Morris... Thanks! I confused the bomb plot part from The Doomsday Flight with Airport, but I know I also watched Airport because I distinctly remember the scene where the brainiac kid realizes that the plane is turning from his being able to read the positions of the constellations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 Well, personally I've always especially liked the part in this movie where everybody lines up in the aisle to slap that hysterical woman who earlier wondered why her husband never wanted a second cup of coffee at home. Wait...sorry. This is in a different flick TOO, isn't it. Never mind. (...btw...I was wondering how many people around here haven't opened this thread...I saw it yesterday, and noticing the type of script used as their moniker by our new friend here, I just assumed this baby had been started by another of those Russian spammers we get occasionally) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJ Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 Well, personally I've always especially liked the part in this movie where everybody lines up in the aisle to slap that hysterical woman who earlier wondered why her husband never wanted a second cup of coffee at home. Wait...sorry. This is in a different flick TOO, isn't it. Never mind. Yes, it's a different film: The "Bomb in the poor suicidal shlub's briefcase" Airport '70 plot was actually parodied with Sonny Bono in "Airplane II: the Sequel". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fedya Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 I saw it yesterday, and noticing the type of script used as their moniker by our new friend here, I just assumed this baby had been started by another of those Russian spammers we get occasionally It's Greek, not Russian. (The theta is a dead giveaway. I don't think any of the Slavic languages have used that sound since before the days of Peter the Great.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 It's Greek, not Russian. (The theta is a dead giveaway. I don't think any of the Slavic languages have used that sound since before the days of Peter the Great.) Thanks, Fedya. Ya know, for a second and before I entered that post, I thought it might be Greek and not Russian. (...although I figured if I WAS wrong, I'd first hear about this from SansFin and not you...and besides, when it comes to spammers, I'd guess there are probably a hell of a lot more Russians involved in that sort'a thing than Greeks...but then again, there's probably a hell of a lot more Russians IN GENERAL than Greeks, huh) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fedya Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 It's Greek to you, isn't it? (In German, they say "It's Spanish to me.") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaytonf Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 The OP renders the word in the comment area in Roman script: eleutheri. An exceeding obscure reference, indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 The OP renders the word in the comment area in Roman script: eleutheri. An exceeding obscure reference, indeed. The word EΛΕΥΘΕΡΊ translates to Freedom in Greek but is missing an A at the end. Wonder how EΛΕΥΘΕΡΊ like the movie "300" (2006) about the Greek fight for freedom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eλευθερί Posted March 26, 2017 Author Share Posted March 26, 2017 I watched the Blu Ray version. One of the minor things I couldn't help noticing was the surgical scars on Burt Lancaster's face. Very prominent on his left cheek, and I think a smaller one on his right. They must have been pretty noticeable on the big screen back in the day. I'm kind of surprised the makeup dept & DOP didn't do more to conceal them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 I watched the Blu Ray version. One of the minor things I couldn't help noticing was the surgical scars on Burt Lancaster's face. Very prominent on his left cheek, and I think a smaller one on his right. They must have been pretty noticeable on the big screen back in the day. I'm kind of surprised the makeup dept & DOP didn't do more to conceal them. Watch it on this, you will see his acne scars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 I'm still waiting for someone to mention that it's a "beefed up" re-working of 1954's THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY. So I guess I'll have to.... Sepiatone 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnm001 Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 I love AIRPORT, with every fiber of my being. Since its original release, where it replaced THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE as Universal's top money-maker of all-time, until today, I've seen it, at least 100 times. Can't explain my obsession with it, but it IS an obsession. Good script, fine performances, and first-rate score by Alfred Newman. I only wish we could get a Blu-ray release from a good Todd-AO print. Despite what the current Blu-ray credits say, that is certainly no 70MM Todd-AO source being used. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spence Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 I love AIRPORT, with every fiber of my being. Since its original release, where it replaced THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE as Universal's top money-maker of all-time, until today, I've seen it, at least 100 times. Can't explain my obsession with it, but it IS an obsession. Good script, fine performances, and first-rate score by Alfred Newman. I only wish we could get a Blu-ray release from a good Todd-AO print. Despite what the current Blu-ray credits say, that is certainly no 70MM Todd-AO source being used. (TRIVIA: Newman did 1more score Thikavsky (l97l) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spence Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Most younger fans that call themselves true moviebuffs, have no concert where the wonderful 1980 comedy Airplane got most of its material from 1957's Zero Hour with Sterling Hayden 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spence Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 I'm still waiting for someone to mention that it's a "beefed up" re-working of 1954's THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY. So I guess I'll have to.... Sepiatone Sepiatone, some fact based trivia you may like Tracy was always gonna' play the lead in Wellman's High & the Mighty But he & "Wild Bill" had bad blood going back about a decade. it appears he was loaded-(rare in public for Spence, especially once he was in his 50's) & overheard Wellman saying something nasty about L. young & obviously took umbridge & started, but Bill was more sober & tough to stat with & even flatted Spence in the bar. If you look at all 74 pix he did no Wellman, except very early on I think they did a film. So obviously John Wayne inherited the role of the ancient pelican. also obvious reason it was written for an older man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnm001 Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Most younger fans that call themselves true moviebuffs, have no concert where the wonderful 1980 comedy Airplane got most of its material from 1957's Zero Hour with Sterling Hayden That and AIRPORT '75. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeem Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Most younger fans that call themselves true moviebuffs, have no concert where the wonderful 1980 comedy Airplane got most of its material from 1957's Zero Hour with Sterling Hayden Interestingly, "Zero Hour" was based on a Canadian teleplay by Arthur Hailey -- who later wrote the 1968 best-seller "Airport." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeem Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 (TRIVIA: Newman did 1more score Thikavsky (l97l) "Airport" was Newman's final film score after 200 productions. He died on February 17, 1970 -- one month before his 70th birthday. He received a posthumous nomination for "Airport." but the award went to Francis Lai for "Love Story." Dmitri Tiomkin did the score for "Tchaikovsky" and received a 1971 Oscar nomination for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Most younger fans that call themselves true moviebuffs, have no concert where the wonderful 1980 comedy Airplane got most of its material from 1957's Zero Hour with Sterling Hayden THANK YOu! I was TRYING to remember THAT one! Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 (edited) "Airport 77" (1977 - duh) is too hard to swallow. Most planes suffers some damage if not completely torn apart. Wouldn't the plane simply be too buoyant and float because of the air inside? Edited March 28, 2017 by hamradio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaytonf Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Wouldn't the plane simply be too buoyant to float because of the air inside? I think it would be a toss up between the hot air inside it, and the dead weight of the script. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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