Airport 1975 (1974)

A 747 in flight collides with a small plane, and is rendered pilotless. Somehow the control tower must get a pilot aboard so the jet can land.

Director:

Jack Smight

Writers:

Arthur Hailey (novel), Don Ingalls

Stars:

Charlton Heston, Karen Black, George Kennedy

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlton Heston	...	Alan Murdock
Karen Black	...	Nancy Pryor
George Kennedy	...	Joe Patroni
Efrem Zimbalist Jr.	...	Captain Stacy
Susan Clark	...	Helen Patroni
Helen Reddy	...	Sister Ruth
Linda Blair	...	Janice Abbott
Dana Andrews	...	Scott Freeman
Roy Thinnes	...	Urias
Sid Caesar	...	Barney
Myrna Loy	...	Mrs. Devaney
Ed Nelson	...	Major John Alexander
Nancy Olson	...	Mrs. Abbott
Larry Storch	...	Glenn Purcell
Martha Scott	...	Sister Beatrice

Storyline

When the pilot of a small aircraft has a heart attack and crashes his plane into the cockpit of a Boeing 747, several members of the flight crew are killed and the pilot is blinded. Miraculously, the 747 stays in the air on auto-pilot with flight attendant Nancy Prior at the controls. Ground controllers, including her boyfriend Alan Murdock, try to teach her the basics but they soon realize they will have to get a trained pilot into the cockpit. Their first attempt fails and Murdock realizes he will have to do it. Meanwhile, various passengers have their own problems including a young girl who is destined to a life saving operation.

---

Plot Keywords:

pilot | cockpit | boeing 747 | stewardess | heart attack | 

---

Taglines:

ALL NEW screen excitement inspired by the novel "Airport" by Arthur Hailey.

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aeroporto 75

Filming Locations:

Edwards Air Force Base, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

SEK 3,006,752 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of Gloria Swanson.

---

Goofs

The 747 is shown landing on a runway marked 34R where in real life, that runway is 35 which is to the right of 34R. In fact, you can make out runway 32 in one of the cockpit shots on final approach and you can see a plane holding short (waiting for takeoff clearance).

---

Quotes

Bill: I went out with a girl once who was half French and half Chinese. I came home late one night, she ate my laundry!

---

Connections

Referenced in Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild! (2008)

---

Soundtracks

"Best Friend"
Lyrics and Music by Helen Reddy and Ray Burton (as R. Burton)
Sung by Helen Reddy

User Reviews

Funniest of the "Airports"

Airport '75 was definitely the funniest of that series. It was not as soap opera-esque as the original, nor was it as cheerless as '77.

Humorous elements abounded: The lewd young navigator (Erik Estrada, who at that point could not speak a word of Spanish, despite his seeming mastery of it here). The three obnoxious business passengers (Conrad Janis, Norman Fell, and Jerry Stiller; who would all later, as we know, go on to co-star in highly successful TV comedies) The hapless Cid Ceasar character, who only attended this flight to see the in-flight movie, which promptly broke right before his favorite scene.

The passenger areas look surprisingly comfortable, with ample space for individual passengers. Much better, it seems, than what we are subjected to today (the mid-seventies decor notwithstanding).

The mirthful subtones aside, this is a serious movie. The pivotal point happens when a small private plane goes astray, hitting the 747 right above the windshield. The navigator is killed, the co-pilot is sucked out through the hole (in a manner reminiscent of the commander of the imperial walker being pulled out by Chewbacca in "Return of the Jedi"; and the captain is incapacitated. Poor Nancy the Stewardess (Karen Black) must seize the controls!

It is up to Charlton Heston (before he became a conservative) and George Kennedy, with some help from friends in the U.S. Air Force, to save the day.

Verdict, hardly a brain challenger (If you want your brain challenged, read a book, I always say!) but worth seeing.