The President's Plane Is Missing (film)

The President's Plane Is Missing

VHS box coverart
Directed by Daryl Duke
Produced by
  • Mark Carliner
  • Peter Gettinger
Screenplay by
Based on The novel of the same name  
by Robert J. Serling
Starring
Music by Gil Melle
Cinematography Richard C. Glouner
Edited by John F. Link
Production
companies
Distributed by American Broadcasting Company
Release dates
  • October 23, 1973 (United States)
Running time
 100 minutes
Country United States
Language English

The President's Plane Is Missing is a 1973 American television film directed by Daryl Duke with a screenplay by Ernest Kinoy and Mark Carliner based upon the Robert J. Serling novel of the same name. Major cast includes Buddy Ebsen as Vice President Kermit Madigan, Raymond Massey as Secretary Of State Freeman Sharkey, Rip Torn as National Security Adviser George Oldenburg, Mercedes McCambridge as Hester Madigan, and Tod Andrews as President Jeremy Haines.[1][2]

The film was originally completed for release in 1971, but due to then-President Richard Nixon's ongoing diplomatic relationship with and planned visit to China it was decided to postpone release of a film which painted China in a negative light[3][4] until after Nixon's return from his visit to China.[5] The film was subsequently released on October 23, 1973,[6] as a period piece.[7]

Plot

With diplomatic tensions building and the United States facing a possible military confrontation with China, Air Force One mysteriously crashes in the desert while heading to California, killing U.S. President Jeremy Haines (Tod Andrews). While the crash is being investigated, Vice-President Kermit Madigan (Buddy Ebsen) steps up as Acting President. Unfortunately, Haines had left him uninformed of current foreign policies. Madigan must now rely on the former President's aides to fill him in on information he lacks, but the aides have their own agendas. National Security Adviser George Oldenburg (Rip Torn) claims that Haines was preparing to go to war if the Chinese did not back down, while career diplomat Secretary of State Freeman Sharkey (Raymond Massey) asserts that Haines was pursuing a peaceful solution to the problem with China. Madigan's wife Hester (Mercedes McCambridge) sees this as an opportunity to advance his career, but the Washington political community doubts his competence. In dealing with growing tensions and conflicting advice, Madigan struggles to avoid a nuclear war with the Chinese. Meanwhile, it develops that President Haines was not aboard the crashed plane after all.

Cast

Reception

In "Cinema and Nation" (ISBN 1134618840) when comparing this film to such as JFK (1991) and The Manchurian Candidate (1962) it was pointed out that while many films use a premise that actual democracy is an illusion, this one was rare in that it turned the President into an action hero.[8] In 1988, Sydney Morning Herald wrote that it was a "dull film despite an excellent cast."[9]

Novel

Robert J. Serling's 1967 novel spent multiple weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List and its success enabled Serling to become a full-time writer.[10] Serling later penned a sequel to the novel entitled Air Force One Is Haunted, which centered around former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt haunting the current President whenever he boards Air Force One.[11] Filming the project had been completed in 1971, but Peter Graves reported that the film did not air until 1973 due to the film's villains being Chinese and President Richard Nixon being involved in negotiations with China.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Bruce Eder, Rovi (1972). "The President's Plane Is Missing (1972)". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  2. ↑ Hadley, Mitchell (23 April 2013). "How life imitates art (or, at least, television)". It's About TV. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  3. ↑ McKenna, Michael (2013). The ABC Movie of the Week: Big Movies for the Small Screen. Scarecrow Press. p. 297. ISBN 0810891573.
  4. ↑ staff. "The President's Plane is Missing (1973)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  5. ↑ staff. "President's Plane Is Missing - TV Movie". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  6. ↑ staff (23 October 1973). "TV Scout". The Victoria Advocate. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  7. ↑ staff (18 October 1973). The President's Plane Is Missing. 1971. The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  8. ↑ Hjort, Mette; Mackenzie, Scott (2005). Cinema and Nation. Routledge. pp. 38–39. ISBN 1134618840.
  9. ↑ staff (21 August 1988). "Fine Cast Can't Save This One". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  10. ↑ McLellan, Dennis. "Robert J. Serling dies at 92; one of the nation's top aviation writers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  11. ↑ "AIR FORCE ONE IS HAUNTED (review)". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  12. ↑ Dudek, Duane. "Will Malaysian airliner mystery join missing plane movie genre?". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 24 December 2014.

External links