Where have you gone Joe Patroni?
Added 10/10/2009
I think the knock on Disaster Films, besides the fact they are action-oriented plots with minimal character development, is that most of them were churned out during the early 1970s, a Golden Era of Hollywood history (Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood). When some of the industry's greatest directors were achieving all-time artistic highs with "The Godfather," "The Taxi Driver" and "Jaws," next door the older generation (over 30) was going through the motions with films like "Airport" and its sequels (Airport Terminal Pack (Airport/Airport '75/Airport '77/Airport '79 - The Concord). "Airport" made a staggering amount of money, the No. 1 box office success the year it was released, sparking a wave of equally profitable Disaster epics for several years (including "The Towering Inferno (Special Edition)," the box office king of Disaster Films).
Watching "Airport" today, with its seasoned stars bouncing to the old-time movie score of Alfred Newman (Airport: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) on creaky sets probably left over from "From the Terrace," is akin to stepping back into the 1950s. The year 1970 was a time of incredible social upheaval, and fans could buy a movie ticket and remember a more innocent era (the film was rated G). "Airport" is an artistic tribute to bygone decades, with recognizable faces such as Van Heflin, Helen Hayes, Lloyd Nolan, Dana Wynter and, to a lessor extent, Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin, going through the machinations of the plot (based on the Arthur Hailey bestseller Airport, perfect for a pool-side read), relying on their historical reps to fill in the gaps. It's an enormous tribute to an antique age.
The special effects, tame by today's standards, are still quite good. And the concluding moments, with Heflin hugging a suitcase bomb and co-pilot Gary Collins staring at a growing crack at the rear of the airplane, are terrifying. But the tension-filled screams and terror of the closing dramatics are not really what remains in memory after viewing "Airport." What you remember is George Kennedy as Joe Patroni.
Kennedy, an underrated actor at the peak of popularity in 1970 following his Oscar win for "Cool Hand Luke (Deluxe Edition)," steals the show. His performance as Patroni, a cigar-chomping bad-ass who probably totes a lunch pail to work everyday, is electric. He would star as Joe throughout the "Airport" series, the lone connecting thread during the sequels. I have always loved the famous scene where he angrily guns the airliner through the snow to clear the runway, a moment likely producing audience applause during it's initial run. And the final scene, when Kennedy lumbers past the suits and slaps the side of the airplane with a clipboard, mumbling proud praise to the damaged craft, ends "Airport" on a perfect note.
I've seen actors attempt the tough-guy-blue-collar persona before, usually failing miserably. None did it better than Kennedy in the 1970s. Look no further than his terrific performance when trying to decipher why "Airport" made such an incredible fortune. He's a working class stud, with little time for meetings, brass or pleasantries. His character, comforting to 1970's audiences, harkens back to the era of WW II when working class men symbolically rolled up their sleeves to get the job done in Europe, a very different war from what was going on in Vietnam at the time.
Kennedy's Patroni symbolized a venerable American ideal which exists to this day. During the great frustrations of the Nixon/Vietnam age (Nixon Agonistes: The Crisis of the Self-Made Man), it was inspiring. At times of personal and professional crisis, we would all like to face our fears in Patroni fashion, spitting into its eye and throwing the rule book into the nearest wastebasket. One could argue that independents like Patroni, crucial to any working team, have slowly and inexorably been eroded into extinction by the growing culture of corporate America, symbolized (even at this time) by the educated suits standing zombie-like in the hangar as Patroni strolls past them to get back to work. Today, "Airport" indeed reminds audiences of a bygone era, but not for the reasons you would think. In a hysterical world, Kennedy's Patroni is a touchstone.
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This was the original disaster movie!
