Airplane! (1980)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Directors:

Jim Abrahams
David Zucker

Writers:

Jim Abrahams (written by) &
David Zucker (written by) ...

Release Date:

2 July 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

You've read the ad, now see the movie!

Plot:

An airplane crew takes ill. Surely the only person capable of landing the plane is an ex-pilot afraid to fly. But don't call him Shirley.

Plot Keywords:

Airplane | Pilot | Spoof | Fish | Basketball

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Flying High! (New Zealand: English title) (Philippines: English title)
Flying High (Australia)
Kentucky Fried Airplane (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Spain:13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | UK:15 | UK:PG (2001 re-rating) | USA:PG (Certificate #25740) | Sweden:11 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Finland:K-12 | Iceland:L | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 (video rating) | Norway:12 (original rating) | UK:A (original rating) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Ethel Merman insisted on bringing her own hairdresser to set.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: If you look closely at the "Girl Scouts" fighting, you can see one wearing a safety pad on her back.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Male announcer: The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in a red zone.
Female announcer: The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in a red zone.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "What a Year: 1980 (#2.1)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Everthing's Coming Up Roses

We have clearance, Clarence....

It is my understanding that there are still a few people in the world that haven't seen "Airplane!" yet.

Those people probably are still waiting for electricity, indoor plumbing and all the other great advances in humanity, too.

To see "Airplane!" is to take part in the great move to subvert all self-importance in movies, which this film does with great relish (and plenty of corn).

You get a chance to see such "serious" actors as Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack and Leslie Nielsen subvert themselves and their own personnae into near oblivion thanks to the writing/directing team of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker. Not to mention visual and verbal send-ups of darn near every movie that ever took place in the air, and a few that didn't, but should have.

Kudos to Leslie Nielsen, who with this movie gave himself the greatest reinvention of any actor this century. At one time, he was the very model of stoic sensibility.

I swear. Seriously.

A looooong time ago.

Ten stars. A laugh riot.

And I STILL think this would make a great in-flight movie.