Airport 1975 (1974)

A 747 in flight collides with a small plane, and is rendered pilotless. Somehow the control tower must get a pilot aboard so the jet can land.

Director:

Jack Smight

Writers:

Arthur Hailey (novel), Don Ingalls

Stars:

Charlton Heston, Karen Black, George Kennedy

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlton Heston	...	Alan Murdock
Karen Black	...	Nancy Pryor
George Kennedy	...	Joe Patroni
Efrem Zimbalist Jr.	...	Captain Stacy
Susan Clark	...	Helen Patroni
Helen Reddy	...	Sister Ruth
Linda Blair	...	Janice Abbott
Dana Andrews	...	Scott Freeman
Roy Thinnes	...	Urias
Sid Caesar	...	Barney
Myrna Loy	...	Mrs. Devaney
Ed Nelson	...	Major John Alexander
Nancy Olson	...	Mrs. Abbott
Larry Storch	...	Glenn Purcell
Martha Scott	...	Sister Beatrice

Storyline

When the pilot of a small aircraft has a heart attack and crashes his plane into the cockpit of a Boeing 747, several members of the flight crew are killed and the pilot is blinded. Miraculously, the 747 stays in the air on auto-pilot with flight attendant Nancy Prior at the controls. Ground controllers, including her boyfriend Alan Murdock, try to teach her the basics but they soon realize they will have to get a trained pilot into the cockpit. Their first attempt fails and Murdock realizes he will have to do it. Meanwhile, various passengers have their own problems including a young girl who is destined to a life saving operation.

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Plot Keywords:

hare krishna | repeat sequel | fire truck | kiss | engineer | 

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Taglines:

A mid-air collision leaves a 747 without a pilot...

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aeropuerto 1975

Filming Locations:

Edwards Air Force Base, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$47,285,152

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the films included in "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (and how they got that way)" by Harry Medved and Randy Lowell.

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Goofs

When Gary says "Whatever happened to womanhood?" his lips do not move.

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Quotes

Joe Patroni: There she is. She's flying it! She's flying it herself!
Alan Murdock: Climb baby, climb.

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Connections

Featured in Elizabethtown (2005)

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Soundtracks

Best Friend
Lyrics and Music by Helen Reddy and Ray Burton (as R. Burton)
Sung by Helen Reddy

User Reviews

"Oh, who's afraid of the lion's den? I'm Jewish!"

All-star sequel to the classic disaster movie Airport. Hilariously campy, ridiculous, and silly, but also undeniably fun. This one's the primary basis for the spoof movie, "Airplane!". The leads this time are Charlton Heston and Karen Black. But the real star of any Airport movie is George Kennedy as Joe Patroni. He gets all the best lines. In addition to a job promotion in this film, he gets a younger and prettier wife, too. Among the other cast members are Myrna Loy, Linda Blair, Erik Estrada, Gloria Swanson, Sid Caesar, Norman Fell, Helen Reddy (as a singing nun), and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. This was Swanson's last movie. All of her scenes invite mockery. Every line of dialogue she utters is about herself. Every time someone in the movie talks about her, it's about how great she is. Charlton Heston's Planet of the Apes costar Linda Harrison is also in this, although the two share no scenes. 'Large Marge' from Pee Wee's Big Adventure has a bit part as a passenger who brings a dog on board the plane. Just like the first movie, this one's message is that movie stars of yesteryear are dangerous to air travel. Last time it was Van Heflin; this time it's Dana Andrews.

I really like the Aiport movies. They aren't high art but they're great cheesy fun. It's a good series that could do with a revival today, although the cast would probably be made up of the likes of the Kardashians. I shudder at the thought. Anyway, set your brain on auto-pilot for awhile and enjoy this entertaining disaster flick. I doubt you'll regret it.