The Evolution Of Airport Movies: A Comprehensive Review

The Airport film series, based on the 1968 novel of the same name by Arthur Hailey, consists of four airplane-themed disaster films: Airport (1970), Airport 1975, Airport '77, and The Concorde... Airport '79. The films, which collectively grossed $387.5 million worldwide, are known for their impact on the disaster film genre and for their all-star casts, which included Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, George Kennedy, Charlton Heston, and Jacqueline Bisset, among others. While the first film in the series was praised for its influence on the disaster genre, subsequent installments were criticized for their increasingly unbelievable plots and declining box office performance. Nonetheless, the Airport films remain a memorable part of 1970s cinema, capturing the hopes and dreams of air travel during that era.

The Airport films were based on a 1968 novel by Arthur Hailey

The Airport film series, consisting of four airplane-themed disaster films, was based on the 1968 novel 'Airport' by British-Canadian writer Arthur Hailey. Hailey's novel was a commercial success, spending 64 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and becoming the biggest-selling novel of 1968. It revolves around the operations of a large metropolitan airport during a severe winter storm.

The story takes place at Lincoln International, a fictional Chicago airport, and centres on Mel Bakersfeld, the Airport General Manager, whose devotion to his job is tearing apart his marriage to his nagging wife, Cindy. The action mainly unfolds over the course of one evening and night as a massive snowstorm wreaks havoc on airport operations.

The film adaptation, released in 1970, was written and directed by George Seaton and starred Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jean Seberg, Jacqueline Bisset, and George Kennedy. The film grossed over $128 million and was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It is considered to have originated the 1970s disaster film genre.

Three sequels followed the success of the first film, each progressively less successful: 'Airport 1975' (1974), 'Airport '77' (1977), and 'The Concorde... Airport '79' (1979).

The first film in the series, Airport, was released in 1970

The plot of Airport revolves around a series of mishaps at a busy airport, including inclement weather, a stuck plane, protestors from a nearby community, a stowaway, marital drama, and a bomber on board one of the planes. The airport manager, Mel Bakersfeld, played by Burt Lancaster, struggles to keep the airport functioning under these extreme conditions. His wife threatens him with divorce, and he becomes romantically involved with his assistant, Tanya Livingston (Jean Seberg). The film also follows the story of a depressed man, played by Van Heflin, who brings a bomb on board the plane so that his wife can collect the life insurance policy he purchased before his death. The captain of the flight, Vernon Demerest (Dean Martin), is married but sleeping with the chief flight attendant, Gwen Meighen (Jacqueline Bisset), who is pregnant with his child. After the bomb explodes mid-flight, Demerest is able to land the plane safely, saving everyone on board.

Airport is considered the touchstone for the 1970s disaster film genre that followed, and its success led to three sequels, with the subsequent films becoming increasingly unbelievable and veering into high camp. Despite the financial success of the film, Lancaster himself was not a fan, calling it "the worst piece of junk ever made" and saying that it was a joke that it was nominated for any awards.

The four films in the series were released consecutively from 1970 to 1979

The Airport film series consists of four films, all released in consecutive years from 1970 to 1979. The first film, 'Airport' (1970), was based on the 1968 novel of the same name by Arthur Hailey. It starred Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, and George Kennedy, and was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film was a huge success, grossing $45.3 million in North America alone, and is credited with launching the 1970s 'disaster movie' genre.

The second film, 'Airport 1975' (1974), followed a similar formula to the first, with an all-star cast, including Charlton Heston, and a bigger crisis. The plot centres on a mid-air collision between a small plane and a 747, leaving the larger aircraft without a pilot. Despite some criticism, the film was a success, grossing $47 million.

The third instalment, 'Airport '77' (1977), continued the series' trend of escalating crises and wackier premises. This time, the 747 is hijacked and crashes in the Bermuda Triangle. Jack Lemmon and Christopher Lee joined the cast, which also included James Stewart and Joseph Cotten. However, box office receipts began to decline, with the film taking in $30 million.

The final film in the series, 'The Concorde... Airport '79' (1979), had a convoluted plot involving corporate espionage and arms dealing. The film received poor reviews and performed poorly at the box office, grossing only $13 million.

Despite the declining success of the later films, the 'Airport' series is notable for its impact on the disaster film genre and its influence on the popular spoof 'Airplane!'.

The films were nominated for a total of 11 Academy Awards

The Airport film series consists of four films: Airport (1970), Airport 1975 (1974), Airport '77 (1977), and The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979). The films were nominated for a total of 11 Academy Awards. The first film, Airport, was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Cinematography, and Best Costume Design. It won one award, with Helen Hayes taking home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Despite the critical acclaim, the star of Airport, Burt Lancaster, was not a fan of the film. He called it "the biggest piece of junk ever made" and said it was a joke that it was nominated for any awards. Lancaster only agreed to star in the film in return for the studio financing several non-commercial films in which he was interested.

The Airport films were based on the 1968 novel Airport by Arthur Hailey and launched the 1970s disaster movie genre. The four films grossed $387.5 million worldwide.

The films were spoofed in Airplane! and Airplane II: The Sequel

The 1980 comedy film "Airplane!" and its 1982 sequel, "Airplane II: The Sequel", spoofed the "Airport" film series, which consisted of four airplane-themed disaster films: "Airport" (1970), "Airport 1975", "Airport '77", and "The Concorde... Airport '79".

The "Airplane!" films were written and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker (collectively known as ZAZ) and starred Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges, and Leslie Nielsen, among others. While "Airplane!" was based on the 1957 film "Zero Hour!", it spoofed the "Airport" films and the broader genre of 1970s airplane disaster movies. The sequel, directed by Ken Finkleman, also spoofed other films, including "Star Wars", "2001: A Space Odyssey", and "E.T.".

The "Airplane!" films reproduced scenes from popular movies in detail and added humorous touches to make them funny. For example, the films featured characters who resembled the wholesome young families and nuns with guitars that were common in the "Airport" movies. They also included references to other films, such as imitating the beach scene from "From Here to Eternity". The dialogue in "Airplane!" also directly referenced lines from "Zero Hour!", such as "Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking".

The "Airplane!" films were successful in making audiences laugh by adding incidental touches to the scenes and situations they were spoofing. They also included a high density of gags, ensuring that the audience would find something to laugh at. This formula, however, did not always translate well to other spoof films, and the "Airplane!" films remain some of the sharpest and funniest in the genre.

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