tavm Review of International Airport

International Airport (1985 TV Movie)

International Airport was an Aaron Spelling TV movie that felt like a pilot for one of his series

[7/10 · 11 June 2023]

The only reason I decided to watch this TV movie about the drama involving a certain plane is because George Kennedy is in it, having just seen his four Airport films. His character is not named Joe Patroni here but it seems he's once again a mechanic who's also a passenger with his wife (Susan Oliver) on a flight to Hawaii. He's also pals with a pre-teen orphan boy who does shoe shine jobs at the terminal though not with anyone's knowledge. Once again, there's a bomb threat but what happens is not what you think. Among the other players are Susan Blakely who was with Kennedy in The Concorde-Airport '79, Gil Gerald who was in Airport '77 with George, Gil's then-wife Connie Sellecca who was previously a stewardess in the Aaron Spelling-like show "Flying High", Jason Wingreen who was in Airplane!, and Robert Vaughn as the pilot captain. He and George Kennedy are in the next movie I'll review here, The Delta Force. As for this one, well, as TV movies go, it was pretty entertaining for what it was. The fact that some of the actors are listed as guest stars and the fact that Aaron Spelling is one of the producers makes it seem this was a pilot for another of Spelling's series but it didn't get picked up. Just as well... P. S. I recognized Kurtwood Smith, years before he became Red Forman in "That '70s Show", as one of the crew in the terminal.