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I recently got a copy of Zero Hour and have enjoyed watching it. (It is the “drama” movie that Airplane pretty much copied). The plane is said to be a DC-4 Northstar (though I believe it has radial engines). The registration looks to be CF-141 with The Maria Madelon painted above the passenger door. I don’t see the movie in the Internet Movie Plane Database and couldn’t Google any further plane info. Would anyone have more information on ID’ing the plane?
Ken
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The North Star aircraft mentioned by air traffic control was a Canadian development of the Douglas C-54/DC-4, with some features of the DC-6. The aircraft were equipped with Rolls Royce Merlin engines, which are the same type as were used in Stryker’s Spitfire fighter.
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Thank you Ellis,
I’m curious what the actual ID of the plane is. Shouldn’t be too difficult. LOL.
Ken
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Ken,
No help here from me. I always thought Airplane! was a spoof of the Airport movie(s). Never heard of Zero Hour, so I must know, is it any good? Fun to watch?
I don’t always say “Proceed as requested”
But when I do, it is because I have no clue what you just said.I’m biased. Airplane is a huge favorite which is a reason I tracked down Zero Hour. I think the movies go side by side. I am amazed that the plot, scenes, and dialog are near identical. If you like Airplane I think one needs to see Zero Hour at least once.
There is a connection between Zero Hour and the Airport movie. Arthur Hailey wrote both of the books that the movies are based on.
Ken
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Here’s some Arthur Hailey background information from Wikipedia.
Ken
Hailey’s professional writing career began in 1955 with a script called Flight into Danger, which was purchased by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and telecast on 3 April 1956.[7] This story of a plane flight in jeopardy after its crew is incapacitated was “the smash hit of the season,” won enormous acclaim, and was broadcast internationally.[8] It was adapted as a novel by “John Castle” (a pseudonym for Ronald Payne and John Garrod), with Hailey credited as co-author; it was published by Britain’s Souvenir Press in 1958 under its original title, but renamed Runway Zero-Eight (Doubleday) for its 1959 American publication.[9] The story was filmed in 1957 as Zero Hour! (Paramount), and for television in 1971 as Terror in the Sky.[10]
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IIRC, the aircraft used in the movie was a Great Lakes Airlines DC-4. Great Lakes operated from 1946 to 1962.
Mike
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I’ve screened Zero Hour to friends and have them raise their hands when a bit of dialogue or visual is identical to Airplane! The bit about Stryker being in the “war” always didn’t make sense in Airplane! Totally in context in Zero Hour which was intended as a disaster drama and not a comedy.
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Mike,
I appreciate your input that the plane was a Great Lakes DC-4. What is your source? The only reason I ask is that the movie screen shot shows a Canadian registration. I appreciate the discussion from everyone. I’ll be off list for a little while but look forward to reading more when I return.
Ken
IIRC, the aircraft used in the movie was a Great Lakes Airlines DC-4. Great Lakes operated from 1946 to 1962.
Mike
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Hello,
In the image you posted from the movie, the “CF” text both on the wing and on the tail is a different height than the subsequent “numbers”. Canadian registrations of the day had the “CF” followed by three letters, never numbers. It looks like the movie makers used a US registered aircraft and simply covered over the “N” from the US registration with a “CF”, retaining the numbers from the US registration. It might facilitate your search if you looked for a US aircraft, possibly N**141.
Cheers,
Mike M.
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Hello again,
Try N65141. Here’ a photo…
https://www.aahs-online.org/resources/image_lib_display.php?img_offset=4004
Cheers,
Mike M.
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I have loved that movie since the first time I saw it as a kid in the early 1960’s. Sterling Hayden (Stryker) has to be one of the most one-dimensional actors ever.
I believe the movie was produced in Canada and given a Canadian focus (the “flight” was from Winnipeg to Vancouver, if memory serves me….been a while since I saw it.)
One of the best early airline disaster movies (sort of)….along with No Highway in the Sky…that has come out.
I’ll have to dig those two movies out and pop some popcorn….
Braniff2
MCI
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The plane info is starting to make sense. A correction on the cast is that Sterling Hayden plays Captain Mike Treleaven. I think that Braniff2 is still referring to Hayden’s character as I agree it is one of the most one dimensional characters ever. Not quite the level of General Jack D. Ripper in Dr Strangelove but close. Another cheesy airline disaster move is The Crowded Sky. Not as good as Zero Hour but the same genre.
Ken
- Dana Andrews as Squadron Leader Ted Stryker
- Linda Darnell as Ellen Stryker
- Sterling Hayden as Captain Martin Treleaven
- Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch as Captain Bill Wilson, Pilot
- Geoffrey Toone as Dr. Baird
- Jerry Paris as Tony Decker
- Peggy King as Stewardess Janet Turner
- Charles Quinlivan as Harry Burdick
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I must check out Zero Hour on my streaming services as I’ve never seen it. Failing that, Amazon.
Another less well known one is the 1995 TV movie “Freefall: Flight 174” re the Gimli Glider, which I thought was well done for a TV movie.
There must be hundreds of great aviation related stories that could have made excellent movies if written well but Hollywood has made relatively few and many of those are poor at best.
Sully was a recent exception.
So many kits, so little time …
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