Airport '77 (1977)

Art thieves hijack a 747, hit fog and crash into the ocean, trapping them and the passengers under one hundred feet of water.

Director:

Jerry Jameson

Writers:

Arthur Hailey (novel), Michael Scheff (screenplay)

Stars:

Jack Lemmon, Lee Grant, Joseph Cotten

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Lemmon	...	Don Gallagher
Lee Grant	...	Karen Wallace
Brenda Vaccaro	...	Eve Clayton
Joseph Cotten	...	Nicholas St. Downs III
Olivia de Havilland	...	Emily Livingston
Darren McGavin	...	Stan Buchek
Christopher Lee	...	Martin Wallace
Robert Foxworth	...	Chambers
Robert Hooks	...	Eddie
Monte Markham	...	Banker
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Julie
Gil Gerard	...	Frank Powers
James Booth	...	Ralph Crawford
Monica Lewis	...	Anne
Maidie Norman	...	Dorothy

Storyline

Mr. Phillip Stevens is flying in a load of V.I.P.s to the grand opening of his art collection when a trio of hijackers knock out the passengers with gas and try to steal the priceless cargo of art treasures. But everything goes wrong for the hijackers when the 747 crashes in the Bermuda triangle. While the passengers remain alive in the shallow water, a daring rescue operation is planned to bring the plane up without breaking it in two.

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Plot Keywords:

repeat sequel | plane | rescue | hijack | flooding | 

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Taglines:

Flight 23 has crashed in the Bermuda Triangle... passengers still alive, trapped underwater...

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Jerry Jameson directed a similar sunken-vehicle high-concept movie, Raise the Titanic (1980). Instead of raising a sunken 747 airplane from underwater, it was the R.M.S. Titanic. This movie was box-office hit, and Raise the Titanic (1980) was a huge box-office flop.

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Goofs

After the sea rescue, passengers' clothing has dried once aboard the rescue ship. While it might not make sense for the clothing to have dried, few of the passengers' hair was ever wet in the first place, as they walked out the emergency exit directly onto the wing and were transferred into zodiacs.

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Quotes

Karen Wallace: We're us! We're us. That's your problem: you think everybody is us. Can't you forget about other people for once and think about yourself?
Martin Wallace: Other people thinking about themselves got us down here in the first place, Karen.
Karen Wallace: You've got a lot of brains, Martin, but you're not a smart man.

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Crazy Credits

Before the end credits, this text appears. "The incident portrayed in the film is fictional; the rescue capabilities utilized by the Navy are real".

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Alternate Versions

Versions seen on UK television omit the scene where Lee Grant looks out the window of the plane and sees her husband Martin Wallace (Christopher Lee), floating dead in the water.

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Connections

Referenced in Sneak Previews: Take 2: Movies That Changed the Movies (1979)

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Soundtracks

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
Composed and sung by Tom Sullivan

User Reviews

Not for claustrophobics

Airport '77 is the second sequel in the Airport franchise.Boeing 747 is carrying some valuable art of wealthy philanthropist Philip Stevens.A group of art thieves hijack the plane and soon they crash it to the Bermuda triangle.The passengers survive but for how long? Jerry Jameson's disaster movie from 1977 is a mighty entertaining movie.It's packed with the brightest stars.James Stewart is Philip Stevens.Jack Lemmon is Captain Don Gallagher.That's two of my favorite actors.The real lady Olivia de Havilland plays Emily Livingston.Joseph Cotten plays Nicholas St. Downs III.George Kennedy is Joe Patroni.Christopher Lee is Martin Wallace.Lee Grant is Karen Wallace.M.Emmett Walsh plays Dr.Williams.So there are many great stars in a great jam.Airport '77 offers many intense moments under the water.Everybody not suffering from claustrophobia should see this.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hungarian

Release Date:

11 March 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Airport 1977

Filming Locations:

Stage 27, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min 182 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1