Feb 27 2009
“Airplane!” (1980) *****
Preview
Starring: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Lorna Patterson, Stephen Stucker, Frank Ashmore, Jonathan Banks, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Craig Berenson, Barbara Billingsley, Lee Bryant, Joyce Bulifant, Marcy Goldman, Barbara Stuart, and Ross Harris.
Directed by: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker.
Story:
Ted Striker, a former ex-fighter pilot suffering from trauma and a fear of flying, boards the fictional Trans America commercial airliner in an attempt to rekindle his broken relationship with his stewardess ex-girlfriend Elaine. After taking off the ground, the flight crew and many passengers slowly succumb to food poisoning as the plane hits poor weather conditions. It’s soon left up to Ted Striker to conquer his fear of flying and safely land the plane and its passengers, guided by the help of air traffic controllers Steve McCroskey and Rex Kramer.
Characters:
*Ted Striker (Robert Hays): The main protagonist who is a traumatized ex-fighter pilot with a fear of flying.
*Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty): Striker’s ex-girlfriend stewardess.
*Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielsen): The main doctor on board the plane who does more harm than good.
*Captain Clarence Oveur (Peter Graves): The head Captain of the plane.
*Steve McCroskey (Lloyd Bridges): An air traffic controller who’s way off his hinges
*Captain Rex Kramer (Robert Stack): Striker’s former military mentor whom he has negative wartime history with.
*Randy (Lorna Patterson): A hot lead stewardess on the plane with a talent for music and unknowingly hurting others.
*Johnny Henshaw (Stephen Stucker): One of McCroskey’s associates at Air Traffic Control who’s as off as McCroskey himself judging by his…gay…old time that he’s having here.
*Victor Basta (Frank Ashmore): The second co-pilot.
*Roger Murdock (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar): The co-pilot of the plane who also plays his real life self, although here he is trying to hide his identity.
*Paul Carey (Craig Berenson): A nerdy informant who doesn’t make great friends with dogs. He is sent to inform Mr. Kramer of the airline situation.
*Mrs. Hammen (Lee Bryant): Joey’s mother.
*Mrs. Kramer (Barbara Stuart): Rex’s wife.
*Joey (Ross Harris): A young boy with a big annoying mouth who has a talent for upsetting former basketball stars.
Overall:
“Airplane!” was the first to spoof the disaster film genre which dominated the recent 1970s era at that time (films such as “The Poseidon Adventure”, the “Airport” series, “The Towering Inferno”, “Earthquake” and so on). At the same time, it is also a remake of 1957’s “Zero Hour!”. This film was a huge turning point in many people’s careers including Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, among others. “Airplane!”’s box office experienced similar tremendous results as it became a major successor in the summer of 1980, taking in a domestic $83 million against its small budget of $3.5 million.
“Airplane!” is one of the best comedies ever made and deserves to sit up there with 1972’s laugh-fest “What’s Up, Doc?”. It plays the airport and disaster spoof for all that it’s worth. The gags found in this film are highly laughable and endless; it’s quite enjoyable to see the comedic Leslie Nielsen and Lloyd Bridges before their ‘Naked Gun’ and ‘Top Gun’ roles, they are just as hilarious here. Most of the comedies that are of this kind that you see today may seem like they’re trying too hard after you watch this. Just remember, before there was “Epic Movie” or “Scary Movie”, there was “Airplane!”.
Rating: *****
