By the 21st century, air travel had become so common that it was almost passé. Flying somewhere for business or to visit relatives had become ho-hum. While vacation flights may still carry a little excitement, for the most part air travel is now so common that there's nothing special about it. And, considering the changes and difficulties with travel today, modern folk can be excused if they don't know about a time when air travel was fun, relaxing, exciting and even romantic. But there was such a time, indeed.
The glamor days of air travel were the late 1950s to the early 1980s. Air travel grew by leaps and bounds after World War II as jet airplanes cut flight time to a couple hours between airports in most countries. In America, cities large and small had multiple airlines serving them. People enjoyed travel for business, pleasure and family visits. Vacation packages frequently included air travel or were built around it by the airlines. And security measures were simple and quick to get through. Many airlines flourished during this time. I have flown on every major carrier in the U.S. since 1962, and on several foreign airlines. And, I've flown on most of the U.S. regional or trunk lines as well and smaller airlines in Europe and Asia.
The first three decades of jet air service were the halcyon days of air travel. Airlines then competed for passengers with service. The cream of the crop of the American-based airlines were Pan Am (Pan American World Airways), Braniff International and TWA (Trans World Airlines). Running close behind them in service were United, American, and Eastern airlines. Other national carriers were Delta, Northwestern, Continental and National. Travelers will recognize that all but three of those were gone within a decade into the 21st century, and that some new airlines have been added. The cream of the regional carriers back then was Alaska Airlines – today one of the major carriers in the U.S.
So, why do I bother giving this brief history of U.S. airline service? I think it may help younger movie fans especially to get in the mood of this film, "Come Fly with Me." This film shows a little of the meal and drink service on the airlines of the past (and that international flights still provide), and the hospitality of the airline employees. In those days, women were stewardesses and men were stewards. Today they have no gender distinction and are called flight attendants. But it also is an example of a type of film that was popular for that period when many people associated flying with romantic getaways or just plain romance. So, in the style of the day, three of the flight hostesses are friends who enjoy travel to foreign ports and hope to meet well-to-do men. And, the co-pilot has a role that was typical for films of this period genre – as a flyer with a girl in every port.
Enough said on that. "Come Fly with Me" puts a different twist on the usual fare for the women and the co-pilot. Dolores Hart, Pamela Tiffin, Lois Nettleton, Hugh O'Brian and the rest of the cast play their parts well. I especially enjoyed Karl Malden as Walter Lucas and Lois Maxwell as Gwen Sandley. Watch for the misadventure involving Hart's character and a traveling baron who catches her eye.
This is a light comedy romance that is worth watching besides just for its historical view of the travel culture of the time.
