Airport '77.

Release Date: Mar. 11, 1977. Running Time: 113 minutes. Screenplay: Michael Scheff, David Spector. Producer: William Frye, Jennings Lang. Director: Jerry Jameson.


THE PLOT:

Billionaire Philip Stevens (James Stewart) has converted his Palm Beach estate into a museum showcasing his personal art collection, and is using his private, specially-designed luxury plane to fly out family members, art experts, and others for the grand opening.

Unbeknownst to them, the shifty co-pilot (Robert Foxworth) is working with two thieves disguised as stewards to hijack the plane and steal the collection. They stage a distraction to get pilot Don Gallagher (Jack Lemmon) out of the cockpit, then use gas to knock out the passengers. They drop the plane below radar range in the Bermuda Triangle, effectively vanishing. The co-pilot smirks that by the time the passengers and crew wake up, they'll "find themselves sitting on an empty 747 wondering what happened to them - and we'll be halfway to South America."

The hijackers haven't taken into account a sudden fog bank. With no visibility, the plane's wing strikes an offshore drilling platform, and the airliner plunges straight to the bottom of the sea. The impact kills two of the hijackers and injures multiple passengers, but the pressurization holds - They are underwater, but alive. However, Capt. Gallagher, Stevens' executive assistant Karen Wallace (Brenda Vaccaro), and engineer Stan Buchek (Darren McGavin) now must find a way to keep the plane intact and transmit their position to search and rescue. And quickly, before they either run out of oxygen or the plane's fuselage gives way to the immense water pressure!

The de-facto crew try to keep calm under pressure.

CHARACTERS:

Don Gallagher: "Gallagher is flying the plane," Jack Lemmon says confidently. Though this raises the unfortunate mental image of comedian Gallagher flying the plane while destroying watermelons, Lemmon is easily the movie's greatest asset. He plays the role straight - not Charlton Heston "hammy straight," but with a genuine grounded quality that lends (undeserved) credibility to this ludicrous scenario. He is convincingly stressed, frankly admits that he's frightened, and doesn't even pretend to have patience when a few of the passengers behave hysterically.  All of this makes him relatable as a courageous but essentially ordinary man doing his best in an impossible situation.  Lemmon would later express regret for taking this part. I'm not sure why; the film is no masterpiece, but it's very far from the worst title on his resume.

Karen Wallace: Most of the cast follows Lemmon's lead, playing this as straight drama. Lee Grant is the exception, seemingly the only cast member aware that she's in an Airport sequel. As the boozy, bitchy wife of oceanographer Martin (Christopher Lee), Grant goes full Joan Collins, chewing on every inch of available scenery. Her first major scene has her blackmail her husband's assistant (Gil Gerard) into continuing an affair. She berates her husband's philanthropic efforts on behalf of the starving as "a hobby." She is casually cruel to everyone she interacts with, and there's no moment of redemption for her. Her actual screen time is limited, giving us just enough of her to entertain but not enough to truly irritate.

Eve Clayton: Though recent Oscar-winner Lee Grant received second billing, Brenda Vaccaro is the movie's actual female lead. Vaccaro and Lemmon make easily the most credible of the film series' central couples (not a high bar to clear), and their relationship is given just enough screen time to establish it without ever descending into soap opera. Eve's character is somewhat underwritten, but we see her behaving with competence throughout, mostly acting as a calming influence on various passengers both before and after the crash.

Stan Buchek: Darren McGavin also gives a good performance as, effectively, Lemmon's right-hand man throughout the film. Early scenes establish that he worked on the plane's design, and his knowledge of the craft is used both to underline the severity of the situation and to provide the rescue plan. McGavin plays well opposite Lemmon, and his wry screen presence provides a few welcome moments of levity.

Philip Stevens: Screen legend James Stewart was already slipping into semi-retirement by this point, due to a combination of the actor's hearing loss and his distaste for the direction the movies were taking by the late 1970s. This is one of his last bigscreen roles - He would go on to appear in only three more live action movies and a handful of television projects after this. He doesn't really get much to do, though he does supply a solid screen presence while also giving the rescuers a civilian character to act as a vessel for the funneling of information.

