Airplane II: The Sequel [1982]

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1982
Running Times: 84 mins
Format: Metrocolor 35mm
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Producer: Howard W. Koch Jr

SCRIPT
Script: Ken Finkleman

DIRECTION
Director: Ken Finkleman
2nd Assistant Director: S.J 'Casey' Bernay

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Joseph F. Biroc
Gaffer [What's a Gaffer?]: Larry Gilhooly
Best Boy Electric: Frank McKane
Worst Boy: Adolf Hitler

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Dennis Virkler

MUSIC
Music: Elmer Bernstein, Richard Hazard

SOUND
Re-Recording Mixers: Steve Maslow, Kevin O'Connell
Special Sound Effects: Alan Haworth

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Monty Westmore
Costume Designer: Rosanna Norton

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Robert N. Dawson
1st Unit Special Effects: Brian Tipton

VISUAL EFFECTS
Special Visual Effects Supervisor: Joe Rayner
Special Visual Effects: Phil Kellison
Miniatures: Coast
Model Maker: Kevin Scott Mack
Optical Effects: Modern, Master

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: William Sandell
Assistant Property Master: Jim Zemansky

LOCATIONS
Locations: Los Angeles, California, USA

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special Thanks: Al Jean, Mike Reiss

CASTING
Casting: Lisa Freiberger, Toni Howard, Lynn Stalmaster

CAST
Robert Hays [Ted Striker]
Julie Hagerty [Elaine Dickinson]
Lloyd Bridges [Steve McCroskey]
Chad Everett [Simon Kurtz]
Peter Graves [Captain Clarence Oveur]
Chuck Connors [The Sarge]
William Shatner [Commander Buck Murdock]
Raymond Burr [Judge D.C. Simonton]
John Vernon [Dr Stone]
Stephen Stucker [Controller Jacobs / courtroom clerk]
Kent McCord [Dave Unger]
James A. Watson Jr [Dunn]
John Dehner [the commissioner]
Rip Torn [Bud Kruger / President Reagan]
Sonny Bono [Joe Seluchi]
Al White jive dude witness]
Craig Berenson [shaving man]
Laurene Landon [Testa]
Wendy Phillips [Mary]
Jack Jones [lounge singer]
Art Fleming [Jeopardy host]
Frank Ashmore [controller 3]
Richard Jaeckel [controller 2]
Lee Bryant [Mrs Hammen]
John Larch [prosecuting attorney]
John Hancock [controller 1]
Oliver Robins [Jimmy Wilson]
Louis Giambalvo [witness]
Sam Anderson [man in white]
Leon Askin [Moscow anchorman]
B.J. Barie [video kid]
Hilary Beane [next woman in line]
Sandahl Bergman [officer 1]
Burke Byrnes [businessman 2]
Ed Call [information agent]
Michael Currie [businessman 1]
Patty Dworkin [young woman]
Gary Faga [guide]
Mary Farrell [Alice Wilson]
Madeleine Fisher [shuttle agent]
Bruce French [officer 2]
Richard Gilliland [Lieutenant Pervis]
Hugh Gillin [Texan]
Elisa Goodman [I Love Sanity nurse]
Laurie Hagen [Tad woman]
Maurice Hill [stock 2]
Steven Hirsch [Rorshack]
Howard Honig [Dave Walters]
Dennis Howard [John Wilson]
Marcy Lafferty [1st woman in line]
Stanley Lawrence [next man]
David Leisure [religious zealot 1]
Floyd Levine [Police Lieutenant Hallick]
Steve Levitt [creature 1]
Gail Matthius [Educational Network woman]
Pat McNamara [businessman 2]
Mary Mercier [Edith Walters]
Marcus K. Mukai [Tokyo anchorman]
Ann Nelson [airsick woman]
Steve Nevil [creature 2]
James Noble [Father O'Flanagan]
Kenneth G. O'Brien [Porter]
Rick Overton [clerk]
Lee Patterson [Phoenix Six captain]
David Paymer [court photographer]
Pamela Ann Rack (real name: Pamela Guest) [woman with baby]
Barbie Reade [interpreter]
Mary-Robin Redd [intellectual-looking woman]
June Sanders [cashier]
Pat Sajak [Buffalo anchorman]
Louise Sorel [nurse]
Clint Smith [scalper]
William Vaughan [worker]
Sandy Ward [defense attorney]
Ricky Powell [1st young man]
Sean Peters [2nd young man]
Hervé Villechaize [little breather]
Allison Hanes [3rd stewardess]
Ronald E. House [smoking man]
Lee Purcell [wife]
Martin Garner [old man 2]
Jack Bernardi [old man 1]
Jim Staahl [International Inquirer reporter]
William Porter [Rag reporter]
John Paragon [Economy flight attendant]
Alison Price [stewardess]
Earl Boen [doctor - uncredited]
Joyce DeWitt [juror - uncredited]
Monique Gabrielle [school girl - uncredited]
Tom McGreevey [Karl Malden - uncredited]
Kitten Natividad [woman in Moral Majority shirt - uncredited]
Leslie Nielsen [Doctor Rumack (in archive footage) - uncredited]
George Wendt [ticket agent - uncredited]

Neurotic test pilot Ted Striker is implicated in the crash of a prototype space shuttle and incarcerated in an asylum. Hearing of the engagement of his true love Elaine to oily space captain Simon and the imminent launch of Mayflower One, the first passenger carrying space flight, Striker breaks out and determines to get aboard the maiden flight and save the day.

