The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979)

American based Federation World Airlines has just acquired a Concorde jet, which will make its inaugural commercial flight from Washington D.C. to Paris and then to Moscow as a goodwill ... See full summary »

Director:

David Lowell Rich

Writers:

Arthur Hailey (novel), Jennings Lang (story),

Stars:

Alain Delon, Susan Blakely, Robert Wagner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alain Delon	...	Capt. Paul Metrand
Susan Blakely	...	Maggie Whelan
Robert Wagner	...	Dr. Kevin Harrison
Sylvia Kristel	...	Isabelle
George Kennedy	...	Capt. Joe Patroni
Eddie Albert	...	Eli Sands
Bibi Andersson	...	Francine
Charo	...	Margarita
John Davidson	...	Robert Palmer
Andrea Marcovicci	...	Alicia Rogov
Martha Raye	...	Loretta
Cicely Tyson	...	Elaine
Jimmie Walker	...	Boisie
David Warner	...	Peter O'Neill
Mercedes McCambridge	...	Nelli

Storyline

American based Federation World Airlines has just acquired a Concorde jet, which will make its inaugural commercial flight from Washington D.C. to Paris and then to Moscow as a goodwill gesture prior to the 1980 Olympic Games. Among those on board is Maggie Whelan, a television reporter, who is taking both legs of the trip. Just after boarding at Dulles International Airport, she receives documents conclusively and unequivocally stating that her boyfriend, Dr. Kevin Harrison, the Chairman of Harrison Industries, an aerospace contractor, is complicit of illegally selling arms to enemy regimes. Regardless, Maggie loves Kevin, who vows to do the right thing by making a public statement to his illegal activities. Maggie also intends on making an on-air report of the story once she arrives in Moscow. Kevin, however, has other thoughts. He plans on destroying the documents, the most convenient way being to bring down the Concorde with Maggie aboard, initially having the attack on the plane ...

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Plot Keywords:

concorde | missile | pantyhose | airplane | camera shot of feet | 

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Taglines:

At twice the speed of sound, can the Concorde evade attack?

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Spanish

Release Date:

17 August 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Airport '79

Filming Locations:

Alta, Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 132 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The picture was a critical and commercial failure at the box-office with the lowest financial take of the four "Airport" movies.

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Goofs

When the plane is rolling on the Dulles taxiway, the Russian gymnastics coach gets up and switches seats with the gymnast sitting next to Andrea Marcovicci's character. Even in 1979, passengers were not allowed to stand up while a plane was rolling on a taxiway or runway.

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Quotes

Capt. Joe Patroni: I'd love to see what my horoscope said this morning.

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Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Classics from the Vault: Movies that Changed the Movies (2011)

User Reviews

Not a Comedy

This movie is scary at times, perhaps no more so than when a naked George Kennedy tells his hooker girlfriend he wants a little more sugar. Thankfully his nakedness is covered by a blanket, but the image is still more horrifying than anything you're likely to find in, for example, Schindler's List.

The dialog in this film was inspiring; it inspired me to watch another movie. In one scene, when a stewardess remarks about male pilots, Kennedy asks, "Why do you think it's called a 'cock' pit?" Charming.

And yes, contrary to what some have written, this film is very, very bad.