SST: Death Flight
Encyclopedia
SST Death Flight is a 1977 made-for-TV movie produced by ABC
Circle Films. It featured an all-star television cast and was directed by David Lowell Rich
, who went on to direct The Concorde ... Airport '79. The film capitalizes on the smorgasbord of 1970s aircraft disaster films, this time with a supersonic transport
aircraft that is refused permission to land due to the threat of spreading a virulent strain of influenza
.
The film premiered on February 25, 1977 on ABC and went into syndication. It was lampooned in 1989 by the characters of the KTMA broadcast version of Mystery Science Theater 3000
. The film is noted for its formulaic plot and its poor production values. For instance, it depicted an American SST as the first of its kind, and used a scale model of what was basically a Concorde with Boeing 747
turbofan
engines attached. Other shots were completed using a mock-up of a Boeing 2707
, a prototype the company had created when Americans were still pursuing their own SST program.
) annoyed with his employer—the designer of the aircraft (Burgess Meredith
) -- sabotages the hydraulic system, causing a massive leak of hydraulic fluid in-flight. Subsequent repair attempts by the crew cause an explosive decompression that breaks open a medical shipment of Senegal Flu, and the plane is refused landing rights in Europe. The aircraft eventually tries to divert to Senegal (the only country with experience in dealing with the virus,) However, there is not enough fuel and the pilots are forced to make an emergency landing in a mountain pass killing all on the plane but a few.
Regis Philbin
is a TV announcer covering the festivities. The jet is piloted by Robert Reed
. Serving on board is steward Billy Crystal
. Among the passengers is Bert Convy
, playing the airline's publicity man who is having an affair with the model Misty Rowe
who is the public face of the new aircraft. Doug McClure
plays an ex-pilot who now works for an airline as an aircraft buyer. On boarding the plane he realises the stewardess Tina Louise
is an old flame, one he tries to re-ignite. Lorne Greene
also stars as the head of the company manufacturing the aircraft. Peter Graves
, John de Lancie
, Brock Peters
, and Robert Ito
also star as passengers, with Burgess Meredith
, Ric Carrott
, Susan Strasberg
and George Maharis
in co-starring roles.
This cut of the film has been screened twice on RTÉ in Ireland in recent years. It has a scene after the take-off sequence which garnered the film an 'MA' programme classification tag by RTE. The scene in question involves Bert Convy and Misty Rowe depicted in the lower galley of the jet where Rowe's character Angela Garland questions Convy's character about whether or not he had a vasectomy. During this scene, Convy's character removes Rowe's dress, exposing her breasts. Another scene just before this one has a slightly alternate take-off where there is a different shot of the plane ascending into the skies used. Instead of it swooping down and leveling off and then the picture going to a fade-out and resuming back to a shot of the plane in the skies, it just climbs directly into the skies and there is no fade-out and no shot of it leveling off. This version was screened after 12 a.m. on RTE.
This cut of the film is a re-cut of sorts. It has a take-off sequence consisting of the plane lifting off the ground and leveling off, then a fade-out and the film resumes with a shot of the plane in the skies and the scene with Anne Redding and Paul Whitley meeting on-board the jet. This version of the film was used for the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 showing and is considered by many to be the most 'family-friendly' and daytime television appropriate cut of the film.
This is the same cut as Version 2, only the scene of the plane leveling off, followed by a fade-out fade-in is present. The fade-in is accompanied by the shot of the plane ascending along with the footage of the pilots changing altitude, which is present in Version 1, is restored here to the film. The scene of Misty Rowe and Bert Convy in the lower galley has be re-filmed for this version. The same scene is present, only there are no scenes involving nudity, but other than that, it remains exactly the same.
It was also released in Spain on Beta-Max and VHS under the title "Aeropuerto 78 Vuelo-Supersonico". To date, the film has not had a DVD release.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Circle Films. It featured an all-star television cast and was directed by David Lowell Rich
David Lowell Rich
David Lowell Rich is an American film director and producer. He has directed nearly 100 films and TV episodes between 1950 and 1987...
