MovieChat Forums > Airport (1970) Discussion > Retroactive slap to the late Burt Lancas...

Retroactive slap to the late Burt Lancaster


There have been many other examples of an actor badmouthing a film that fattened his wallet, but Lancaster’s “worst piece of junk ever made” barb may have been the worst.

To publicly bash a project he richly benefitted from, along with its talented cast and crew, surely places him in a hall of shame.

reply

I never understood that either, it wasn't like he needed the money. if he didn't want to do the movie he should have let someone else have the role. I read he also refused to do any press coverage or promotions before it's release.

reply

And isn't it ironic that it was the biggest hit in Lancaster's career.

reply

...his biggest hit by far. Ironic indeed!

reply

When you consider some of the really terrible movies in which he appeared, the statement is especially galling.

His appearance isn't especially memorable, so maybe that has something to do with it. In any event, no one would accuse Airport of being high art, but it is a lot of fun. It was also so very influential--in ways beyond just encouraging all those disaster movies.

I'll watch it anytime.



"He was running around like a rooster in a barnyard full of ducks."--Pat Novak

reply

Yes I cannot understand Burt dissing this movie, it made a lot of money, had an all star cast and I also thought he was actually good in the role, interesting to note that also Helen Hayes did not have many good things to say about the movie, well at least not at the start anyway but her view of the movie softened over the years.
Gene Hackman dissed The Poseidon Adventure also and the one that really surprised was Paul Newman dissing The Towering Inferno, he made so much money out of that movie, it was a class production with an all star cast and he was actually very good in it and really looked he was enjoying himself while the movie was been filmed, that was a real surprise to me how he bad mouthed the movie afterwards.

reply

Paul Newman dissing The Towering Inferno, he made so much money out of that movie, it was a class production with an all star cast and he was actually very good in it and really looked he was enjoying himself while the movie was been filmed, that was a real surprise to me how he bad mouthed the movie afterwards.

---

Some years ago well after the release of Towering Inferno -- after Steve McQueen's death in 1980 -- the still-alive-at-the-time Paul Newman was asked for a quote for the anniversary of the film's 1974 release(1994? 2004?) His representative said "Mr. Newman has no comment beyond the comment that this is not one of his favorite films of his."

And yet it earned him one of his biggest paydays.

One rumor out there is that as much as Newman earned from the movie -- its pretty clear that McQueen's character(if not McQueen the actor) upstages Newman in the film. Newman's architect character, while outraged that Holden and Chamberlain skimped on the specs, is still responsible for the disaster in certain ways. One of the first exchanges between Battalion Chief McQueen and Newman is as follows:

McQueen: What about the sprinklers?
Newman: They don't work.
McQueen: Why?
Newman: I don't know.

OR later:

Newman: You might want to move the party upstairs.
McQueen: What party?
Newman: The developer's. I've tried to get him to move the party, maybe you can try.
McQueen: I will.

And McQueen DOES get the party moved.

---
And as the movie goes on, Newman is always rather servile TO McQueen. It almost doesn't matter all the heroic things Newman does on his own, or all his technical knowledge -- McQueen is the Big Boss who orders everybody around.

So maybe that's why Newman dissed this particular payday...

reply

And as the movie goes on, Newman is always rather servile TO McQueen. It almost doesn't matter all the heroic things Newman does on his own, or all his technical knowledge -- McQueen is the Big Boss who orders everybody around.


But Newman knew this going in before agreeing to do the film. Once the fire department was called in, the fire chief calls the shots and is responsible. So what? It's just the way it is and everyone knows it.

While "The Towering Inferno" was a mega-70's hit, it was a rather mediocre disaster flick, which doesn't mean it didn't have several attractions. It just pales in comparison to "The Poseidon Adventure," released two years earlier. It lacks the compelling story, the great human interest and iconic score (even though John Williams composed both), plus it's 48 minutes longer than "Poseidon," which gives it a tedious vibe; that is, until the engrossing last half hour. Moreover, "Poseidon" knocked it out of the ballpark with its women while "Towering" failed to capitalize on its resources.

