Airport '79 ... The Concorde (1979)
The final installment of the Airport franchise involves the lightening fast Concorde plane of French airlines. Naturally, there’s a French pilot at the helm, Alain Delon. He has a girlfriend, Sylvia Kristal, whom he can’t commit to, but that’s really the furthest worry from his mind when he and the other pilot, George Kennedy, discover that their plane is the target of nuclear missiles. Susan Blakely, a passenger, is the secretary and mistress to powerful tycoon Robert Wagner, and she’s carrying documents that will ruin him if they’re exposed. Gee, I wonder who ordered the missile attack. . .
George Kennedy, the only actor to appear in all four Airport movies, hopefully had a blast while making this one. His character was greatly expanded, and he really got to let his hair down. A widower (which is really sad, since he was so attached to his wife in the second film), he gets set up by playboy Alain on a blind date. They hit it off with intense chemistry, and audiences are treated with a steamy love scene. Without George, the movie would feel a little flat, but thankfully, he’s given lots of screen time and fun “winks” at the audience since he’s the senior cast member.
This volume isn’t perfect; every time Jimmie Walker is on the screen, we have to either hear lousy saxophone music or endure a drug-themed joke. David Warner, though, as the long-haired engineer, has a very cute energy and screen presence totally different from his “Jack the Ripper” stereotype. Some of the cameos, like Charo and Cicely Tyson, seem wasted. But you’ll also see Eddie Albert, Bibi Andersson, Mercedes McCambridge, Sybil Danning, and Ed Begley Jr. in the supporting cast. In the edited television version, you can catch José Ferrer, Jessica Walter, J.D. Cannon and a few other familiar faces.
It’s sad to say goodbye to a franchise, and for the life of me, I can’t understand why George Kennedy wasn’t offered a role (or at least a cameo) in the following year’s Airport. It felt nearly as rude as Dana Andrews not being offered a part; but perhaps both were offered and turned them down. The great thing about the Airport movies is that they’re all entertaining and full of excitement, so you can watch them over and over again or pair them in marathons and pretend Joe Patroni, his colleagues, and passengers are still around.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More José Ferrer movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1970's Airport here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1974's Airport '75 here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1977's Airport '77 here!
George Kennedy, the only actor to appear in all four Airport movies, hopefully had a blast while making this one. His character was greatly expanded, and he really got to let his hair down. A widower (which is really sad, since he was so attached to his wife in the second film), he gets set up by playboy Alain on a blind date. They hit it off with intense chemistry, and audiences are treated with a steamy love scene. Without George, the movie would feel a little flat, but thankfully, he’s given lots of screen time and fun “winks” at the audience since he’s the senior cast member.
This volume isn’t perfect; every time Jimmie Walker is on the screen, we have to either hear lousy saxophone music or endure a drug-themed joke. David Warner, though, as the long-haired engineer, has a very cute energy and screen presence totally different from his “Jack the Ripper” stereotype. Some of the cameos, like Charo and Cicely Tyson, seem wasted. But you’ll also see Eddie Albert, Bibi Andersson, Mercedes McCambridge, Sybil Danning, and Ed Begley Jr. in the supporting cast. In the edited television version, you can catch José Ferrer, Jessica Walter, J.D. Cannon and a few other familiar faces.
It’s sad to say goodbye to a franchise, and for the life of me, I can’t understand why George Kennedy wasn’t offered a role (or at least a cameo) in the following year’s Airport. It felt nearly as rude as Dana Andrews not being offered a part; but perhaps both were offered and turned them down. The great thing about the Airport movies is that they’re all entertaining and full of excitement, so you can watch them over and over again or pair them in marathons and pretend Joe Patroni, his colleagues, and passengers are still around.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More José Ferrer movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1970's Airport here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1974's Airport '75 here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1977's Airport '77 here!