Essay Questions

Where did the idea for the film come from?

Airplane! is based off the film Zero Hour!, a 1957 film by Hal Bartlett. Paramount Pictures owned the rights to Zero Hour! and Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker were granted permission to turn the script into a comedy. The film became a near scene for scene recreation of the original black and white film, but with the change in dialogue and tone Airplane! became a box office smash.

What is Ted's "drinking problem"?

Ted has come back from the war after being traumatized during his time there. It has caused him to have a severe fear of flying to go along with his drinking problem which we for a short moment believe is him boozing. But, the truth is that Ted's problem is that every time he attempt to take a drink of anything he splashed it all over his face. This becomes one of the classic bits of comedy in the film.

What has Steve McCroskey decided to quit this week, which he picks back up from the stress of the airplane being un-piloted?

McCroskey, played by Lloyd Bridges, is the tower supervisor who is overseeing the control room which must get the airplane to the ground safely without a trained commercial pilot aboard. McCroskey, before the emergency, had determined to quit smoking, drinking, taking amphetamines, and sniffing glue. Due to the stress of the day he begins to take part in all of them throughout the film and with each additional addiction he becomes so high he hangs upside down in the control tower at the end of the film as he sniffs glue.