Sure, it earned Newman a great payday, but that doesn't make it a great film. It was a pedestrian and overlong 70's disaster pic with an all-star cast. That's why he said it wasn't one of his favorites.

reply


But Newman knew this going in before agreeing to do the film.

---

Which, ,frankly, has always fascinated me. Evidently at one time, the project was meant for only one superstar and the offers were to Steve McQueen(as the ARCHITECT) with Ernest Borgnine(a Poseidon star) as the fire chief. Evidently McQueen figured the fire chief role was the one for him(beefed up) and that another superstar should be sought for the architect role.

So Newman got offered that deal(the architect, for the same big money as McQueen, exactly), and went for it. A quote from Newman later on was "that was the first time -- but not the last time -- I took a role just for the money." (I would assume that Irwin Allen's terrible "When Time Ran Out" was at least one other time.)

I guess you could say that Newman was resentful of the film before he even stepped on the stage to film it.

---

Once the fire department was called in, the fire chief calls the shots and is responsible. So what? It's just the way it is and everyone knows it.

---

Yes, but, let's put it this way: Paul Newman can be considered a "very understanding star" to have allowed himself to yield to the fire chief character. Many superstars simply wouldn't accept the loss of "character power" that Newman did. They wouldn't take the role (example: Will Smith turned down Django Unchained because he believed that he, rather than Chris Walz's character , should be the one to shoot a key character.)

Of course, Newman gets the movie to himself for over forty minutes until McQueen shows up -- and his architect IS heroic in raging about the wrong wiring and trying to get Holden et al to understand how bad the situation is. Newman then gets the heroics of the rescue of Jennifer Jones and the children.

reply

While "The Towering Inferno" was a mega-70's hit, it was a rather mediocre disaster flick, which doesn't mean it didn't have several attractions. It just pales in comparison to "The Poseidon Adventure," released two years earlier.

---

That's an interesting comparison, and I accept it to a certain point.

At the time, I felt that Inferno was a much bigger deal than Poseidon, mainly because of the CAST. Key was finally getting Newman and McQueen together on film as equals(they almost did Butch Cassidy together, and McQueen had a bit part in the Newman vehicle "Somebody Up There Likes Me." And then they added Faye Dunaway(THE female star of the seventies once one gave Streisand her goddess top slot), and William Holden(one of the biggest stars of the fifties, a "lion in winter" with The Wild Bunch as a recent classic comeback) and Fred Astaire(THE dance star of the 30s through the 50's) and some TV "Roberts"(Wagner and Vaughn) and a comebacking Jennifer Jones and...one of the greatest athletes extant(OJ.)

The Towering Inferno cast particularly looked starring given that, in the fall months before its Xmas release, two disaster movies --- Airport '75 and Earthquake -- had the SAME TWO STARS (Charlton Heston and George Kennedy) and those were rather cheesy-looking Universal films.

So "Inferno" looked far more starry and far more classy than the Heston/Kennedy works and -- to me at the time -- seemed more starry than The Poseidon Adventure, which was a cheaper film than "Inferno"(two studios teamed up to finance Inferno) and boasted Gene Hackman(only recently elevated to star ranks after his Best Actor win) and Ernest Borgnine(dependable, but not a superstar) as its stars.

reply

I guess you could say that I am picking Towering Inferno above all the other seventies disaster flicks almost entirely on cachet of its cast(very rarely matched in film history) and its cost.

Which may not be the right way to go...but for years I did.

Until I read your remarks ....as below:

(Inferno) just pales in comparison to "The Poseidon Adventure," released two years earlier. It lacks the compelling story, the great human interest and iconic score (even though John Williams composed both), plus it's 48 minutes longer than "Poseidon," which gives it a tedious vibe; that is, until the engrossing last half hour. Moreover, "Poseidon" knocked it out of the ballpark with its women while "Towering" failed to capitalize on its resources.

