The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)

Director:

George Roy Hill

Writers:

George Roy Hill (story)
William Goldman (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 March 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

Robert Redford Takes to the Skies in This Rousing Adventure

Plot:

A biplane pilot who had missed flying in WWI takes up barnstorming and later a movie career in his quest for the glory he had missed...

Plot Keywords:

Barnstorming | Biplane | Pilot | 1920s | Lingerie Slip

Cast

Robert Redford	...	Waldo Pepper
Bo Svenson	...	Axel Olsson
Bo Brundin	...	Ernst Kessler
Susan Sarandon	...	Mary Beth
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Newt
Edward Herrmann	...	Ezra Stiles
Philip Bruns	...	Dillhoefer
Roderick Cook	...	Werfel
Kelly Jean Peters	...	Patsy
Margot Kidder	...	Maude
Scott Newman	...	Duke
James S. Appleby	...	Ace
Patrick W. Henderson Jr.	...	Scooter
James N. Harrell	...	Farmer (as James Harrell)
Elma Aicklen	...	Farmer's Wife
Deborah Knapp	...	Farmer's Daughter
John A. Zee	...	Director, Western Set
John Reilly	...	Western Star
Jack Manning	...	Director, Spanish Set
Joe Billings	...	Policeman
Lawrence P. Casey	...	German Star (as Lawrence Casey)
Greg Martin	...	Assistant Director
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Patrick Lockett	...	Boy from Poth (uncredited)
Steve Moriarty	...	Airport Mechanic (uncredited)
Art Scholl	...	Red Baron (uncredited)

Directed by
George Roy Hill

Writing credits
George Roy Hill		(story)
William Goldman		(screenplay)

Produced by
Robert Crawford Jr.	....	associate producer (as Robert L. Crawford)
George Roy Hill	....	producer

Original Music by
Henry Mancini

Cinematography by
Robert Surtees

Film Editing by
William Reynolds

Art Direction by
Henry Bumstead

Set Decoration by
James W. Payne		(as James Payne)

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Gary Liddiard	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Lloyd Anderson	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jerry Ballew	....	second assistant director
Ray Gosnell Jr.	....	first assistant director (as Ray Gosnell)
Scott U. Adam	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Cheryl Downey	....	apprentice assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Chester Duncan	....	property master (uncredited)
John R. Jensen	....	construction foreman (uncredited)
Henry Larrecq	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Buzz Newhouse	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)
William A. Petrotta	....	second prop man (uncredited)
Thomas L. Roysden	....	leadman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Peter Berkos	....	supervising sound editor
Robert J. Miller	....	sound (as Bob Miller)
Ronald Pierce	....	sound
Roger Sword	....	sound editor
Jack Danskin	....	mikeman (uncredited)
William Griffith	....	radio man (uncredited)
Dennis C. Salcedo	....	optical sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Ben McMahan	....	effects supervisor
Bruce Wolke	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
James S. Appleby	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buff Brady	....	stunts (uncredited)
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Howard Curtis	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Harris	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Kazian	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Moio	....	stunts (uncredited)
Frank L. Pine	....	stunts (uncredited)
Audrey Saunders	....	stunts (uncredited)
Art Scholl	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dean Smith	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Stader	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Charles W. Short	....	camera operator (as Chuck Short)
Oscar Barber	....	additional camera operator (uncredited)
Richard Barth	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Joe Cucci	....	second grip (uncredited)
Robert C. Jessup	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
Don Lambert	....	key grip (uncredited)
Al Martino	....	camera mechanic (uncredited)
Lou Noto	....	additional assistant camera (uncredited)
Timothy E. Wade	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bernie Pollack	....	costume supervisor

