Airplane! Back to Index

Imdb Rating: 7.8
Genre: Comedy
Directed: Jim Abrahams (written by) &, David Zucker (written by)
Country: USA
Year: 1980
Duration: 88 min

Media: Hot stuff
Recommended by zMin

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Actors: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (as Murdock (as Kareem Abdul-Jabaar)), Lloyd Bridges (as McCroskey), Peter Graves (as Captain Oveur), Julie Hagerty (as Elaine), Robert Hays (as Ted Striker), Leslie Nielsen (as Dr. Rumack), Lorna Patterson (as Randy), Robert Stack (as Rex Kramer), Stephen Stucker (as Johnny), Otto (as Himself), Jim Abrahams (as Religious zealot #6), Frank Ashmore (as Victor Basta), Jonathan Banks (as Gunderson), Craig Berenson (as Paul Carey), Barbara Billingsley (as Jive Lady)

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Description: "What's slower than a speeding bullet, and able to hit tall buildings at a single bound?"

An airplane crew takes ill. Surely the only person capable of landing the plane is an ex-pilot afraid to fly. But don't call him Shirley.

Comment: If you really need a good laugh out loud movie, to make you feel good, this is one of them! The 1st time we saw this movie, on cable, not long after it came out, we were rolling with laughter! This movie was one of the all-time best, with Lloyd Bridges, and that crazy air traffic controllers' scenes were the funniest. With every line of the movie having a comeback, and another meaning--this movie ranks up there with the pool scene in Caddyshack as one of the best--you're rolling with laughter! With Lloyd Bridges slowly going insane throughout the movie, with an all-star cast including Robert Hayes,very funny, they even had Ethel Merman doing a cameo, (not long before her death), it was hilarious. Even the sequel came out to be as good as the original.