Something of a sad reprise of all the best gags from the first film, but delivered without any of the style and panache of the prototype and sorely missing the deadpan delivery of Leslie Nielsen. New boy Ken Finkleman adds few new wrinkles to the basic non-stop barrage of puns and pratfalls other than the overtly SF setting - he clearly knows his screen SF and has much fun sending up popular genre icons; ET tries to phone home but doesn't have enough change; as Graves investigates nasty goings-on in the hold, the Mission Impossible theme blares out; Shatner and one of his crew discuss the possible uses of a machine that just seems to have lights going back and forth along its length. There are literally dozens of allusions to everything from 2001: A Space Odyssey [1968] to Gojira [1954] and from The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Rocky. But really, it's just not enough. It's fun and mildly diverting, but it lacks the memorable clout of its predecessor though enough of the groan-inducing verbal trickery is carried through to raise a few smiles, even if Nielsen demanding not to be called Shirley was infinitely funnier.

UK
Video Distributor: CIC
DVD Distributor: Paramount [PHE8047]

USA
Video Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Laserdisc Distributor: Paramount [LV 1489]
DVD Distributor: Paramount [014894]

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Finland
Rating: K-12

Ireland
Rating: 15

Netherlands
Rating: AL

Norway
Rating: 11

Sweden
Rating: 11

UK
Rating: 15

USA
Rating: PG
Later releases were forced to remove the Battlestar Galactica theme and a different song was used in the scene where the air traffic controller poses as a DJ.

West Germany
Rating: 6

1982
December
10: USA - theatrical release

1983
April
15: Sweden - theatrical release

July
1: Finland - theatrical release

1991
December
18: USA - laserdisc release [Paramount [LV 1489]]

2000
October
24: USA - DVD release [Paramount [014894]]

2001
March
15: UK - DVD release [Paramount [PHE8047]]

Just when you thought it safe to go back into the departure lounge.

Airplane 2002! - early title
Airplane 2 - early title
Flying High II
Vi flyver endnu højere - Danish title
Die Unglaubliche Reise in einem Verrückten Raumschiff - German title
Aterriza como puedas, 2ª parte - Spanish title
¿Il y dónde está el piloto? - Venezuelan title
Hei, taas me lennetään! - Finnish title
Y a-t-il enfin un pilote dans l'avion? - Frence title
L'aereo più pazzo del mondo... sempre più pazzo - Italian title
Hjelp, vi flyr igjen! - Norwegian title
Spokojnie, to tylko awaria - Polish title
Aeroplano II: A Loucura Continua - Portugese title
Nu flyger vi ännu högre - Swedish title

SEQUEL TO
Airplane! [1980]

SEE ALSO
2001: A Space Odyssey [1968]
Battlestar Galactica [1978]
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial [1982]
Gojira [1954]
Invasion of the Body Snatchers [1956]
Logan's Run [1976]
Mission: Impossible [1966]
Star Trek [1966 - 1969]
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope [1977]

INCLUDE FOOTAGE FROM
Star Trek [1966 - 1969]

MAGAZINES

American Cinematographer vol.64 no.3 [March 1983] pp.63-67 [USA]
illustrated article [Special effects for Airplane II by R. Patterson]

Films March 1983 p.28 [UK]
review

Films and Filming no.341 [February 1983] pp.37-38 [UK]
review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.50 no.589 [February 1983] p.37 [UK]
credits, synopsis, review [by Tim Pulleine]

Motion Picture Product Digest vol.10 no.14 [22 December 1982] p.55 [USA]
review

New Musical Express 22 January 1983 [UK]
review

Screen International no.378 [22 January 1983] p.64 [UK]
review

TV Times 20 December - 2 January 1987 p.17 [UK]
review

TV Times 19 December 1987 - 1 January 1988 pp.12, 79 [UK]
review, credits

TV Times 1 - 7 July 1989 p.51 [UK]
credits

Vanity Fair no.457 [September 1998] pp.38, 40, 42-43 [USA]
illustrated article [O funny man by James Wolcott

Variety 8 December 1982 [USA]
review

Variety 9 May 1984 p.508 [USA]
review

Video the Magazines May 1984 p.17 [UK]
review

NEWSPAPERS

Southampton Evening Echo 22 January 1983 [UK]
review

BOOKS

Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction p.372
credits, review

Elliot's Guide to Films on Video p.12
credits, review

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.17
credits, review

Horror and Science Fiction Films Volume III pp.5-6, 230
credits

Psychotronic Video Guide p.9
credits, review

Video Source Book [13th Edition] p.52
credits

Virgin Film Year Book Volume 2 p.7
credits, review

KEYWORDS

sequels; space travel; comedy; space shuttles; disasters; psychiatric hospitals; psychiatrists; aircraft; bombs; courtrooms; asteroids; computers