Other crew
James S. Appleby	....	air work
Wayne Berg	....	air work
Charlsie Bryant	....	script supervisor
Howard Curtis	....	air work
Mike Dewey	....	air work
John Kazian	....	air work
Thomas H. Mooney	....	air work
Frank L. Pine	....	air work (as Frank Pine)
Frank Price	....	air work
Audrey Saunders	....	air work
Art Scholl	....	air work
Frank Tallman	....	air sequences supervisor
Frank Tallman	....	air work
Ralph Wiggins	....	air work
Dominic Santarone	....	caterer (uncredited)
Ruth Santarone	....	caterer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Jennings Lang
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1976) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Cinéma International Corporation (CIC) (1975) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Cinematique  cosmetics
• Hatfield History of Aeronautics  still photographs courtesy of
• Marion Dougherty Associates  casting
• Tallmantz Aviation  air work
• Universal Title  titles and opticals

Also Known As:

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:G | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Finland:K-12 | Netherlands:12 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Elgin, Texas, USA

Company:

Jennings Lang

Trivia:

When Ezra Stiles (Edward Herrmann) tries to do an "outside loop" in a homebuilt airplane, the aircraft actually is a modified De Havilland "Chipmunk". The prototype first flew in 1946.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Waldo Pepper walks out on the wing to practice his first wing walk, the shadow of the camera can be seen on the plane.

Quotes:

Ezra Stiles:It's gonna be a monoplane.
Waldo Pepper:A monoplane. Are you telling me you're building me an airplane with only one wing?
Ezra Stiles:Just thought you'd like to know: the biplane's gone the way of the Dodo.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Country Girl's Hollywood Adventure (1975)

Still great after all these years

I first saw this film in the theater almost 30 years ago and have caught it a few times on TV since. Finally, I was able to find a DVD copy on E-Bay (apparently it is not currently available on DVD through normal means) and I am glad I did so. This movie has stood the test of time. It is both fun to watch and has some depth to it - it is not just a piece of fluff.

The casting is excellent - not a single actor is unfit for the part. Redford's looks and charisma, coupled with the fact that while he is still pretty young he does have a few visible age lines, make him perfect for the part of a debonair flyboy, ten years removed from World War I, who is stubbornly resisting the increasing regulation of flying as a profession. Bo Svensen is a great complement as the slightly older, more experienced, and more even-keeled Axel Olsson. Geoffrey Lewis' Newt Potts, Pepper's old squadron commander, represents the future that Pepper is trying to avoid. Ed Herrmann is the embodiment of the "seat of your pants" spirit of the early aircraft producers. Phil Bruns is a convincing "carnival barker" as Doc Dillhoeffer. And the Swedish actor Bo Brundin puts in a great turn as Ernst Kessler, German fighter ace turned barnstormer, who has long since realized that the bravery and chivalry he found in the air (both among comrades and opponents) is rarely found on the ground.

Kessler is based on Ernst Udet, the second-highest scoring German ace of WWI. Udet barnstormed after the war, had a shortened version of "Lola" painted on his Fokker D-VII, and had a fight similar to the epic battle that is an important subplot in the movie. Thus it is a nice touch that Udet is shown in the opening photo montage. (It's also good that no sequel was made - I'd hate to see the Kessler character return to Germany, join Hitler's Luftwaffe and commit suicide.)

This is also notable, on a personal level, as the first place I ever saw Susan Sarandon. I've been a fan ever since. Hell, she still looks great.

The flying sequences are magnificent. There's no CGI here, folks. These are real aircraft - beautiful replicas of Curtiss Jennies, Standard E-4's, and of course the Sopwith Camel and Fokker Triplane (plus a few others) - doing real stunt flying. The talented stunt pilots are credited under the umbrella of Tallmantz Aviation, which I'm guessing was formed by legendary stunt pilots Frank Tallman and Paul Mantz. Tallman himself flew in this film (and died in a crash three years later; Mantz died making "Flight of the Phoenix," another of my favorite flight movies, in 1965.) And the climactic sequence, while it may seem unlikely to some, is actually based (perhaps loosely) on a similar incident that occurred during the filming of either "Hells' Angels" or "Wings" in the late 1920's. The only possible anachronism that I can spot is Kessler's stunt plane, which looks a little too advanced for 1928. But I could be wrong there.

Beautiful aircraft, great flying sequences, fine acting, and even a real plot - what more could you want?