Patroni: It's not an Airport movie without George Kennedy's Joe Patroni... Which makes this barely an Airport movie, as Kennedy's presence (for about 5 minutes total) is ridiculously tacked on. He's supposedly on hand to aid with the search and rescue, but his total contribution is to lend a few words of comfort to James Stewart. Then, when Stewart is taken to the rescue ship, Kennedy stays behind, supposedly to convey details about the plane's specifications... But since that ends up being Jack Lemmon's role in the final rescue, Patroni's entire role is rendered utterly moot.

Passengers and Crew: Robert Foxworth's co-pilot is the only other member of the official flight crew worth mentioning (the third man is a glorified extra); he's so hilariously shifty that he should be wearing a cape and a mustache. Olivia de Haviland and Joseph Cotten appear as art patrons who rekindle an old romance. Christopher Lee actually plays a non-villainous role... which is a pity, because if he murdered his wife in this film, he would probably earn applause. M. Emmet Walsh is a veterinarian who is enlisted to treat the wounded after the crash. Robert Hooks is a steward (with a pregnant wife, of course) whose leg is broken in the crash. None of these are played as comedy characters. Several of them are actively useful at various points, which makes this lot of passengers more likable and distinct than Airport 1975's annoying sitcom creations.

Raise the Titani... Er, the 747!

THOUGHTS:

I've seen Airport '77 referred to as either the best or worst of the series, and I can appreciate both viewpoints. The situation is the most ludicrous of the series, and yet both script and performers do everything in their power to make it appear credible. Though it's not slow-paced, it also isn't rushed. Characters are introduced at a steady pace, letting us get to know each of them, and dialogue is mostly low-key and naturalistic, rather than heightened and silly. All of these traits combine to make this a classier production than the exciting but campy Airport 1975... but they also make it less fun.

The script is well-structured. The first Act is dominated by the usual character introductions, but interest is held by the hijacking plot that runs through the background. The crash conveniently ends that subplot by killing two of the hijackers and leaving the third too injured to do anything but reveal to the others that they're off-course. Then the second Act is propelled by the characters' impossible dilemma and the need to somehow communicate their position to their rescuers. The final Act sees the actual rescue, which benefits from the cooperation of the US Navy and Coast Guard (prominently thanked in the end credits) by showcasing actual rescue techniques. The tight structure means that even when the pace flags, it doesn't take long to get back on track.

Adding to the film's more grounded quality is the refreshing lack of the earlier movies' sexism (there are no scenes of men standing behind stewardesses commenting on how "they have all the right equipment" this time).  Undermining the movie's more realistic tone, however, is the way Jack Lemmon is shoehorned into the end rescue.  His inclusion just about makes sense when he's simply pointing out the stress points before conducting the dangerous operation... But it's utterly ridiculous when Lemmon is actively giving orders to the well-trained rescue team.  I would frankly expect the team members to tell him to get the hell out of their way please, rather than obeying his orders.


THE NETWORK TELEVISION VERSION

NBC added roughly 70 minutes to this movie for its network television debut.  This allowed the network to make it an "event" that was spread over two nights.  This apparently involved throwing in a lot of deleted scenes, most of which were cut with good reason, and also hiring some of the more affordable actors for flashbacks.  Didn't get enough of Kathleen Quinlan's romance with blind singer Tom Sullivan?  Well then, this edit's for you!

This longer version was never made available on home video or streaming. I'll admit that I'd be curious to see the extended footage, if only as "bonus scenes" in the special features. That said, I very strongly suspect the theatrical cut is the better version.

The wealthy Philip Stevens (James Stewart), owner of the submerged plane.

OVERALL:

On the basis of its premise, this really should be silliest of the Airport movies, which makes it doubly bizarre that this is the one entry of the series that largely eschews campiness and plays it straight. For the most part, I found the change in tone refreshing, with the performances of Lemmon, Vaccaro, and McGavin lending enough credibility that the scenario generates more tension than it deserves. The cast is the best of the series (yes, including the original), and the well-structured script keeps the plot moving, even when the pacing flags.

All of this makes Airport '77 a much better movie than it ought to be - though I can't help but feel that the tone is at odds with the ridiculousness of its central scenario.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Preceded by: Airport 1975
Sequel: The Concorde - Airport '79



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