Quite possibly a career low point for all involved. An amateur pilot (Dana Andrews) has a heart attack and his plane crashes into a 747 airline which leave a gaping hole that sucks everyone in the cockpit into the wild blue yonder except the seriously injured pilot (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.). Which leaves only the hysterical stewardess (Karen Black) to fly the plane. The acting is appalling (George Kennedy snarls his lines like a rabid dog) except for Charlton Heston who somehow manages to hold on to his dignity. Everyone is either way over the top or expressionless and delivering their lines in a monotone. The back screen process work is too obvious and the dialogue is cringe inducing. There’s some genuine suspense during a mid-air transfer of a pilot from a helicopter to the disabled plane and John Cacavas’ score is surprisingly good. The massive cast includes Gloria Swanson (who has the film’s worst lines), Myrna Loy, Helen Reddy, Sid Caesar, Nancy Olson, Linda Blair, Susan Clark, Roy Thinnes, Martha Scott, Ed Nelson, Beverly Garland, Jerry Stiller, Guy Stockwell, Virginia Gregg and Sharon Gless, many of whom apparently have been reduced to background players in the cutting room. Jack Smight directs.
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