The Gypsy Moths (1969)

Three skydivers and their travelling thrill show barnstorm through a small midwestern town one Fourth of July weekend.

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

William Hanley (screenplay), James Drought (novel)

Stars:

Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Gene Hackman

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Burt Lancaster	...	Mike Rettig
Deborah Kerr	...	Elizabeth Brandon
Gene Hackman	...	Joe Browdy
Scott Wilson	...	Malcolm Webson
William Windom	...	V. John Brandon
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Annie Burke
Sheree North	...	Waitress
Carl Reindel	...	Pilot
Ford Rainey	...	Stand Owner
John Napier	...	Dick Donford

Storyline

On a 4th of July weekend, three barnstorming skydivers arrive to perform in a small Kansas town. They are hosted by the youngest member Webson's aunt, the unhappily married Elizabeth. While Browdy one-nights with a topless dancer, a doomed romance flares up between Elizabeth and Rettig. Tension builds, and explodes with a spectacular skydiving show.

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Plot Keywords:

kansas | fourth of july | skydiving | cuckold | face slap | 

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Taglines:

When you turn on by falling free... when jumping is not only a way to live, but a way to die, too... you're a Gypsy Moth.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die den Hals riskieren

Filming Locations:

Abilene, Kansas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

John Frankenheimer Productions Inc., Edward Lewis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During filming at the airfield in Benton, Kansas, director John Frankenheimer wanted to get a real, horrified reaction from the extras playing the audience, so he had a mannequin dressed like a skydiver and tied it under a helicopter, which ascended several hundred feet, then released the dummy. Most of the people hadn't noticed what had been rigged up, so when it fell they thought it was a real person hitting the ground and he got the reaction he was looking for. One minor problem was that the pilot didn't gauge the wind accurately and the "skydiver" fell into some parked cars, narrowly missing some people and caving in the roof of an extra's car. The studio bought the car for several times what it was worth and the damaged vehicle spent the rest of the shooting behind one of the hangers.

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Goofs

During the parachute jump that opens the film, the Gypsy Moths jump from the exact same plane flown by the same pilot they meet and hire - supposedly for the first time - in another town several days later.

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Quotes

Malcolm Webson: Remember what you always said when I first started with you? "Be careful." That's what you always said. "That's what's important in this business kid. BE careful."
Mike Rettig: Is that what I always said?
Malcolm Webson: Why are you taking so many chances now? What are you trying to prove?

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Connections

Featured in The Sky Divers (1969)

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Soundtracks

"Wild Blue Yonder"
("U.S. Air Force Song")(uncredited)
Music and lyrics by Robert MacArthur Crawford
First two lines sung by Gene Hackman

User Reviews

Wonderful vintage skydiving sequences, interesting tale.

Burt Lancaster, Gene Hackman, and Scott Wilson portray a team of professional sport parachutists barnstorming their way through small-town America.

The movie features some fine performances, particularly Lancaster's. I enjoyed the way the small town was depicted; it felt curiously familiar and yet distant at the same time. The movie holds its own, even 30 years after its initial release.

The jumping sequences are fantastic...truly the finest jump sequences ever captured on film at that time (1969). Pay particular attention to the 'cape' jumps, particularly the last one (Scott Wilson's) which gets me bug-eyed every time I see it (yes, I'm a jumper too).

Longish and slow-moving at times but well worth it.