The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979)

Director:

David Lowell Rich

Writers:

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

Release Date:

17 August 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

American based Federation World Airlines has just acquired a Concorde jet, which will make its inaugural commercial flight from Washington D.C...

Plot Keywords:

Concorde | Missile | Supersonic Speed | Year In Title | Disaster

Cast

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
Avery Schreiber	...	Coach Markov
Sybil Danning	...	Amy
Monica Lewis	...	Gretchen
Nicolas Coster	...	Dr. Stone
Robin Gammell	...	William Halpern
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Rescuer #1
Jon Cedar	...	Froelich
Sheila Wills	...	Young Girl (as Sheila DeWindt)
Pierre Jalbert	...	Henri
Kathleen Maguire	...	Mary Parker
Macon McCalman	...	Carl Parker
Stacy Heather Tolkin	...	Irina
Selma Archerd	...	Passenger
Brian Cutler	...	Rescue Worker
Michèle Lesser	...	Carla (as Michele Lesser)
Conrad E. Palmisano	...	Cooper (as Conrad Palmisano)
Jerry Prell	...	Passenger Agent (as Jerry M. Prell)
Gus Rethwisch	...	Gregori (as Bernard 'Gus' Rethwisch)
Dick McGarvin	...	Newscaster
George Sawaya	...	Girard
Leonora Wolpe	...	Ground Hostess
David Matthau	...	Technician #1
Frank Parker	...	Technician #2
Mario Machado	...	Reporter #1
Hettie Lynne Hurtes	...	Reporter #2 (as Hettie Lynn Hurtes)
Gabrielle Rossillon	...	Reporter #3
Aharon Ipalé	...	French Reporter
Isobel Estorick	...	Stewardess #1
Laurie Hagen	...	Stewardess #2
James R. Parkes	...	Stewart #1 (as James Parkes)
James Leigh	...	Stewart #2
Jean Turlier	...	Robelle
Jean-Philippe Ancelle	...	French Security Guard #1 (as Jean P. Ancelle)
Uta Taeger	...	French Security Guard #2
Robert Kerman	...	Dulles Controller
Doug Christenson	...	Ski Patrol Leader
Harold 'Happy' Hairston	...	American Olympic Team Coach
Bob Courts	...	American Olympic Athlete (as Robert Courts)
Margolyn Curtis	...	American Olympic Athlete
Stoney Jackson	...	American Olympic Athlete
Glenn-Michael Jones	...	American Olympic Athlete (as Glenn Michael Jones)
Ken Medlock	...	American Olympic Athlete
Patti Pivaar	...	American Olympic Athlete
Dwan Smith	...	American Olympic Athlete
Alex Rodine	...	Russian Olympic Team Coach
Anna Rodzianko	...	Russian Olympic Athlete
Daryl Lynn Wood	...	Russian Olympic Athlete
Victoria Woodbeck	...	Russian Olympic Athlete
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Patrick Gorman	...	TV Announcer (uncredited)
Norm Keefer	...	Mikhail (uncredited)
Rick Sawaya	...	Russian Olympic Athelete (uncredited)
Harry Shearer	...	Jeffrey Marx (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
David Lowell Rich

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Arthur Hailey		novel "Airport"
Jennings Lang		story
Eric Roth		writer

Produced by
Jennings Lang	....	producer

Original Music by
Lalo Schifrin

Cinematography by
Philip H. Lathrop		(director of photography) (as Philip Lathrop)

Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer

Casting by
William Batliner
Robert J. LaSanka

Production Design by
Henry Bumstead

Set Decoration by
Mary Ann Biddle
Mickey S. Michaels

Costume Design by
Burton Miller

Makeup Department
Connie Nichols	....	hair stylist
Rick Sharp	....	makeup artist
Hallie Smith-Simmons	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Robert Latham Brown	....	unit production manager (as Bob Brown)
Wilbur Mosier	....	production manager
Suzanne Wiesenfeld	....	production manager: Paris (as Suzanne Weisenfeld)
Patrick Gordon	....	unit production manager: France (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Newt Arnold	....	first assistant director (as Newton Arnold)
Katy Emde	....	second assistant director
Bruce Hanson	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Bill Dietz	....	property master
Charles Breen	....	set designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
James R. Alexander	....	sound (as Jim Alexander)
Robert L. Hoyt	....	sound re-recordist
John Stacy	....	sound effects editor
Roger Heman Jr.	....	sound re-recordist (uncredited)
Earl Madery	....	sound re-recordist (uncredited)
Roger Sword	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Peter Albiez	....	special effects
Joe Goss	....	special effects
Gary D. Bierend	....	special effects crew (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Cleo E. Baker	....	miniature sequences
Peter Gibbons-Fly	....	special visual photography
Abe Milrad	....	special visual effects
Clifford Stine	....	special photography (as Cliff Stine)
Wes Thompson	....	special aerial backgrounds
Alan G. Markowitz	....	visual effects artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Michael Adams	....	stunts
May Boss	....	stunts (as Mary R. Boss)
Jean-Claude Braquet	....	stunts
Vince Deadrick Jr.	....	stunts (as Vincent Deadrick Jr.)
Rita Egleston	....	stunts
Greg Wayne Elam	....	stunts (as Greg Elam)
Richard Elmore	....	stunts
Dean Engelhardt	....	stunt balloonist
Debbie Evans	....	stunts
Marneen Fields	....	stunts
Sue Gapper	....	stunt balloonist
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunts
Kent Hays	....	stunts
Melvin Jones	....	stunts
John Larson	....	stunts
Rick Lockwood	....	stunt balloonist
Mario Luraschi	....	stunts (as Mario Lourachy)
Gérard Moisan	....	stunts (as Gerard Moisan)
Daniel Perche	....	stunts
Dar Robinson	....	stunts
Walter Robles	....	stunts
Thomas Rosales Jr.	....	stunts (as Tom Rosales)
Tanya Russell	....	stunts (as Tanya Lee Russell)
George Sawaya	....	stunt coordinator
George Sawaya	....	stunts
Rick Sawaya	....	stunts
Dean Smith	....	stunts
Peter Stader	....	stunts
Bob Terhune	....	stunts
Victoria Vanderkloot	....	stunts
Gregg Sawaya	....	assistant stunt coordinator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bill Johnson	....	camera operator (as William Johnson)
Wilbur Kinnett	....	gaffer
Carl Manoogian	....	key grip
Stan McClain	....	assistant camera: aerial unit
Norman Parker	....	assistant camera
Robert A. Torres	....	assistant camera (as Robert Torres)
Stephen Vaughan	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lambert Marks	....	costume supervisor
Sheila Mason	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Rick Weaver	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Robert Mayer	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Chris Haynes	....	driver (uncredited)
Frank Khoury	....	transportation (uncredited)