Added 9/20/2009
This 1970 movie really captures the early 70's, in fashion, hair styles, and travel in a pre-hightened airport security world. This is a star-studded cast of movie veterans, many of whom are no longer with us. It is fun to look back at the styles and I found the plot surprisingly tense and action packed.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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THE ORIGINAL AIRPORT: FULL-THROTTLE ENTERTAINMENT
Added 9/8/2009
Had to be pulled by the ear and dragged into Radio City Music Hall in NYC by my mother to see this one in 1970. And I am so thankful that she did as AIRPORT proved to be a thoroughly engaging and entertaining production with an all-star cast. Among the stars were five Oscar winners---Burt Lancaster [ELMER GANTRY, 1960], Van Heflin [JOHNNY EAGER, 1942], Helen Hayes [THE SIN OF MADELON CLAUDET, 1931], George Kennedy [COOL HAND LUKE, 1967] and Maureen Stapleton [REDS, 1981]. The plot centers around a despondent, mentally unstable Joe who can't keep a job and provide for his family and decides to board a plane with a bomb to do the unthinkable so that his beloved but unwitting wife can collect the insurance money. In the meantime Burt Lancaster is the General Manager of the snowbound "AIRPORT" whose only safe and useable runway is blocked by a Jet stuck in the snow. He is being bombarded from all sides---by his neglected wife who doesn't get to see her interminably busy husband enough, by local politicians who want his airport closed due to complaints of noise pollution and even by colleague pilots and co-workers who question his decisions and probably sit in wait for him to make the gaffe that will send him to the gallows. The beautiful Jean Seberg plays his co-worker girlfriend who is always by his side. The passengers on the plane are fun characterizations and include the annoyingly intrusive loudmouth who stirs the pot, the perturbingly know-it-all teen, the 'Doc', the Priest, the nuns---many spoofed in the wonderfully delicious comedy classic, AIRPLANE [1980]. Dean Martin at first appeared miscast as the doomed jet's Captain but, being the fine actor that he is, was able to pull it off. He is also Lancaster's brother-in-law in the movie but is having a relationship with one of his stewardesses played by the ethereal British actress Jacqueline Bisset. There is some frank talk about abortion, its consequences and alternatives after she discovers that she is carrying his child. The terse and melancholic Heflin is terrific as the bomber aka "Guerrero, D.O.". His disappointed but always supportive spouse is played by Maureen Stapleton who should have won the best female supporting actress Oscar over Hayes for her short but wonderfully sensitive and poignant portrayal. Their talk in the Diner before his departure was evocative. Hayes was cute and endearing as the septuagenarian flimflam artist and stowaway. George Kennedy is a gas as Joe Patroni the ultra-experienced blue-collar 707 expert who is called upon to get the stuck-in-the-snow Jet out of the way so that the last runway, and the Airport, can remain open. This becomes an exigency when, after the bomber succeeds, that runway is the only hope for the disabled jet. Kennedy's riotous exchange with the pilots not willing to press the pedal to the metal and thrust the stuck jet out of the snow in fear that they will damage the structure is memorable and his last-chance personal 'let-it-all-hang-out' try is a blast. Hey, Joe Patroni is always welcomed in my house. Too bad that recollections of this excellent film have been blurred by the subsequent awful Airport sequeals and a slew of superficial disaster flicks over the years. This, the original AIRPORT, had it all: drama, romance, comedy, suspense...etc...truly great entertainment. Thanks to THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY [1954] for the inspiration. Congrats to Goodtimes Video for an excellent transfer [I purchased the full screen edition].
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Another Classic Aviation Movie in my collection
Added 2/5/2009
This movie is a classic and I am happy to add it to my collection of aviation movies. I definitely recommend it for aviation buffs.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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IT MAY BE THE FIRST DISASTER, BUT IT'S NOT THE BEST!
Added 7/21/2008
Watching 'Airport' after all these years, I found it disappointing to a degree. It's overly long with little action or suspense and it's cast reminded me of a predecessor to the 'Love Boat'. I give it some respect for being the first of many films of this nature, but it's really not as good as I remembered it to be. It's available on a box set with the other 3 Airport films at a bargain price so it your a fan of the series.......
0 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Where have you gone Joe Patroni?
Added 10/10/2009
I think the knock on Disaster Films, besides the fact they are action-oriented plots with minimal character development, is that most of them were churned out during the early 1970s, a Golden Era of Hollywood history (Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood). When some of the industry's greatest directors were achieving all-time artistic highs with "The Godfather," "The Taxi Driver" and "Jaws," next door the older generation (over 30) was going through the motions with films like "Airport" and its sequels (Airport Terminal Pack (Airport/Airport '75/Airport '77/Airport '79 - The Concord). "Airport" made a staggering amount of money, the No. 1 box office success the year it was released, sparking a wave of equally profitable Disaster epics for several years (including "The Towering Inferno (Special Edition)," the box office king of Disaster Films).
Watching "Airport" today, with its seasoned stars bouncing to the old-time movie score of Alfred Newman (Airport: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) on creaky sets probably left over from "From the Terrace," is akin to stepping back into the 1950s. The year 1970 was a time of incredible social upheaval, and fans could buy a movie ticket and remember a more innocent era (the film was rated G). "Airport" is an artistic tribute to bygone decades, with recognizable faces such as Van Heflin, Helen Hayes, Lloyd Nolan, Dana Wynter and, to a lessor extent, Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin, going through the machinations of the plot (based on the Arthur Hailey bestseller Airport, perfect for a pool-side read), relying on their historical reps to fill in the gaps. It's an enormous tribute to an antique age.
The special effects, tame by today's standards, are still quite good. And the concluding moments, with Heflin hugging a suitcase bomb and co-pilot Gary Collins staring at a growing crack at the rear of the airplane, are terrifying. But the tension-filled screams and terror of the closing dramatics are not really what remains in memory after viewing "Airport." What you remember is George Kennedy as Joe Patroni.
Kennedy, an underrated actor at the peak of popularity in 1970 following his Oscar win for "Cool Hand Luke (Deluxe Edition)," steals the show. His performance as Patroni, a cigar-chomping bad-ass who probably totes a lunch pail to work everyday, is electric. He would star as Joe throughout the "Airport" series, the lone connecting thread during the sequels. I have always loved the famous scene where he angrily guns the airliner through the snow to clear the runway, a moment likely producing audience applause during it's initial run. And the final scene, when Kennedy lumbers past the suits and slaps the side of the airplane with a clipboard, mumbling proud praise to the damaged craft, ends "Airport" on a perfect note.
