AIRPORT 1975 (1974)

Considering the success of the original AIRPORT film, I'm kinda surprised that it took them 4 years to make a sequel, but they did and it's...alright.  The star studded cast makes things enjoyable to look at, but the character development is badly written and many of the stars (Loy especially) are wasted in weak roles.

Instead of a bomber blowing a hole in the airplane shitter, the pilot of a small aircraft (Dana Andrews) has a heart attack and smashes into the cockpit of the 747 creating a large gash and fucking the flight crew all to Hell.  Now it's up to Karen Black to fly the plane until superstud Charlton Heston can be lowered in on a wire to save the day.  Along the way there's all kinds of drama including a sick Linda Blair needing a new kidney, Large Marge smuggling a dog onto the plane, Erik Estrada wanting to bang the new stewardess, crazy 70's fashions, screaming, a couple of drunks getting rowdy, a purple sofa, Sid Caesar trying to get up in Myrna Loy's guts, a nun playing a guitar, Epicurean Sexual Delights, George Kennedy yelling a lot and so on.

Worth a watch, but really not that memorable.  I really missed Burt Lancaster.  They had Swanson playing herself, so I'm kinda surprised that they didn't have Loy also play herself and have them seated together talking nonstop about the Golden Days of Hollywood.  That would have been awesome!!!!  Hell, the airplane could have never left the runaway and it would have been the greatest movie ever!  Also, why in the Hell did the filmmakers have Charlton Heston and his PLANET OF THE APES co-star Linda Harrison in the same film, but not have them in a scene together?  What a ball drop.  Hell, they should have had her in Karen Black's role.

Part 1 - Airport (1970)
Part 3 - Airport '77 (1977)
Part 4 - Concorde...Airport '79 (1979)

If my Classic Hollywood memory serves me correctly both Grace Moore and Carole Lombard died in plane crashes.  Weird.

AIRPORT (1970)

 

Just an extraordinary day in the life airport general manager Burt Lancaster.  If things weren't already bad enough with his socialite wife pestering the fark out of him nonstop and one of his senior pilot's (Dean Martin) giving him grief over a runway, he now has to deal with "the worst storm in 6 years", a moron pilot who shuts down a runway by getting his plane stuck in the snow, an elderly stowaway passenger, a horny co-worker, his boss threatening to fire him and a madman with a bomb!

I've never read the original Arthur Hailey novel, but I might now, because this movie held up very well for being nearly 50 years old.  Even without the mad bomber story I was totally into all the comings and goings of the people and their personal problems (cheating husband, pregnant mistress, no money, traffic jam, protesters, low I.Q. and so on). 

Excellent pace, awesome all-star cast lead by Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin (who I don't ever got enough credit for his acting abilities), funky 70's split screen overdose, impressive musical score, dated as hell technology, uneven special effects, mind-bending colour schemes...I enjoyed AIRPORT so much I actually watched it twice!  Although I am a little dumbfounded as to how Helen Hayes actually won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.  I thought she was the weakest point of the movie and her selfish, fuck everybody character was annoying.  Oh well, it's still worth watching.

Part 2 - Airport 1975 (1974)
Part 3 - Airport '77 (1977)
Part 4 - Concorde...Airport '79 (1979)

Poor Burt Lancaster having to listen to George Kennedy make out on the phone.