An airport manager tries to keep his terminals open during a snowstorm, while a suicide bomber plots to blow up a Boeing 707 airliner in flight.
Acting
Burt Lancaster's simmering rage meets Dean Martin's smug pilot energy.
Production
Practical airport sets that defined the disaster genre template.
Practical Effects
Real Boeing 707 and actual snow machines — no CGI excuses here.
Director
George Seaton
Burt Lancaster
Mel Bakersfeld
Dana Wynter
Cindy Bakersfeld
Dean Martin
Vernon Demerest
Barbara Hale
Sarah Demerest
Jean Seberg
Tanya Livingston
Jacqueline Bisset
Gwen Meighen
George Kennedy
Joe Patroni
Helen Hayes
Ada Quonsett
John Findlater
Peter Coakley
Van Heflin
D. O. Guerrero
Maureen Stapleton
Inez Guerrero
Barry Nelson
Anson Harris
Eileen Wesson
Judy Barton
Robert Patten
Captain Benson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This film essentially created the 'disaster movie' formula that Irwin Allen would perfect — star ensemble, multiple interwoven crises, and a ticking clock.
Helen Hayes won Best Supporting Actress for her stowaway role, beating out fellow cast member Maureen Stapleton — the film's only Oscar win despite 10 nominations.
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