Airport

Quaint, but fairly compelling airport soap opera with a disaster element

During a snowstorm at Lincoln International Airport in Chicago, the manager of the airport (Burt Lancaster) works overtime to clear the main runway of a Boeing 707 that’s stuck in the snow while dealing with his failing marriage. Meanwhile the next flight to Rome piloted by his brother-in-law (Dean Martin) has a suspicious person with an attaché case on board (Van Heflin). George Kennedy plays the head mechanic, Jean Seberg a customer relations agent, Jacqueline Bisset a flight attendant and Helen Hayes a stowaway.

"Airport" (1970) was the movie that kicked-off the disaster craze of the 70s. It’s not great like “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972), but it’s more compelling and less bloated than “The Towering Inferno” (1974). The soap operatic first half paves the way for the disaster-oriented second. It’s intentionally old-fashioned and was a huge hit at the box office. I wasn’t sure about it for the first 20 minutes, but I then found myself involved in the characters and their story, keeping my interest till the end.

After disaster films developed a bad rap years later, Lancaster panned “Airport” as the “worst piece of junk ever made,” which is ironic considering it was his most successful movie at the box office BY FAR.

The film runs 2 hours, 16 minutes, and was shot at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, Minneapolis, and Universal Studios, Universal City, California.

GRADE: B