Got most of the good ones, but.......
Shucks, got most of the good ones, but...............
I agree with all the above but here is a good second string:
(no particular order)
Fate Is the Hunter (1964), Glenn Ford. Very Loosely (very) based on
the best book Ernest K. Gann wrote of the same title, about a pilot blamed
for a fatal airliner crash. Aviation related, it is more story and acting (pretty
good) than special effects and flying scenes, but there are a few flash backs
and flying scenes. Worth a view. The book is much better and the movie
really has nothing about the book, except the title, read the book for sure.
Twelve O'clock High (1949) Gregory Peck
Space Cowboys (2000) (Opening jet scene and later Tommy Lee
Jones's character flying the Stearman. Of course Clint Eastwood is in it. A
little unbelievable in some parts but a nice movie.)
Apollo 13 (1995) Tom Hanks, Not much non-ballistic "flying" below
264,000 feet but awesome, go USA. (No offense to international members,
but not many countries have gone to the moon, wait, no country has landed
man on the moon except the USA.
)
John Wayne, flying movies:
The High and the Mighty (1954);
Flying Leathernecks (1951);
Island in the Sky (1953) (based on a Ernest K. Gann book);
Jet Pilot (1957) [Corny as they come, almost so bad it is good, but
captures some of the best F-86 in-flight scenes I have seen. If you can't get
it up for a F-86 in flight dancing around clouds, check pulse. Janet Leigh
plays a Russian Fighter pilot who defects or some nonsense. Janet Leigh you
recall, Hitchcock's Psycho, married Tony Curtis, mother of Jamie Lee Curtis,
Janet was hottie in her day.]
Flying Tigers (1942) (don't think I saw this but hey its got the Duke!)
OK I got one and this is obscure:
The Birdmen (1971) (TV move of semi-factual story of WWII POW's
building a 2 place glider to help one POW, a scientist escape from the alpine
castle where the POW's are held. Not bad for a TV move, but it was a home
built plane, cool. I don't remember the move much but it must have made an
impact since I remember it after a few decades, I was not even a teenager
than. Just the thought of building a plane and sliding out an attic loft in a
mountain castle was exciting. It was cool how they scrounged materials.
This
really happened and the glider was build but not used, as WWII had ended
just before they where set to fly it. The glider was shown for a while but
apparently the Russians destroyed it a few years later. I don't think it was a
great film, but I loved the idea of build in a plane over 30 years ago, hmmm wounder why? )
The Mother of all disaster movies:
Airport (1970) , Dean Martin and George Kennedy as "Joe Patroni"
Chief mechanic. Oh MY GOSH! Patroni has to clear a stuck B707 off the
runway so the stricken airliner can return, which in return produces some
memorable quotes from cigar munching Patroni. The airport is snowed in and
the only runway is blocked, so Patroni MUST get the B707 out of the way
with MAX POWER:
(Assistant: "The instruction book said that was impossible!")
"That's one nice thing about the 707. She can do everything but read."
"Hold on, we're goin' for broke!"
"You chickened out on me! I told you I wanted all the power you got!"
"Aww, a tractor-trailer jack-knifed and flipped over. It's laying on its side like a drunken dinosaur."
Patroni chews a pilot out:
"You might fly these things but I take them apart and put them back
together again. If you had any guts we'd be on the runway by now."
"Who do ya think you're talking to, some kid that fixes bicycles? I know every
inch of the 707! Take the wings off this and you could use it as a TANK! This
plane is built to withstand anything... except a bad pilot."
There are a dozen other quotes from Patroni and others. Don't expect great
acting from Dean Martin, but hey its a classic.
Airplane (1980) , A comedy parody of Airport, this is one of my all time
favorite moves ever. I rarely watch movies twice, but every time I have
seen it, I see or hear something new. It has a who's who of actor's, showing
surprising comedy chops for former leading and dramatic actors:
Lloyd Bridges .... McCroskey
Peter Graves .... Captain Oveur ("Captain Oveur, over!)
Julie Hagerty .... Elaine
Robert Hays .... Ted "Striker"
Leslie Nielsen .... Dr. Rumack (later naked gun movies)
Robert Stack .... Kramer
Quotes: TOO MANY:
"You have clearance, Clarence." "Roger, Roger. What's our vector, Victor?"
-----------
Ted Striker: "Surely you can't be serious."
Dr. Rumack: "I am serious... and don't call me Shirley." (lol)
-----------
(Boy visits cockpit)
Capt. Clarence Oveur: "Joey, you like movies about gladiators?"
George
PS
The Blue Max (1966) George Peppard, agree it was good, but don't
get the Das Boot refrence at all, Blue Max is WWI aviation and Das Boot
WWII U-boat nitty-gritty realistic war move. Anyway Blue Max, good
dramatization of aviation development.
Tom Cruise and John Travolta? Yikes. Earth Calling. They give anyone a licence.
