Airport 1975

I have read many of the viewer comments on this film and I can say that most were right on target so there isn't much point in my repeating what they've already said.

My main comment would be: Save yourself the time and expense to see this film and rent "Airplane!" instead. They are essentially the same film with the only real distinction being that "Airplane!" actually was intended to be a comedy.... and a damned good one at that. In fact, as I recall, "Airplane!" was named the best comedy ever made by the American Film Institute. This is quite phenomenal when you consider that it was nothing but a spoof of "Airport 1975". And this may be the one and only truly distinctive aspect of "Airport 1975". That is, it did inspire a truly great film. Otherwise, it had very few redeeming qualities.

The film is nothing but a haphazardly thrown together collection of all the film clichés that could be squeezed into the allotted run time. I recently watched it for the first time since its original release mostly out of sheer curiosity. I remembered it being bad.... as all the sequels to "Airport" were. They were all presumably made as serious films but they were all so sloppily made with such terrible scripts that you couldn't help wonder why they weren't just released as comedies in the first place. For example, as has been well documented in other viewer comments, how could anyone take Linda Blair's and Helen Reddy's roles seriously? I mean, how could they keep straight faces with the scenario and dialogue they were supposed to work with? All that was missing was a laugh track.

I am glad I read some of the IMDb comments as I was viewing "Airport 1975" on AMC because they really added to my enjoyment of the comic aspects of the film.

As I said, this was the first time I had watched it in about 30 years and in the meantime I had of course seen "Airplane!" But until rewatching "Airport 1975" I did not realize the degree to which "Airplane!" was inspired by "Airport 1975". At times, I was dumbstruck at how scene after scene were all spoofs of actual scenes from "Airport 1975". And this made the film very entertaining to me when otherwise I may have just hit the channel button on the remote after the first 10 minutes of so of the drivel that "Airport 1975" actually is.

A mid-air collision leaves a 747 without a pilot. Charlton Heston, Karen Black and George Kennedy star in this campy far fetched adventure. Acting is wooden and unconvincing and the plot ranges from strange to absurd but the air sequences are by far the best in any air disaster film and well worth a look. It is a typical disaster film for it's time but is thankfully one of the good ones unlike The Concorde or The Swarm. People give it a hard time claiming it to be one of the worst films ever made but it obviously isn't as there are many millions of mainstream films worse than this and many worse disaster movies if you want proof watch any of Irwin Allen's late 70's productions.

Airport '75 was definitely the funniest of that series. It was not as soap opera-esque as the original, nor was it as cheerless as '77.

Humorous elements abounded: The lewd young navigator (Erik Estrada, who at that point could not speak a word of Spanish, despite his seeming mastery of it here). The three obnoxious business passengers (Conrad Janis, Norman Fell, and Jerry Stiller; who would all later, as we know, go on to co-star in highly successful TV comedies) The hapless Cid Ceasar character, who only attended this flight to see the in-flight movie, which promptly broke right before his favorite scene.

The passenger areas look surprisingly comfortable, with ample space for individual passengers. Much better, it seems, than what we are subjected to today (the mid-seventies decor notwithstanding).

The mirthful subtones aside, this is a serious movie. The pivotal point happens when a small private plane goes astray, hitting the 747 right above the windshield. The navigator is killed, the co-pilot is sucked out through the hole (in a manner reminiscent of the commander of the imperial walker being pulled out by Chewbacca in "Return of the Jedi"; and the captain is incapacitated. Poor Nancy the Stewardess (Karen Black) must seize the controls!

It is up to Charlton Heston (before he became a conservative) and George Kennedy, with some help from friends in the U.S. Air Force, to save the day.

Verdict, hardly a brain challenger (If you want your brain challenged, read a book, I always say!) but worth seeing.

Airport 1975 is a silly movie, but it offers a dash of guilty, escapist pleasure for anyone willing to accept its obvious shortcomings. Helmed by veteran small-screen director Jack Smight, the film has the feel of a made-for-TV offering. Despite the myriad irritating subplots and pointless supporting characters, the main storyline -- that of the efforts of a group of men and women to save the plane -- is relatively engrossing, and the special effects are surprisingly effective (albeit sparse). Nancy, the character played by Karen Black, is likable; Murdock is sufficiently heroic and Patroni radiates a mixture of competence and desperation. Also worth noting is that it doesn't take forever for the mid-air collision to happen. Well before the half-way point, the plot is already in full swing. All in all this is a great guilty pleasure film from the mid 70s.

Just about every 1970s disaster cliché and typical cast member is present in this ludicrous, yet entertaining movie. The first of a long line of sequels to the original Airport from 1970, this film raises the bar in terms of ridiculous situations and casting of washed-up actors. One cannot however ignore the interesting scenario of an untrained person having to fly a jumbo jet if the entire crew somehow would become incapacitated.

Karen Black (an underrated talent) plays the lead stewardess on a 747 flight who has to take over the flying duties after a Cessna crashes into the cockpit and either kills or severely wounds the pilots. Luckily the script only calls for her having to make adjustments to the plane's course instead of actually bringing it safely into the gate! Instead, the plan is to lower a trained pilot from a jet helicopter into the 747 cockpit so he can make the landing. Of course there are complications involving sick passengers, fuel leaks, mountains, and finding a good rug for Charleton Heston to wear. Can this motley crew of actors bring the plane down safely?? I wonder.

You gotta love the casts of these kind of movies. I can take Cid Ceasar, Myrna Loy, Gloria Swanson, and Linda Blair as passengers. I can hold my nose and accept Helen Reddy as a singing nun. The welcome sight of George Kennedy in some sort of administrative role certainly helps. But what in the world was former NFL quarterback Jim Plunkett doing on board? And sitting in coach, yet?? I guess he hadn't won a superbowl yet, so he didn't rate first class! 6 of 10 stars.

The Hound.