Airport ’77

• Directed by Jerry Jameson
• March 11, 1977
• Based on the 1970 film Airport and the 1968 novel of the same name by Arthur Hailey

A private Boeing 747 containing VIPs and priceless art is hijacked before crashing into the ocean in the Bermuda Triangle forcing the survivors into a struggle for survival.

Much like the last two films, Airport ‘77 has its fair share of quality actors who were present to give it that appearance of something better than what it actually was. Jack Lemmon as Capt. Don Gallagher, Lee Grant as Karen Wallace, Joseph Cotten as Nicholas St. Downs III, Olivia de Havilland of all people as Emily Livingston, Jimmy Stewart as Philip Stevens, George Kennedy returns as Patroni, Darren “Kolchak” McGavin as Stan Buchek, Christopher Lee as Martin Wallace, Robert Foxworth as Bob Chambers, Monte Markham as Banker, Kathleen Quinlan as Julie, Gil “Buck Rogers” Gerard as Frank Powers, and M. Emmet Walsh as Dr. Harvard Williams. Just a great cast right there for something that is quality junk.

This is yet another trip from Point A to Point B that goes horribly wrong. This time it is to an art museum in some tropical location on a plane that is targeted by art thieves because the security is ludicrously bad. Some of this story plays into the 70s fear of the Bermuda Triangle. Seriously. There was a lot of literature published about the Bermuda Triangle and a lot of movies based around the mythology that was built up on it. Much like quicksand I was left thinking the Bermuda Triangle was a much greater threat to humanity than it actually turned out to be.

I ate that Bermuda Triangle shit up as a kid. That and books on cryptids were my jam. And because of that certain elements of this movie stuck in my head but I could never quite place them with this movie. One was a shot of the plane underwater from the air. It wasn’t until I saw the shot while watch this that all those other little bits and pieces came in to focus and I realized they were all from this movie. It’s amazing how something can stick with you for so long, but not be familiar enough to put it into it. So it turns out this is a rewatch of sorts.

I love how Patroni is the connecting thread to all these movies. It seems heavily coincidental to questionable by this point he has been involved in two previous serious plane incidents. I might find it a little more believable if he was called in as an expert. Maybe not believable but less unintentionally comedic. Not knocking him. George Kennedy was a good actor. His presence is worthwhile and enjoyable. It just feels like the character of Petroni should have a reputation for bad luck.

This lacks multiple individual storylines that get resolved or individual character histrionics that the genre can be known for. Sure Martin Wallace (Christopher Lee) has a bitchy wife that has a meltdown when she sees him floating in the water but there’s nobody that completely loses their mind over a minor problem and needs to be seriously calm down by the rest of the cast. Nor are there strong romantic stories hashed out during the course of the film. The closest we get is the romance between Capt. Don Gallagher (Jack Lemmon) and the other woman that we already knew was turning out okay. These are just the cheesy things that fans of the genre might look for but aren’t here.

It does make it feel as if the assorted characters are getting a bit short changed. Give us some more with the pilot and the woman. Make something happen between Martin Wallace, the cranky wife, and Frank Powers (Gil Gerard) who apparently slept with her. Maybe somebody finds out that Dr. Harvard Williams (M. Emmet Walsh) is a veterinarian and not a medical doctor. But none of that is ever used. 

What really harms Airport ‘77 though is that what happens are not a series of problems. It’s mostly just tending to the wounded under the water and Gallagher getting above water to let everybody know what needs to be done. And the element concerning the art heist quickly gets pushed aside and forgotten. Yes it’s not germane to the rescue but it’s something that should be discussed in some way beyond giving an excuse for the plane to be hard to find. Use elements rather than dump them.

The miniatures used for the undersea shots were not too convincing. The rest of the special effects shots were rather good. You can accomplish a lot with old school effects and this film does just that. And it makes for something more convincing for the brain.

Airport ‘77 is cinematic junk but enjoyable cinematic junk. It entertains and nothing more. It is something that will satisfy fans of the disaster genre. Others maybe not so much.