, who went on to direct The Concorde ... Airport '79. The film capitalizes on the smorgasbord of 1970s aircraft disaster films, this time with a supersonic transport
Supersonic transport
A supersonic transport is a civilian supersonic aircraft designed to transport passengers at speeds greater than the speed of sound. The only SSTs to see regular service to date have been Concorde and the Tupolev Tu-144. The last passenger flight of the Tu-144 was in June 1978 with its last ever...
aircraft that is refused permission to land due to the threat of spreading a virulent strain of influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
.
The film premiered on February 25, 1977 on ABC and went into syndication. It was lampooned in 1989 by the characters of the KTMA broadcast version of Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
. The film is noted for its formulaic plot and its poor production values. For instance, it depicted an American SST as the first of its kind, and used a scale model of what was basically a Concorde with Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
turbofan
Turbofan
The turbofan is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used for aircraft propulsion. A turbofan combines two types of engines, the turbo portion which is a conventional gas turbine engine, and the fan, a propeller-like ducted fan...
engines attached. Other shots were completed using a mock-up of a Boeing 2707
Boeing 2707
The Boeing 2707 was developed as the first American supersonic transport . After winning a competition for a government-funded contract to build an American SST, Boeing began development at its facilities in Seattle, Washington...
, a prototype the company had created when Americans were still pursuing their own SST program.
Plot
It's the maiden flight of America's first supersonic transport. Unfortunately, a disgruntled employee (George MaharisGeorge Maharis
George Maharis is an American actor who portrayed Buz Murdock in the first three seasons of the TV series Route 66...
) annoyed with his employer—the designer of the aircraft (Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
) -- sabotages the hydraulic system, causing a massive leak of hydraulic fluid in-flight. Subsequent repair attempts by the crew cause an explosive decompression that breaks open a medical shipment of Senegal Flu, and the plane is refused landing rights in Europe. The aircraft eventually tries to divert to Senegal (the only country with experience in dealing with the virus,) However, there is not enough fuel and the pilots are forced to make an emergency landing in a mountain pass killing all on the plane but a few.
Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin
Regis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...
is a TV announcer covering the festivities. The jet is piloted by Robert Reed
Robert Reed
Robert Reed was a prolific American character actor of stage, film and television. In his first big break, he played Kenneth Preston on the popular 1960s TV legal drama, The Defenders, alongside E. G. Marshall. But he was best remembered for portraying the father, Mike Brady, on the popular...
. Serving on board is steward Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
. Among the passengers is Bert Convy
Bert Convy
Bernard Whalen "Bert" Convy was an Emmy Award winning American actor, singer, game show host and panelist known for his tenure as the host for Tattletales, Super Password, and Win, Lose or Draw.-Early life:...
, playing the airline's publicity man who is having an affair with the model Misty Rowe
Misty Rowe
Misty Rowe is an actress most known for portraying the perky lisping blond on the American television series Hee Haw for 19 years...
who is the public face of the new aircraft. Doug McClure
Doug McClure
Douglas Osborne "Doug" McClure was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s...
plays an ex-pilot who now works for an airline as an aircraft buyer. On boarding the plane he realises the stewardess Tina Louise
Tina Louise
Tina Louise is an American actress, singer, and author. She is best known for her role as the "movie star" Ginger Grant on the television situation comedy Gilligan's Island .-Early life:...
is an old flame, one he tries to re-ignite. Lorne Greene
Lorne Greene
Lorne Greene , was the stage name of Lyon Himan Green, OC, a Canadian actor.His television roles include Ben Cartwright on the western Bonanza, and Commander Adama in the science fiction movie and subsequent TV Series Battlestar Galactica...
also stars as the head of the company manufacturing the aircraft. Peter Graves
Peter Graves (actor)
Peter Aurness , known professionally as Peter Graves, was an American film and television actor. He was best known for his starring role in the CBS television series Mission: Impossible from 1967 to 1973...
, John de Lancie
John de Lancie
John de Lancie is an American actor. He has been active in screen and television roles since 1977, though he is best known for his recurring role as Q on the various Star Trek series and as Frank Simmons in Stargate SG-1....
, Brock Peters
Brock Peters
Brock Peters was an American actor, best known for playing the role of Tom Robinson in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird...