---

Well...all these years later...I see your points.

I remember at the time feeling that Poseidon had the advantage of staging its big disaster early on -- the tidal wave that flips the ship. With Inferno, you have to wait for the "equivalent scene" (the bombs blast water down onto the skyscraper) until the climax...which means Inferno spends most of its running time with "side adventures"(Newman and Jennifer Jones; McQueen saves the elevator and fireman) getting there. Plus a number of cast deaths along the way(the very moving death of Robert Wagner and his lover.)

"Reversibly," since Poseidon gets its big disaster sequence up front(the ship flip), the rest of the film is a series of small scale suspense sequences along with -- again -- some cast deaths along the way.

---


reply

(Inferno) lacks the great human interest and iconic score (even though John Williams composed both), plus it's 48 minutes longer than "Poseidon,"

---

Wow! 48 minutes. I never realized. I did sense how long Inferno was when I saw it -- and I think that helped me see it as an "epic" -- the biggest of disaster movies because it was the longest. Maybe I should re-think that. On the other points, I like both scores(and I like the opening credit sequence of Inferno -- a helicopter ride down the North Coast of California into San Francisco -- with Williams music a great deal.) I like the song "We May Never Love Like This Again" better than "The Morning After"(didn't they BOTH win the Oscar for Best Song? And are either of them really THAT good? Although each one ties into the plot of its movie.) But this is a "personal taste" thing.

Its about "even Steven" for me as to the excitement levels and human interest of Poseidon and Inferno -- with both looming over the rest of the 70's output. The shocker was when Irwin Allen took some stars from Poseidon(Ernest Borgnine and Red Buttons) and from Inferno(Newman and William Holden) and came up a complete bust in 1980 with "When Time Ran Out." Terrible movie. Both its title and its year of release(1980 -- the 70s were over) seemed to announce an explosive blow-out(like the volcano in the movie) to the entire disaster genre.

Until Die Hard reinvented it for action....

reply

This being an "Airport" board, I'll take note that it was considered "the first of the 70s disaster movies" with its 1970 release, but of course, it isn't much of a disaster movie at all.

The plane DOESN'T crash. Though the mid-air explosion kills one person and injures another.

The Poseidon Adventure posited that you could throw out a lot of human drama at the beginning, lead with the disaster -- and THEN get human drama out of the disaster.

I will here add that I recall reading quotes -- perhaps when the movies were in release and needed promotion -- from Gene Hackman and Paul Newman in which they offered that they felt at least they were in really GOOD disaster movies. And Newman praised the stuntmen. Burt Lancaster had always had an affinity for heavy dramas(The Rose Tatoo), and art films(The Leopard). I'm' sure he saw Airport as a necessary payday. Truth be told, in 1970, both Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin were seen -- in the age of Hoffman, Redford, and Nicholson aborning -- to be "old hat" stars from an earlier era. Old men.

But that's one reason Airport made so much money. They still had "old" fans.

reply

Yeah, having Newman and McQueen starring in the same film was definitely a highlight.

"Poseidon" was the obvious blueprint for "Towering." When they threw in the lounge song I was like "Seriously?" (lol). Both were Irwin Allen/Sidney Marshall all-star disaster productions with Williams scoring. The latter was the bigger production, of course.

I thought the human drama in "Towering" was weak and the story didn't become compelling until the last 30 minutes, although there are attractions here and there, like hottie Susan Flannery & her fate.

"Poseidon," by contrast, was full of human interest. For example: The alpha male conflict between Rev. Scott and Rogo, Susan's growing infatuation with the kick-axx Scott, the compassionate & beautiful Nonnie's grief, Belle trying to forget the shameful phantoms of her past and, especially, Rev. Scott's radical confrontation with God while sacrificing himself to save the others at the end (with a nice slow-build to this confrontation in earlier scenes, which made it moving).

