Old School for the New School: Airport

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Airport (1970)

Notable cast members: Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jacqueline Bisset

Notable Awards: Oscar, Best Supporting Actress, Helen Hayes

“Da da da duh dah….da da da DUH DUH!”

One of the more memorable scores created for the disaster movie genre, it only takes a split-second for Alfred Newman’s score from Airport to announce to the audience that danger and peril are most certainly imminent.

The music is set to an all-star cast composed of Burt Lancaster as the airport director trying to manage crisis during the worst storm in years; Dean Martin as the resident Casanova-pilot of the airport; Jacqueline Bisset as the gorgeous, love-stricken stewardess; Helen Hayes (in an Oscar winning role) as the sweet little old lady who is more wily than she looks; and George Kennedy as the glue that holds the airport together.  If Airport isn’t the first movie entered into the disaster genre, then it is most certainly one of the genre’s pioneers. I’ve been, at times, in the unfortunate position of falling victim to the uncanny ability of the Hollywood trailer creators’ ability to turn a senseless, boorish script into something I thought I’d enjoy.  I’m talking about such films as James Cameron’s Titanic, Wolfgang Peterson’s Poseidon, and the like. The sad part about these films is that they each cost their studios millions upon millions of dollars to produce something that ultimately leaves the audience dry.  On the other hand, you have a movie like Airport that draws that feeling of concern and anxiousness out of the audience without all the explosions and CGI special effects.

The beauty of this film is the conglomeration of all the individual storylines that take place everywhere from the runway to the director’s office and how each of them makes their own contribution to one crazy night on the airfield. It’s been almost 40 years since Airport hit America’s screens and it’s safe to say there haven’t been many films like it since.  Please make sure your seat is in the full and upright position and that your tray table is locked and stowed in front of you, and then kick back and enjoy the ride that is Airport!

Best Line: Patroni (Kennedy): “That’s one nice thing about the 707. She can do everything but read.”