I've seen actors attempt the tough-guy-blue-collar persona before, usually failing miserably. None did it better than Kennedy in the 1970s. Look no further than his terrific performance when trying to decipher why "Airport" made such an incredible fortune. He's a working class stud, with little time for meetings, brass or pleasantries. His character, comforting to 1970's audiences, harkens back to the era of WW II when working class men symbolically rolled up their sleeves to get the job done in Europe, a very different war from what was going on in Vietnam at the time.
Kennedy's Patroni symbolized a venerable American ideal which exists to this day. During the great frustrations of the Nixon/Vietnam age (Nixon Agonistes: The Crisis of the Self-Made Man), it was inspiring. At times of personal and professional crisis, we would all like to face our fears in Patroni fashion, spitting into its eye and throwing the rule book into the nearest wastebasket. One could argue that independents like Patroni, crucial to any working team, have slowly and inexorably been eroded into extinction by the growing culture of corporate America, symbolized (even at this time) by the educated suits standing zombie-like in the hangar as Patroni strolls past them to get back to work. Today, "Airport" indeed reminds audiences of a bygone era, but not for the reasons you would think. In a hysterical world, Kennedy's Patroni is a touchstone.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
This was the original disaster movie!
Added 9/20/2009
This 1970 movie really captures the early 70's, in fashion, hair styles, and travel in a pre-hightened airport security world. This is a star-studded cast of movie veterans, many of whom are no longer with us. It is fun to look back at the styles and I found the plot surprisingly tense and action packed.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
THE ORIGINAL AIRPORT: FULL-THROTTLE ENTERTAINMENT
Added 9/8/2009
Had to be pulled by the ear and dragged into Radio City Music Hall in NYC by my mother to see this one in 1970. And I am so thankful that she did as AIRPORT proved to be a thoroughly engaging and entertaining production with an all-star cast. Among the stars were five Oscar winners---Burt Lancaster [ELMER GANTRY, 1960], Van Heflin [JOHNNY EAGER, 1942], Helen Hayes [THE SIN OF MADELON CLAUDET, 1931], George Kennedy [COOL HAND LUKE, 1967] and Maureen Stapleton [REDS, 1981]. The plot centers around a despondent, mentally unstable Joe who can't keep a job and provide for his family and decides to board a plane with a bomb to do the unthinkable so that his beloved but unwitting wife can collect the insurance money. In the meantime Burt Lancaster is the General Manager of the snowbound "AIRPORT" whose only safe and useable runway is blocked by a Jet stuck in the snow. He is being bombarded from all sides---by his neglected wife who doesn't get to see her interminably busy husband enough, by local politicians who want his airport closed due to complaints of noise pollution and even by colleague pilots and co-workers who question his decisions and probably sit in wait for him to make the gaffe that will send him to the gallows. The beautiful Jean Seberg plays his co-worker girlfriend who is always by his side. The passengers on the plane are fun characterizations and include the annoyingly intrusive loudmouth who stirs the pot, the perturbingly know-it-all teen, the 'Doc', the Priest, the nuns---many spoofed in the wonderfully delicious comedy classic, AIRPLANE [1980]. Dean Martin at first appeared miscast as the doomed jet's Captain but, being the fine actor that he is, was able to pull it off. He is also Lancaster's brother-in-law in the movie but is having a relationship with one of his stewardesses played by the ethereal British actress Jacqueline Bisset. There is some frank talk about abortion, its consequences and alternatives after she discovers that she is carrying his child. The terse and melancholic Heflin is terrific as the bomber aka "Guerrero, D.O.". His disappointed but always supportive spouse is played by Maureen Stapleton who should have won the best female supporting actress Oscar over Hayes for her short but wonderfully sensitive and poignant portrayal. Their talk in the Diner before his departure was evocative. Hayes was cute and endearing as the septuagenarian flimflam artist and stowaway. George Kennedy is a gas as Joe Patroni the ultra-experienced blue-collar 707 expert who is called upon to get the stuck-in-the-snow Jet out of the way so that the last runway, and the Airport, can remain open. This becomes an exigency when, after the bomber succeeds, that runway is the only hope for the disabled jet. Kennedy's riotous exchange with the pilots not willing to press the pedal to the metal and thrust the stuck jet out of the snow in fear that they will damage the structure is memorable and his last-chance personal 'let-it-all-hang-out' try is a blast. Hey, Joe Patroni is always welcomed in my house. Too bad that recollections of this excellent film have been blurred by the subsequent awful Airport sequeals and a slew of superficial disaster flicks over the years. This, the original AIRPORT, had it all: drama, romance, comedy, suspense...etc...truly great entertainment. Thanks to THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY [1954] for the inspiration. Congrats to Goodtimes Video for an excellent transfer [I purchased the full screen edition].
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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