1. Airport (1970) It's cheesy, it's hokey, it's clichéd to the max, but I never get tired of it. When it first came out I was just a kid, and I'll never forget the edge-of-my-seat suspense. Now it's just plain fun, and I'm old enough to appreciate it for its quality. Van Heflin and Maureen Stapleton, both wonderful acting. Brilliant musical score, too. Author: Wink23

2. Oscar Awards & Nominations Academy Award Best Actress in a Supporting Role Helen Hayes Nominated Oscar Best Actress in a Supporting Role Maureen Stapleton Best Art Direction-Set Decoration Best Cinematography Ernest Laszlo Best Costume Design Edith Head Best Film Editing Stuart Gilmore Best Music, Original Score Alfred Newman Best Picture Ross Hunter Best Sound Ronald Pierce, David H. Moriarty Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium George Seaton

3. OK, so it's not the greatest movie ever made. In many ways it is, in the words of movie critics everywhere, "a big piece of junk." Nevertheless, on a cold winter night with a tub of microwave popcorn and a cold case of nostalgia, I'd rather watch Airport than, say, Citizen Kane, or Potemkin, or Gone WTW, or any of the other so-called classics of the cinema. Everyone in this movie is so...tacky! So contrived! And oh so serious! People actually dressed in suits to fly on an airplane. Burt Lancaster never stops working, dammit, cuz running an airport is a full-time job. Dean Martin actually uses the adjective "precious" to describe jet fuel... Burt Lancaster Dean MartinPeople actually dressed in suits to fly on an airplane

4. Gone is the innocence of the uninspected life, an innocence this movie holds in spades. jxejxe from United States Why watch it now? Watch for the airport exteriors shot at a real airport---Minneapolis/St. Paul International--which does not look like this any more. Gone are the open-air parking lot, the gleaming white concourses, the tin and cheesecloth ticket counters. Gone with them are the silly notions that stewardesses are sex kittens in jolly nice uniforms, that real men smoke tobacco products on any and all occasions, and that nothing could be more glamorous than a Boeing 707 taking off for Rome. Especially gone is the era when a passenger could stroll aboard an airplane toting even a sewing scissors, never mind what D.O. Guerrero was packing in that briefcase.

5. I can describe this movie in one word, FUN. A cast of stars, adventure, comedy, romance, controversy, drama. An all in one package. And all executed so very well. Helen Hayes shines as the naughty older lady. Every expression and gesture from her are priceless. If you watch this movie on DVD, make sure you watch the widescreen version. The pan and scan version is horrible to say the least. It's the last of the true old Hollywood movie. Excellent entertainment. mikes0765 from United States Some people may scoff at the use of split screen and similar techniques that are used to depict two separate settings, such as the cockpit and the control station. Sometimes the head of the control tower will appear in between Dino and the other pilot in a little bubble with a thick, black outline - it almost looks like the little squares in which the members of the Brady family appear at the beginning of each episode of the Brady Bunch. However, that technique works quite well. I think, if anything, the film may have deserved an Oscar for Best Editing. zetes from Saint Paul, MN:

6. I first saw "Airport" in 1971. I was a young aviator with about 800 hours of flight time. I had already read the novel which I also thoroughly enjoyed, and I had fallen in love with the musical score and even owned the sound track album. There has never been a movie which had more potential to disappoint me. I was ecstatic at the realism displayed in this film. I have never seen another film so technically accurate. The portrayal of the airport and aircraft operations were flawless. I was intently searching for errors. Although there were some character combinations from the book they were not disappointing and were done very well and fit into the story line and the film format extremely well. All the actors were fabulous; Dean Martin, Burt Lancaster, Helen Hayes, et al. I was moved at the entire performance. I think I have rarely been equally satisfied with a cinematic presentation. Phil Murphy (philmurphy@nfx.net) from Williamsburg Virginia