Other crew
Louis Odell Burton	....	pilot
Jean Franchi	....	pilot
Jean Franchi	....	technical advisor (as Captain Jean Franchi)
James W. Gavin	....	helicopter pilot
Betty A. Griffin	....	script supervisor (as Betty Abbott Griffin)
Clay Lacy	....	pilot
Frank L. Pine	....	pilot
Ross Reynolds	....	helicopter pilot
Art Scholl	....	pilot
Dennis Williams	....	second location manager

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinema Internazional Corporation (1979) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Cinéma International Corporation (CIC) (1979) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1982) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Argentina Video Home (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Esselte CIC Video (198?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Gaiam (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Ventura Distribution (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Universal Hartland (special photographic effects)

Other Companies

• Greater Los Angeles Council On Deafness  technical advisor
• Universal Title  titles and opticals
• United States Department of Defense, The  thanks
• 8th Fighter Squadron Of The French Air Force  thanks
• 12th Fighter Squadron Of The French Air Force  thanks
• Dulles International Airport  thanks
• United States Department Of Agriculture Forest Service, Wasatch National Forest  thanks
• Alta, Utah, Ski Lift  thanks
• Air France  technical assistance
• Paris Airport Authority  technical assistance
• Société Nationale Industrielle Aerospatiale  technical assistance
• Panavision  lenses and panaflex camera
• Technicolor  color

Also Known As:

"Airport '79" - USA (short title)
"Airport '80: The Concorde" - Philippines (English title)
"Airport 1979" - International (English title) (informal title)
"Airport 1980" - International (English title) (informal title)
"The Concorde" - USA (short title)

Runtime:

113 min | 132 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:A | UK:PG (video rating) | Australia:PG | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Singapore:PG | West Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:L | Norway:12 | USA:PG (Certificate #25694)

Filming Locations:

Alta, Utah, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The Concorde featured in the film was the 7th Concorde built. It first flew as F-WTSC on Jan 31, 1975. The registration number changed to F-BTSC (serial number 203) in May 1975. The plane was leased from Aerospatiale (France) for the movie, and sold to Air France in October 1980. The same Concorde crashed on July 25th, 2000, while taking off from Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris. A burst tire ruptured a fuel tank, and the leaking fuel caught fire. The crash killed all 109 passengers and crew on board, plus 4 people on the ground.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Concorde's nose was always lowered while in motion on the ground; the pilots couldn't see the ground if the nose was raised.

Quotes:

Dr. Kevin Harrison:You want to hang me without any explanation.
Maggie Whelan:You hung yourself.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Boom! Hollywood's Greatest Disaster Movies (2000) (V)

Thrill as the Concorde performs ridiculous aerobatic stunts.....

Some slack might be cut this movie due to the fact that it was made in 1979. That much said, it really is pretty dire.

Never mind the laughable back-projection or the awful, awful camera-tracking of supposed "in-flight" objects, it's the stunts that the Concorde pulls off that will have you blinking in disbelief at the absurdity. Barrel-rolls, loop-the-loops and violent "evasive" maneuvers left me wondering why the Air-Forces of the world didn't just fly Concordes as their main fighters.

So, here are the important lessons I learned from this celluloid cheese-fest:

1. The Concorde is at least as agile as a Phantom 4 jet-fighter.

2. You can fire a flare gun at Mach 2 simply by opening the cockpit window and sticking your arm out.

3. If the flare gun fails to discharge, do not drop it, as it may then go off.

4. The Concorde can dodge up to two Sidewinder missiles fired at it at once.

5. A flare will distract a heat-seeking missile every time.

6. Switching off your jet-engines is a sure-fire way of throwing heat-seeking missiles off track if 5 (above) fails.

7. When performing a crash-landing in the Concorde, it is apparently impossible to jettison your fuel beforehand.

8. Concorde pilots are all combat-trained veterans.

As you might imagine, this film is not very realistic. The effects are primitive by today's standards and that, coupled with the nonsense acrobatics the Concorde performs, makes this a movie deserving of little but scorn.

Not recommended. Not recommended at all!