, and Robert Ito
Robert Ito
Robert Ito is a Canadian voice, television, and movie actor of Japanese decent.A Canadian actor of Japanese descent, Ito was, for many years, a dancer with the National Ballet of Canada before turning to acting in the mid-1960s...
also star as passengers, with Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
, Ric Carrott
Ric Carrott
Ric Carrott was an American actor, active during the 1970s.Youthful-looking and handsome, Carrott's only regular television series role was as Captain Chris Gentry, on the Saturday morning children's series Space Academy, but he made guest appearances on numerous popular shows of the decade...
, Susan Strasberg
Susan Strasberg
Susan Elizabeth Strasberg was an American film and stage actress.-Background and career:Strasberg was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of theatre director and drama coach Lee Strasberg of the Actors Studio and former actress Paula Strasberg...
and George Maharis
George Maharis
George Maharis is an American actor who portrayed Buz Murdock in the first three seasons of the TV series Route 66...
in co-starring roles.
Also Known As and Various Versions
Over the years, the film has been re-titled various times and numerous versions of it exist.- Version 1: "Death Flight".
This cut of the film has been screened twice on RTÉ in Ireland in recent years. It has a scene after the take-off sequence which garnered the film an 'MA' programme classification tag by RTE. The scene in question involves Bert Convy and Misty Rowe depicted in the lower galley of the jet where Rowe's character Angela Garland questions Convy's character about whether or not he had a vasectomy. During this scene, Convy's character removes Rowe's dress, exposing her breasts. Another scene just before this one has a slightly alternate take-off where there is a different shot of the plane ascending into the skies used. Instead of it swooping down and leveling off and then the picture going to a fade-out and resuming back to a shot of the plane in the skies, it just climbs directly into the skies and there is no fade-out and no shot of it leveling off. This version was screened after 12 a.m. on RTE.
- Version 2: "SST- Death Flight".
This cut of the film is a re-cut of sorts. It has a take-off sequence consisting of the plane lifting off the ground and leveling off, then a fade-out and the film resumes with a shot of the plane in the skies and the scene with Anne Redding and Paul Whitley meeting on-board the jet. This version of the film was used for the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 showing and is considered by many to be the most 'family-friendly' and daytime television appropriate cut of the film.
- Version 3: "SST Disaster In The Sky".
This is the same cut as Version 2, only the scene of the plane leveling off, followed by a fade-out fade-in is present. The fade-in is accompanied by the shot of the plane ascending along with the footage of the pilots changing altitude, which is present in Version 1, is restored here to the film. The scene of Misty Rowe and Bert Convy in the lower galley has be re-filmed for this version. The same scene is present, only there are no scenes involving nudity, but other than that, it remains exactly the same.
Releasing
The film had its world premiere on ABC as the Friday Night Movie and was screened at 9 p.m. on February 25, 1977. Other release dates for it around the world include: Finland, where it was released on September 3, 1977 and in West Germany on March 30, 1984.Home Video
The film was released on Home Video in Ireland and The UK in 1982 by an independent film label called Diplomat Video. It's catalogue number was DDV-6.It was also released in Spain on Beta-Max and VHS under the title "Aeropuerto 78 Vuelo-Supersonico". To date, the film has not had a DVD release.
Around The World
These are some of the various titles the film was released under in different Countries:- "Ameaca no Supersonico". (Brazil). 'Threaten The Supersonic'.
- "Death Flight". (UK & Ireland).
- "Flight Of The Maiden". (Working Title).
- "Kuoleman Lento". (Finland). 'The Death Flight'.
- "New York Parigi Air Sabotage '78". (Italy). 'New York To Paris Air Sabotage '78'.
- "SST Disaster In The Sky". (USA Re-Issue Title).
- "Supersonique En Peril". (Belgian Theatrical Title). 'Supersonic In Peril'.
- "Todesflug". (West Germany). 'Death Flight'.
- "Hava Alani 78". (Turkish Title). 'Air Field 78'.
- "Aeropuerto Infernal". (Chile Title). 'Infernal Airport'.
- "Aeropuerto 78 Vuelo-Supersonico". (Spanish Title). 'Airport 78 Supersonic-Flight'.
- "Air Sabotage 78". (Egyptian Title).
- Some titles are their literal English translations.