IMDB TRIVIA FOR AIRPLANE! (1980):
- David Letterman screen-tested for the role of Ted Striker.
- Lloyd Bridges as Steve McCroskey spoofs his role as Jim Conrad in the TV series "San Francisco International Airport" (1970).
- Rex Kramer and Steve McCroskey were also character names in The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977).
- William Tregoe, who plays Jack Kirkpatrick, the TV anchorman ("I say, let 'em crash"), plays an almost identical character in the "Count/Pointercount" segment of The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977). His character name is the similar-sounding John Fitzsimmons, and he is arguing for "count." Both roles parody James J. Kilpatrick on "60 Minutes" (1968).
- A disco station in the film is called WZAZ, a reference to filmmakers 'David Zucker' , Jim Abrahams, and 'Jerry Zucker' . The same initials appear on one of the microphones in the scene with the reporters in the control tower.
- The airplane model used for the flying shots hangs in the museum at the Studios at Los Colinas (Texas).
- When Striker takes control of the airplane, among the "voices" he hears is the announcement "Now batting for Pedro Borbon, Manny Mota... Mota... Mota..." Manny Mota was a pinch hitter for the Dodgers and Pirates - and was never on a team with Pedro Borbon.
- All the exterior shots of the plane while flying use a sound track of a propeller plane although it is a jet because the studio would not let the producers use a propeller plane in the movie.
- Lieutenant Hurwitz was the final screen role for Ethel Merman.
- Jill Whelan, who plays the sick child, also played the daughter of Capt. Stubing (Gavin MacLeod) on "The Love Boat" (1977). Joyce Bulifant, who plays her mother, played MacLeod's wife on "Mary Tyler Moore" (1970).
- The entire production took just over a month. Robert Hays was doing the television show "Angie" (1979) at the same time.
- The Boeing 707 used in the movie was a re-painted TWA airliner.
- Director Cameo: [Jerry Zucker and 'David Zucker' ] appear as the ground crew at the beginning of the film. (They're the ones that direct the plane into the window of the terminal.)
- The film is mostly a parody of Zero Hour! (1957), a film that had a main character named Ted Stryker and such famous "not meant to be funny" lines like "We have to find someone who can not only fly this plane, but who didn't have fish for dinner."
- The Jaws (1975) spoof in the beginning of the film was made of layers of cotton on a piece of plywood with a hidden wire track for the airplane to "fly" around.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's role was originally to be played by Pete Rose.
- "Stayin' Alive" was speeded up for the dance scene of the film.
- To get the film green-lighted by Paramount, Jim Abrahams, 'David Zucker' and Jerry Zucker pitched it as "Animal House (1978) on a plane". Which, of course, was far from the truth, but the only way they could get the studio execs to understand it was a zany comedy.
- The film was specially geared to spoof the Airport series, but chiefly spoofs Airport 1975 (1974), where Karen Black is a stewardess forced to pilot a plane after both pilots are incapacitated, Linda Blair is a girl needing a kidney transplant, and Helen Reddy plays a singing nun.
- Universal threatened to sue when they found out that the directors were trying to get Helen Reddy to repeat her role as the singing nun from Airport 1975 (1974). George Kennedy from the original Airport movies was also being courted for the film but thought better of running afoul of Universal.
- The video game played by the air traffic controllers is the Atari 2600's Basketball (1978) (VG).
- Director Cameo: [Jim Abrahams] as the second religious zealot who is pushed aside by Rex Kramer upon his arrival in the Chicago Airport terminal.
- When Striker tells the passenger his war story, he says he was a pilot in the Air Force. The Air Force actually didn't exist in WWII and at that time it was part of the Army. However, when you see him during the war, he's wearing a Navy uniform.
- Singer/Songwriter Barry Manilow was considered for the role of Ted Stryker before Robert Hays was hired.
- The casting of professional basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a member of the flight crew was a reference to pro football player Elroy 'Crazylegs' Hirsch's role as a pilot in the serious airplane disaster film Zero Hour! (1957)
- The producers bought the rights to the movie Zero Hour! (1957), the film that this movie is based on.
- To get inspiration for the ZAZ Kentucky Fried Theatre skits, the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams would leave a videotape running all night, recording late night television with the aim of spoofing the commercials. One night they recorded the film Zero Hour! (1957), which ultimately acted as the main inspiration for Airplane! (1980).
- The first draft for the movie was written in 1974. Even then, Robert Stack was first choice for the part of Rex Kramer.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took the part because he wanted to buy a $30,000 rug.
- The film cost $3.5 million and only took 34 days to make.
- Most of the jive talk between the two black passengers was improvised by the actors as the ZAZ team weren't sufficiently au fait with black street language.
- Co-writer/director 'David Zucker' said that years after the movie's release, Woody Allen came up to him at a New York Knicks game and told 'David Zucker' how much he loved the movie. 'David Zucker' said that, since he and the movie's other writer-directors were heavily influenced by Woody Allen's early comedies, Zucker was very touched.
- CASTLE THUNDER: Heard every time lightning flashes during the storm sequence.
- The doctor role was Leslie Nielsen's first comedic part. He later said he was delighted to get the offer, fearing that he was getting too old for anything but "elderly grandfather" parts.
- Despite featuring a spoof of the beach scene of From Here to Eternity (1953), none of the three directors had actually seen the original film.
- Ethel Merman insisted on bringing her own hairdresser to set.
- The automatic pilot blow-up doll ultimately disintegrated after spending several years in 'Jerry Zucker' 's garage.
- The singing nun is Maureen McGovern who sings the theme song to the sitcom "Angie" (1979) which Robert Hays was co-starring in at the time of filming.
- The obligatory copyright notice at the end of the film which warns against piracy or unauthorized duplication ends with the comment "So there!"
- According to his autobiography, Christopher Lee turned down the role of Dr Rumack.
- The argument between the two P.A. voice-overs about an abortion comes from "a cheap, dime-store novel" according to the trivia track of the DVD version. That "novel" is actually Arthur Hailey's "Airport" (which inspired the movie 'Airport (1970)' ).>>> WARNING: Here Be Spoilers <<- SPOILER: Captain Oveur's line to the little boy "Have you ever seen a grown man naked?" was originally "Have you ever sucked a grown man's cock?" which was dropped for obvious reasons.

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