The great cast of "Towering" is probably its biggest attraction -- and arguably superior to "Poseidon" -- but "Poseidon" is no slouch in this regard and I personally favor it (the cast).

There were parts of Williams' score in "Towering" that struck me as dated or cheesy. I didn't get that from his piece for "Poseidon."

"Airport" is on my watchlist as I haven't seen it for so long I can't really remember it.

Thanks for the quality feedback, Ecarle.

reply

Yeah, having Newman and McQueen starring in the same film was definitely a highlight.

---

It was a very big deal. Its hard to think of an equivalent star pairing today -- Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise might have been as big , say 15 years ago, but they are over the hill a bit today(yes, I know -- Mission Impossible, but without that franchise, Cruise isn't really what he was.)

----

"Poseidon" was the obvious blueprint for "Towering." When they threw in the lounge song I was like "Seriously?" (lol).

---

Yes. Rather charitably, they allowed the female singer of both songs to be briefly SEEN singing in "Towering." Her looks were surprisingly...plain. But I found it nice they gave her screen time.

---
Both were Irwin Allen/Sidney Marshall all-star disaster productions with Williams scoring. The latter was the bigger production, of course.

---

In some ways, Irwin Allen had spent an entire career making the same movie, just with bigger stars every time.

In the 1950s/60s cusp, his movies "The Big Circus," "The Lost World" and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" used big casts but the "names" were a bit tarnished -- Victor Mature, Michael Rennie, Walter Pidgeon. Then Allen shifted into TV production successfully -- Lost in Space, Land of the Giants -- and then came back to movie "big time" with Poseidon.

But Poseidon led to something very important -- stars of the caliber of Steve McQueen and Paul Newman taking roles which, perhaps 15 years earlier -- would have gone to Victor Mature and Walter Pidgeon.



reply

After this peak, Allen never quite attracted that star power again. Michael Caine headlined both "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure" and the awful "Swarm." Newman came back -- but not with McQueen -- for "When Time Ran Out." (One thing I noticed watching When Time Ran Out a few years ago on TV was that Newman did about the last 15 minutes of the movie WITHOUT SAYING A WORD. He just lifted people up, moved them around, led them to safety. I assume that Newman got so fed up with the production that he refused to say lines anymore. It's just a guess.)

reply

I thought the human drama in "Towering" was weak and the story didn't become compelling until the last 30 minutes, although there are attractions here and there, like hottie Susan Flannery & her fate.

---

Well, when you think about it, the Poseidon Adventure had a marvelous premise -- tidal wave, ship capsizes, "the world is upside down" and the heroes must go UP to the BOTTOM of the ship(it was a brain teaser.) And the human drama was gripping. The film was careful to put an old couple in the group, some women -- a certain vulnerability was there with most of them. Only Hackman and Borgnine conveyed strength.

Inferno had that long weird build-up...and keeping McQueen off the screen for a long time made it feel like the movie doesn't really begin until he shows up.

Still, from that point on ,the "perils of Pauline" stuff were pretty good. I liked the "doom" aspect -- every possible escape route gets cut off, or blows up(the helicopter) , or breaks loose(the outside elevator), or is ruined (the breeches buoy)...until there is "no way out." Or is there?

That said, when I watch Inferno on DVD now, I tend to fast forward through Paul Newman's rescue of Jennifer Jones and the kids. Goes on too long. Though the horrendous payoff for the Jones character -- particularly after Newman singles her out to "get to go" on the outside elevator because of her heroism(she gets killed there) -- is the stuff of ironic tragedy. That's how it is with Inferno -- some stuff works, some stuff doesn't.





reply

SPOILERS for Poseidon/Inferno:

"Poseidon," by contrast, was full of human interest. For example: The alpha male conflict between Rev. Scott and Rogo, Susan's growing infatuation with the kick-axx Scott, the compassionate & beautiful Nonnie's grief, Belle trying to forget the shameful phantoms of her past and, especially, Rev. Scott's radical confrontation with God while sacrificing himself to save the others at the end (with a nice slow-build to this confrontation in earlier scenes, which made it moving).

