MGM boasted that they had more stars than there were in the heavens. But after the Golden Age of MGM ended, it took individual producers to put together big star filled epics to continue Louis B. Mayer's dream. Disaster films of the 1970's were filled with stars, and in the case of the third entry of the "Airport" series, it is loaded. Six of the stars were Oscar nominees or winners, and there are other Legends among they are surrounded by other familiar faces of both the past and present. Unfortunately, what became camp in the second entry thanks to Karen Black having to learn how to fly a plane with one lesson over the radio, now becomes over the top and often ridiculous. But I dare you to turn your eyes away once you hit play on your DVD player.
The plot of this lavish Thriller surrounds a plane filled with VIPs heading to James Stewart mansion on a island in the South Atlantic, and valuable cargo aboard, the plane is ripe for art thieves getting onto the plane and taking over, ultimately getting it into the course of the Bermuda Triangle. Passengers are drugged and knocked out, and when they awaken, they find themselves at the bottom of the ocean and no way to get out. But as long as Lee Grant has a collection of mini bottles, she will be fine. The rest of them, not so much.
Among the others on the plane are Jack Lemmon, this time the one flying it, Christopher Lee as grants wealthy long-suffering husband, Olivia de Havilland as a patron of the Arts who has a penchant for poker, Joseph Cotten as her old flame, and Brenda Vaccaro as Lemmon's fiancé. Maidie Norman, the housekeeper for Jane and Blanche Hudson, is de Havilland's companion, giving an ironic connection to "Baby Jane's" follow-up, "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte".
Pamela Bellwood looks on lovingly at blind pianist Tom Sullivan who doesn't sing very well, making that scene rather tedious. When next seen, they are sharing an emotional farewell, but having only been on momentarily, the audience doesn't really have a chance to get to know them enough to care. Just as it seems that it couldn't get any more silly, George Kennedy shows up, once again repeating his role from the first two movies. Robert Foxworth and Monte Markham are the bad guys,and they truly deserve what they get.
Some great action sequences really make this gripping in spots, but while you do indeed care about the plight of these passengers, the way it is presented is so ridiculous and melodramatic that you're both clenching your fists and laughing uncomfortably at some of the absurd details deep within the story itself.
Certainly in the 1970's, disaster films were at their height, and with a cast like this, it was bound to succeed at the box office. It was definitely a crowd-pleaser, but in retrospect, it is often absurd. Obviously, the producers were running out of ideas and with one film left in the series, the movie became right for parody, and that became the Excellence classic farce "Airplane!" which makes these films all the more unintentionally funny.
The plot of this lavish Thriller surrounds a plane filled with VIPs heading to James Stewart mansion on a island in the South Atlantic, and valuable cargo aboard, the plane is ripe for art thieves getting onto the plane and taking over, ultimately getting it into the course of the Bermuda Triangle. Passengers are drugged and knocked out, and when they awaken, they find themselves at the bottom of the ocean and no way to get out. But as long as Lee Grant has a collection of mini bottles, she will be fine. The rest of them, not so much.
Among the others on the plane are Jack Lemmon, this time the one flying it, Christopher Lee as grants wealthy long-suffering husband, Olivia de Havilland as a patron of the Arts who has a penchant for poker, Joseph Cotten as her old flame, and Brenda Vaccaro as Lemmon's fiancé. Maidie Norman, the housekeeper for Jane and Blanche Hudson, is de Havilland's companion, giving an ironic connection to "Baby Jane's" follow-up, "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte".
Pamela Bellwood looks on lovingly at blind pianist Tom Sullivan who doesn't sing very well, making that scene rather tedious. When next seen, they are sharing an emotional farewell, but having only been on momentarily, the audience doesn't really have a chance to get to know them enough to care. Just as it seems that it couldn't get any more silly, George Kennedy shows up, once again repeating his role from the first two movies. Robert Foxworth and Monte Markham are the bad guys,and they truly deserve what they get.
Some great action sequences really make this gripping in spots, but while you do indeed care about the plight of these passengers, the way it is presented is so ridiculous and melodramatic that you're both clenching your fists and laughing uncomfortably at some of the absurd details deep within the story itself.
Certainly in the 1970's, disaster films were at their height, and with a cast like this, it was bound to succeed at the box office. It was definitely a crowd-pleaser, but in retrospect, it is often absurd. Obviously, the producers were running out of ideas and with one film left in the series, the movie became right for parody, and that became the Excellence classic farce "Airplane!" which makes these films all the more unintentionally funny.