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

Directors:

, (uncredited)

Writers:

(from the novel by), (written for the screen by)
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Vernon Demerest
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...
...
...
D.O. Guerrero
...
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Anson Harris
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...
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Sarah Demerest
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John Findlater ...
...
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Storyline

This precursor to later "epic" 70's disaster films illustrates 12 hours in the lives of the personnel and passengers at the "Lincoln Airport." Endless problems, professional and personal, are thrown at the various personnel responsible for the safe and proper administration of air traffic, airline management and aviation at a major US airport. Take one severe snowstorm, add multiple schedules gone awry, one elderly Trans Global Airlines stowaway, shortages, an aging, meretricious pilot, unreasonable, peevish spouses, manpower issues, fuel problems, frozen runways and equipment malfunctions and you get just a sample of the obstacles faced by weary, disgruntled personnel and passengers at the Lincoln Airport. Toss in one long-suffering pilot's wife, several stubborn men, office politics and romance and one passenger with a bomb and you have the film "Airport" from 1970. Written by LA-Lawyer

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Certificate:

G | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

5 March 1970 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Aeropuerto  »

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$100,489,150 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(35 mm magnetic prints)| (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints)| (35 mm optical prints)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Dean Martin received 10% of the film's gross, which added an additional $7,000,000 to his salary. See more »

Goofs

Before the landing Capt. Demerest requests a PAR approach. The Air Traffic Control officer replies "Roger this will be a Precision Radar Approach..." which would have an acronym of PRA. However, PAR refers to Precision Approach Radar, the type of radar equipment used in the approach. The approach itself is commonly referred to as a "Precision Radar Approach" by pilots and controllers. Confusing, but the movie lines are accurate. See more »

Quotes

[discussing the effects of the bomb on a 707]
Joe Patroni: The sudden decompression at 30, 000 feet is something you gotta see to believe.
Tanya Livingston: He'll get sucked out, won't he?
Joe Patroni: So will anyone sittin' next to him. Until that pressure equalizes, everything within 20 feet to him that's not nailed down or strapped in is gonna get sucked right out of that hole.
Bert Weatherby: Is it that powerful, are you sure?
Joe Patroni: Humph! Yeah, I'm sure. When I was a mechanic in the Air Force, I was being transferred on a MATS plane, At 20,000 feet, one ...
[...]
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Crazy Credits

"Cosmetics by Universal Pictures Professional Cosmetics" See more »

Connections

Referenced in Laverne & Shirley: Airport '59 (1977) See more »

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User Reviews

 
Airport scales the lofty heights
16 October 2005 | by (Van Buren, Arkansas) – See all my reviews

I recently watched "Airport" on TCM. It was the first time I had seen it in its original widescreen format since it came out in 1970. I was surprised at how well it has held up with the passage of time. Although there have been disaster movies from the beginning of cinema in the late 19th century and one that dealt specifically with an airplane in danger ("The High and the Mighty"), this was the film that launched the modern disaster craze that produced "The Towering Inferno," "The Poseidon Adventure," and countless others including "The Day After Tomorrow." The hilarious spoof "Airplane" which poked fun at the clichés and pretentiousness of the films did much to discredit the genre until recently.

"Airport" was based on the popular best seller by Arthur Hailey. Although over two hours long, the movie moves and the viewer never gets bored. The stellar cast does an exceptional job with a standout performance by the legendary Helen Hayes. The ending is both happy and sad. So it does not cop out on several key themes of the story. Many of the roles, such as George Kennedy's Joe Patroni, are played lightly and this adds zest to the performances. When the script begins to get syrupy a new element of emergency is thrown in to pick it up and go.

Forget all the cliché-ridden disaster flicks you have seen since "Airport." You will be entertained and not feel cheated when the closing credits appear.


33 of 38 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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