---

One key difference between Poseidon and Inferno is that the hero dies at the end in Poseidon. I recall watching Inferno wondering if Newman OR McQueen would die, or perhaps both of them(their contracts were "even steven") but it turned out that both survived. Which took the sting out of Inferno versus the moving ending of Poseidon.

---
The great cast of "Towering" is probably its biggest attraction -- and arguably superior to "Poseidon" -- but "Poseidon" is no slouch in this regard and I personally favor it (the cast).

---

Well I expect its the Newman/McQueen match-up. Take that away, and the casts are pretty equal. I recall the selling point of Poseidon was how many Oscar winners were in the group(Hackman, Borgnine, Winters, Buttons, Albertson...I miss anybody?)

---


"Airport" is on my watchlist as I haven't seen it for so long I can't really remember it.

---

Its worth a look but what's interesting is that while all the "Airports" after it were pure disaster movies(because The Poseidon Adventure came after it)...the first one is more of a "Grand Hotel" melodrama that slowly turns into a disaster suspense situation. In this regard, "Airport" is much like its predecessor in book and film: "Hotel," a grand hotel(literally) melodrama that climaxed with a plummeting elevator mini-disaster.

----

reply

Thanks for the quality feedback, Ecarle.

---

Thank you for reading it and discussing it with me. A key thing here is that we each seem to have a preferred Irwin Allen movie -- but our discussion was illuminating rather than argumentative. My "takeaway" is that I let the Newman/McQueen combo rather drive my whole take on Inferno all these years. Maybe the wrong approach...

reply

I appreciate your erudite posts. You do an excellent job of zeroing-in on the highpoints of "Towering," like the opening flyover and the "no way out" element. I just think the characters are more interesting and the story more compelling in "Poseidon." I'm really glad the cat got out though.

I'll check out more 70's disaster flicks as I have the opportunity. As it is, "Airport," "Poseidon," "Towering" and "Juggernaut" are the only four I've seen. While some claim that "Airport" isn't technically a disaster flick, it's categorized as the one that kicked-off the 70's craze. The soap operatic first half paves the way for the disaster-oriented second, which sounds like disaster flick to me.

reply

Lancaster made this comment about the movie much later. I think it came in a interview in the mid 70's - when disaster movies were all the rage. Lancaster was known to not be a fan of the genre and had turned down lucrative offers to be in films like THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, EARTHQUAKE and THE TOWERING INFERNO. As AIRPORT is "blamed" for starting the disaster genre - perhaps his comments were made with this is mind.



"Thank God For Darwin"

reply

As AIRPORT is "blamed" for starting the disaster genre - perhaps his comments were made with this is mind.



And yet he went on to do another disaster movie in 1976, Cassandra Crossing. This was as bad as a disaster movie could get. It makes Airport look like art.

reply

I hope Burt never watches Seven Days in May 1964. He'd have to commit Hara Kari! 🔪

Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded. Yogi Berra

reply

He made much worse films than this

reply

He made much worse films than this


Since Lancaster after "Airport" made three garbage movies in "Executive Action", "Cassandra Crossing" (so much for him wanting to stay out of the "disaster" genre) and "Twilight's Last Gleaming" his comment about "Airport" rings very hollow.

reply

Burt Lancaster is a crap B-Movie actor and a joke

reply

I disagree.

reply

My theory is that Lancaster called this movie a piece of crap because the movie is a piece of crap.

reply

Never heard this story before. Lancaster always had a reputation for being a gentleman, on and off the set. WOW!

reply

I think it's in bad taste to overtly bash one of your profitable artistic works because it's offensive to the piece's fans. Musicians have been known to do this -- they lambaste an album or song evidently not realizing that it has its ardent fans.

reply