Airplane! (1980)

A man afraid to fly must ensure that a plane lands safely after the pilots become sick.

Directors:

Jim Abrahams, David Zucker

Writers:

Jim Abrahams (written for the screen by), David Zucker (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	...	Roger Murdock (as Kareem Abdul-Jabaar)
Lloyd Bridges	...	Steve McCroskey
Peter Graves	...	Captain Clarence Oveur
Julie Hagerty	...	Elaine Dickinson
Robert Hays	...	Ted Striker
Leslie Nielsen	...	Dr. Rumack
Lorna Patterson	...	Randy
Robert Stack	...	Captain Rex Kramer
Stephen Stucker	...	Johnny Henshaw-Jacobs
Otto	...	Otto
Jim Abrahams	...	Religious Zealot #6
Frank Ashmore	...	Victor Basta
Jonathan Banks	...	Gunderson
Craig Berenson	...	Paul Carey
Barbara Billingsley	...	Jive Lady

Storyline

Still craving for the love of his life, Ted Striker follows Elaine onto the flight that she is working on as a member of the cabin crew. Elaine doesn't want to be with Ted anymore, but when the crew and passengers fall ill from food poisoning, all eyes are on Ted.

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Plot Keywords:

pilot | air traffic controller | airport | airplane | spoof | 

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Taglines:

What's slower than a speeding bullet, and able to hit tall buildings at a single bound?

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 July 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kentucky Fried Airplane

Filming Locations:

Westward Beach - Westward Beach Road, Malibu, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$83,400,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Julie Hagerty.

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Goofs

When the captain notifies Chicago of the emergency, he said nothing about food poisoning, however, the air traffic controller orders all meal services canceled. This could simply be because the character never did like the food on meal services, a way to comment on how lousy airline food really is, and not because of the food poisoning on the aircraft.

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Quotes

First Jive Dude: Shiiiiit, maaaaan. That honky muf' be messin' mah old lady... got to be runnin' cold upside down his head, you know?
[Subtitle: GOLLY, THAT WHITE FELLOW SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM MY WIFE OR I WILL PUNCH HIM]
Second Jive Dude: Hey home', I can dig it. Know ain't gonna lay no mo' big rap up on you, man!
[Subtitle: YES, HE IS WRONG FOR DOING THAT]
First Jive Dude: I say hey, sky... subba say I wan' see...
Second Jive Dude: Uh-huh.
First Jive Dude: ...pray to J I did the same-ol', same-ol'!
[Subtitle: I KNEW A MAN IN A SIMILAR PREDICAMENT, AND HE ENDED UP BEING SORRY]
Second Jive Dude: Hey.....
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Introducing Otto as Himself (over picture of the inflatable autopilot)

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Zombi 7: Zombie '90 - Extreme Pestilence (2010)

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Soundtracks

Notre Dame Victory March
By Michael J. Shea, J.H. O'Donnell and John F. Shea

User Reviews

The funniest movie ever? Yes

Very rarely does a film come out that is as truly brilliant as Airplane. It has everything that a comedy should have. The cast is fantastic, the jokes hilarious and almost constant.

One of the best things about Airplane that I have found is that the jokes are not all obvious, and because of this it has far more re-watchability than most comedies, as every time you watch it you pick up on more of the subtler jokes and background sight gags.

It is a film that manages to cater for almost all tastes in humour, from dry wit to slapstick via spoofery and dark humour. If you haven't seen this film you MUST watch it. This is one of those few films that everybody can enjoy. It's fairly rare to find a comedy the whole family can enjoy, most are either unsuitable for children or too childish for adults, but Airplane manages to find that balance where all ages can enjoy it.

In conclusion, if you have yet to see this film, watch it. If you have seen it, watch it again.