The #1 novel of the year - now a motion picture!

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, George Kennedy, Jean Seberg, Jacqueline Bisset, Helen Hayes, Van Heflin, Maureen Stapleton, Barry Nelson, Dana Wynter, Lloyd Nolan, Barbara Hale, Gary Collings, Jessie Royce Landis

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"Chicago Supervisor listen carefully! Any approach is no damn good if it lands on runway 2-2. We need 2-niner. We've got an unservicable stabilizer trim. Doubtful rudder control and structural damage. If we're brought in on 2-2 there'll be a broken airplane and a lot of dead people." – Capt. Vernon Demerest

Why watch this? The first Airport film mixes disaster thrills and melodrama.

Plot Summary: A dedicated general manager scrambles to keep a large mid-western airport operational during a severe blizzard that is paralyzing air traffic. Amid the chaos of clearing runways and managing stranded flights, he must also deal with a suicidal madman who has boarded a Rome-bound plane with a bomb. The situation escalates into a dramatic race against time to prevent a catastrophic explosion and save the passengers on board.

Dad's Preview: This early 1970's air disaster film is initially heavy on the drama. It centers on two highly paid two men (both are unfaithful to their wives) engaged in high stress jobs in the airline industry. Lancaster, the airport manager, and Martin, a Boeing 707 pilot, are very good in the lead roles. When the "event" occurs aboard the plane in flight, the plot really starts moving and that's a good thing. When Joe Patroni, a feisty senior mechanic, shows up, the film is at its best. George Kennedy, as Joe, will reprise his role in all four Airport films. Also, look for newcomer Jacqueline Bisset, as Dean Martin's much younger stewardess/girlfriend. Pilots get all the breaks.

Ross Hunter Productions; Universal Pictures