Airport (1970)

Director:

George Seaton

Writers:

Arthur Hailey (novel)
George Seaton (written for the screen by)

Release Date:

5 March 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The #1 novel of the year - now a motion picture!

Plot:

Melodrama about a bomber on board an airplane, an airport almost closed by snow, and various personal problems of the people involved.

Plot Keywords:

Airport | Melodrama | Airplane | Pilot | Bomb

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 17 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Nov. 20

3:00 AM

AMC

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	Mel Bakersfeld
Dean Martin	...	Capt. Vernon Demerest
Jean Seberg	...	Tanya Livingston
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Gwen Meighen
George Kennedy	...	Joe Patroni
Helen Hayes	...	Ada Quonsett
Van Heflin	...	D. O. Guerrero
Maureen Stapleton	...	Inez Guerrero
Barry Nelson	...	Capt. Anson Harris
Dana Wynter	...	Cindy Bakersfeld
Lloyd Nolan	...	Harry Standish
Barbara Hale	...	Sarah Bakersfeld Demerest
Gary Collins	...	Cy Jordan
John Findlater	...	Peter Coakley
Jessie Royce Landis	...	Mrs. Harriet DuBarry Mossman

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | France:U | Canada:PG (Ontario) | West Germany:16 (f) | USA:G (Certificate #22114) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-8 | Iceland:L | Norway:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Final film of Jessie Royce Landis.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the head-on view of the stuck 707, there is a car and piles of snow under the wing. In the side view, the car is gone along with the snow.

Quotes:

Joe Patroni: Well, let's put it *this* way- You promised me a box of cigars if I pull this off, right?
Mel Bakersfeld: Yeh-uh
Joe Patroni: Well, whataya standin' *there* for? Go GET 'em!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Freddy's Nightmares: Cabin Fever (#1.16)" (1989)

Disaster in More Ways Than One

I thoroughly enjoyed Airport, hands down the best of the four flicks in the serial(does Concorde count? It was MFTV). There was so much tension going on both with the airline, the airport and the lives of some of the passengers and crew members. This was a good old fashioned 60's flick, but not too cheesy. Helen Hayes is excellent as the little old lady who with all the grace and charm, has made a career out of stowing away. I love how she fights with Jacqueline Bisset's character in order to distract the mad bomber on board(Van Heflin). The tension when Joe Patroni(George Kennedy) guns the plane's engines and gets that plane out of the snow was gut wrenching. Burt Lancaster as the married and harried airport manager who has some what of an affinity for his assistant. Dean Martin gave such a surprising dramatic performance as the captain who was carrying on a love affair with Bisset's stewardess who later tells him she's pregnant. Even Gary Collins wasn't THAT bad. The film's climactic ending leaves you nothing short of disturbed and breathless. Maureen Stapleton, upon learning the plane has landed after being blown up by her husband, walks up to the injured passengers bawling her eyes out and apologizing for her husband's actions. Of course my favorite is the scene where Bisset's character Gwen(who was wounded in the blast) is being escorted by the doctor who tells the EMT's on the ground that Gwen is pregnant. Martin is also escorting her, completely bypassing his wife, who is ready to give him a hug and then soon puts two and two together. What a way to find out! That dejected look on Hale's face, who is once again playing her, oh so kind and understanding character, you can't help but hate Martin for this last scene. Hale almost never played the "bad girl." She's a favorite of mine. Airport will keep you on edge. Haley managed to intertwine the suspension and soap opera dramatics that made the prime time soap opera "Hotel" so popular. He definitely walks a fine line and doesn't go over either one.