Over the top soap opera nonsense makes this one of the worst "Grand Hotel in the Sky" themed films. While it obviously was not used in the writing of that 1980 comedy classic, it's the only way to stomach the tepid plot line, clichéd characters and wretched pacing of the film. So why did I put myself through this film yet again, for the third time? To find some humor in my way of re- looking at it, and to once again catch one of my favorite comic character actresses, Patsy Kelly, rising back up after nearly two decades away.
Yes, the comic sidekick of Harlow, Faye, Davies, Todd and other blonde 30's bombshells, is listed way down the credit list. She's far more interesting than the lead characters of Efrem Zimbalist and Rhonda Fleming whose marital troubles set up the story, and the struggles of pilot Dana Andrews, once again facing "Zero Hour". It was a serious plot twist of that 1957 sleeper, more famous because of the big twist being used in "Airplane". When his back story is explained, it takes the movie off course, with strange bleeds and unappealing unknown actors as his wife and son.
The threat here is a mid-air collision, not food poisoning. With both Andrews and Zimbalist thinking of their personal issues while flying, no one in the sky is safe! There's also Troy Donahue as a sailor flying home on a military plane with Zimbalist, John Kerr as the co-pilot, Keenan Wynn as a TV writer sitting next to a mystery woman who knew him in her past, and Anne Francis as the stewardess, all of their names showing up in 3D style in the credits.
Really ridiculous dialog, especially the two strangers sitting next to each other imagining what the other one is thinking. It seems to have inspired one of the many gags in "Airplane!" This has some of the same aspects of the 1954 blockbuster "The High and the Mighty" missing that fabulous score and the interesting assortment of unique characters. When it tries to be funny or topical or poignant, it falls flat. Flashbacks to earlier situations makes the structure jumbled. But that's not surprising, with more than a dozen stories to try to follow, to try and accept unbelievable dialog, and to try to deal with the weird way the story takes off, and ultimately belly flops.
Yes, the comic sidekick of Harlow, Faye, Davies, Todd and other blonde 30's bombshells, is listed way down the credit list. She's far more interesting than the lead characters of Efrem Zimbalist and Rhonda Fleming whose marital troubles set up the story, and the struggles of pilot Dana Andrews, once again facing "Zero Hour". It was a serious plot twist of that 1957 sleeper, more famous because of the big twist being used in "Airplane". When his back story is explained, it takes the movie off course, with strange bleeds and unappealing unknown actors as his wife and son.
The threat here is a mid-air collision, not food poisoning. With both Andrews and Zimbalist thinking of their personal issues while flying, no one in the sky is safe! There's also Troy Donahue as a sailor flying home on a military plane with Zimbalist, John Kerr as the co-pilot, Keenan Wynn as a TV writer sitting next to a mystery woman who knew him in her past, and Anne Francis as the stewardess, all of their names showing up in 3D style in the credits.
Really ridiculous dialog, especially the two strangers sitting next to each other imagining what the other one is thinking. It seems to have inspired one of the many gags in "Airplane!" This has some of the same aspects of the 1954 blockbuster "The High and the Mighty" missing that fabulous score and the interesting assortment of unique characters. When it tries to be funny or topical or poignant, it falls flat. Flashbacks to earlier situations makes the structure jumbled. But that's not surprising, with more than a dozen stories to try to follow, to try and accept unbelievable dialog, and to try to deal with the weird way the story takes off, and ultimately belly flops.