Kid Dabb Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 I was checking this movie out on tonight's schedule and saw this: LEONARD MALTIN MOVIE REVIEW: D: William A. Wellman. Richard Barthelmess, Sally Eilers, Tom Brown, Glenda Farrell, Harold Huber, Grant Mitchell, Willard Robertson. Film's title has nothing to do with its story, a romantic rivalry between pilot brothers Barthelmess and Brown. Some great aerial stunts and impressive miniature special effects help make up for underdeveloped script. Blink and you'll miss John Wayne in a bit part as Brown's copilot in the climactic sequence. I spent 20 minutes trying to track down John Wayne's bit part in Airport (1970) before I realized Mr. Maltin's review has been attached to the wrong film. Had me going there.. for a while. It's on too late for me tonight, but I'm glad it's on at all. This really is a good film, even though it runs off onto the soap opera shoulder once in awhile. Except for Airplane! (1980), I don't feel any of it's sequels or lookalikes measure up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scsu1975 Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 I saw that description just before I read your post. The whole thing is hilarious. Apparently, the Maltin review applies to Central Airport (1933). And I agree about Airport. The sequels were awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Aaah...how I love watching movies about air travel made before the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978! It reminds me of being the young man I was back then and when I first started my airline "career"...and before the airline industry turned into the "bus in the sky" industry. (...I mean, when was the last time YOU heard a flight attendant ask YOU: "Would you like the steak, the chicken or the fish dinner for your in-flight meal tonight, sir?"?...NOW of course it's: "Okay people, listen up! I have a soggy sandwich here for ten bucks if anyone is interested!") 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldbestar Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 The only Airport sequel I liked was the underwater story with Christopher Lee and Lee Grant which was stolen for an Airwolf episode. Of course that producer was very fond of doing that turning Casablanca into a Magnum story, the assassination scene from Clear and Present Danger was refilmed exactly as it was in the movie for JAG and 36 Hours ended up as another Airwolf. (That one predicted the Charles-Diana divorce a year or so before it happened.) I guess this was the flip side of turning all those TV series into mostly dud movies. I can't think of the original without remembering Maureen Stapleton's shattering performance as Mrs. Guerreo. Helen Hayes's Mrs. Quansit made us laugh but she was robbed of the Oscar Ms. Hayes took home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGayDivorcee Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Aaah...how I love watching movies about air travel made before the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978! It reminds me of being the young man I was back then and when I first started my airline "career"...and before the airline industry turned into the "bus in the sky" industry. (...I mean, when was the last time YOU heard a flight attendant ask YOU: "Would you like the steak, the chicken or the fish dinner for your in-flight meal tonight, sir?"?...NOW of course it's: "Okay people, listen up! I have a soggy sandwich here for ten bucks if anyone is interested!") Just back from several days in San Diego. The Southwest terminal resembled The Last Days of Pompeii. Our gate was changed without announcement, and finally noted by a giggly, incomprehensible announcer. Heaven knows what foreign travelers make of this! The honey-roasted peanuts were pretty tasty though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Just back from several days in San Diego. The Southwest terminal resembled The Last Days of Pompeii. Our gate was changed without announcement, and finally noted by a giggly, incomprehensible announcer. Heaven knows what foreign travelers make of this! The honey-roasted peanuts were pretty tasty though. "The Last Days of Pompeii"!!! LOL (...good line there, GayD!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Film Fan 50s 60s 70s Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Besides Dean Martin's part, the best thing about Airport is any visual that connects to any satire used by Airplane! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Besides Dean Martin's part, the best thing about Airport is any visual that connects to any satire used by Airplane! As you might already know FF, when it comes to the movie "Airplane", you're more likely to find many more satirical connections to the 1957 movie "Zero Hour" than you are to "Airport". (...and btw...after it was released, "Airplane" was the talk of our airlines' employee lunchroom for months, and the conversion usually started with somethin' like, "Hey! Remember that one scene where......? THAT was HILARIOUS, wasn't it?!") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGayDivorcee Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 "The Last Days of Pompeii"!!! LOL (...good line there, GayD!) Only a slight exaggeration, Dargo, I assure you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Film Fan 50s 60s 70s Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 As you might already know FF, when it comes to the movie "Airplane", you're more likely to find many more satirical connections to the 1957 movie "Zero Hour" than you are to "Airport". Yes, I am aware of that, in fact, I think that "Airplane!" should be sold as a double feature disc with "Zero Hour!" over "Airport" any day !!! I actually laugh more watching "Zero Hour!", than I do watching "Airplane!"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Apparently, the Maltin review applies to Central Airport (1933). Yes, Richard Barthelmess' name gives it away. If you notice, on the TCM website, they are only using Matlin's reviews up to around 1960. So if you see comments from Maltin for a film like AIRPORT, made well after 1960, you automatically know it's a review for another similarly titled picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Von Pein Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 classic--movies.blogspot.com/2011/01/airport.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnm001 Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 As you might already know FF, when it comes to the movie "Airplane", you're more likely to find many more satirical connections to the 1957 movie "Zero Hour" than you are to "Airport". (...and btw...after it was released, "Airplane" was the talk of our airlines' employee lunchroom for months, and the conversion usually started with somethin' like, "Hey! Remember that one scene where......? THAT was HILARIOUS, wasn't it?!") Actually, AIRPLANE is a riff on both ZERO HOUR and AIRPORT 1975. I adore AIRPORT. Every single second of it. When it was released, it became Universal's biggest hit of all time, replacing THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE as their biggest box-office. It was filmed in Todd-AO and was glorious to see on the big screen. It contains a fantastic, first-rate score by Alfred Newman, and every cast member is wonderful, particularly Maureen Stapleton and Van Heflin in his final role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffbeck Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Love Airport, but wow it is dated and funny when you watch it today. That music when lover boy Dean is hitting on Jackie and that Scene when George Kennedy is on the phone talking about how his 5 kids are gone for the night and he and his wife of how many years are going to get frisky LOL, Then he kisses her like they just started dating. 5 or more years of marriage with 5 kids LOL, no one acts like that except in the movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 If you notice, TCM only has the Maltin reviews up to around 1960. So seeing a review for a film that was released in 1970 is automatically suspect. And yes, it was meant for the similarly titled Barthelmess film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markfp2 Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 Love Airport, but wow it is dated and funny when you watch it today. Ah, the good old days of flying when seats we're wider then the passenger's bottom and not about 15" from the one ahead. When flights included a decent meal and the airlines didn't nickel and dime you for every little thing. About the only thing that's still free is the restroom and now there's an Irish airline that keeps threatening to put a coin slot on that door. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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