Fire and Rain (film)
Fire and Rain | |
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Genre |
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Based on | Fire and Rain: A Tragedy in American Aviation by Jerome Greer Chandler |
Written by | Gary Sherman |
Directed by | Jerry J. Jameson |
Starring | Charles Haid Angie Dickinson Tom Bosley |
Music by | Artie Kane |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producer | Richard Luke |
Production locations | Dallas Irving, Texas |
Cinematography | Frederick Moore |
Editor | Tom Stevens |
Running time | 89 minutes |
Production company | Wilshire Court Productions |
Original release | |
Network | USA Network |
Release | September 13, 1989 |
Fire and Rain is a 1989 American
Jerry J. Jameson had become known for his work on "movie-of-the-week phenomenon and group-jeopardy suspense and terror", although he also became a specialist in "one-off" television and film features.[1] The film was an example of the aviation "disaster" film, as well, it also very much fits the additional genre of the complex, heavily character-driven ensemble cast film, exploring the personal dramas and interactions that develop among the passengers and crew as they deal with a deadly onboard emergency. It, however, veers from the traditional format as it is based on a real-life accident. It originally debuted on the USA television network.
Plot
This article needs an improved plot summary. (November 2015) |
On August 2, 1985, Delta Airlines Flight 191 a Lockheed L-1011 flown by Captain Connors (
Without warning, the L-1011 is slammed into the ground, a mile short of the runway, slicing into a small car on the road, killing William Mayberry (Rudy Young), before skidding onto the field and exploding. Within a minute, all airport fire and emergency units are alerted. Five minutes into the rescue, first responders Jack Ayers (Dean Jones), Beth Mancini (Angie Dickinson), led by Bob Sonnamaker (Charles Haid) are rapidly deployed to the scene. The severed rear section of the plane is where most survivors are found although flight attendants at the front also survive.
Cast
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Production
Filmed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the film was a
The film incorporated the true-life stories of many of the 152 passengers and 11 crew members on board. In the end, 137 died and 28 survived; one other person on the ground was also killed. The prologue to the film indicated that the crash was one of the worst aircraft mishaps in U.S. history. Up to that time, the circumstances behind it regarding microbursts and wind shears of the kind that brought it down, as well as the kind of thunderstorm that caused them, were unknown. Subsequently, the investigation and review of procedures led to modifications in all big-body civil aircraft whereby their radar could detect the anomalies of major storm systems. At the time, it could only detect the actual presence of the storm itself. A groundbreaking legal action also resulted.[3]
Many firefighters and emergency personnel were portrayed by real first responders from the
In popular culture
The crash of Delta Flight 191 was not only the subject of the film.
References
Notes
- ^ After the sole listing of Charles Haid, the cast list was shown in alphabetical order.
Citations
- ^ Roberts 2009, p. 279.
- ^ "Delta Air Lines Flight 191 Crash."[usurped] National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved: December 12, 2014.
- ^ Magnuson, Ed. "Like a Wall of Napalm." Time, April 18, 2005.
- IMDb
- IMDb
- IMDb
- ^ "Slammed To The Ground." Mayday.
Bibliography
- Birtles, Phillip. Lockheed L-1011 TriStar (Airliner Color History). St. Paul: Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 1998. ISBN 978-0-7603-0582-9.
- Chandler, Jerome Greer. Fire and Rain: A Tragedy in American Aviation. Austin, Texas: Texas Monthly Press, 1986. ISBN 978-0-87719-048-6.
- Roberts, Jerry. Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-81086-138-1.
External links
- Fire and Rain at IMDb
- Fire and Rain at the TCM Movie Database