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Amelia Earhart(film)

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Amelia Earhartis a 1976 Americanbiographical dramatelevision filmdirected byGeorge Schaeferand written byCarol Sobieski.It starsSusan ClarkasAmelia Earhart,andJohn Forsytheas her husband,George P. Putnam.

Amelia Earhart
TV Guidepromotional photo
GenreBiographical drama
Written byCarol Sobieski
Directed byGeorge Schaefer
Starring
Music byDavid Shire
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerGeorge Eckstein
CinematographyTed Voigtlander
EditorJim Benson
Running time150 minutes
Production companyUniversal Television
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseOctober 25, 1976(1976-10-25)

Unlike more recent depictions of Earhart's life, this film makes an attempt to cover her entire life from her childhood on a Kansas farm, her nursing during World War I, an early boyfriend, employment at a Boston children's orphanage, her interest and exploits in aviation, her marriage to Putnam, and her famous disappearance in 1937.

The film was the first dramatization of Earhart's life and co-starred a parade of well-known actors of the time and originally premiered onNBC Monday Night at the Movieson October 25, 1976.[1]

Plot

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In 1907, when Amelia Earhart is nine years old, growing up on a Kansas farm, she is an intelligent and precocious child. She builds a play aircraft with her sister "Pidge." Later, as America entersWorld War Iin 1917, Amelia, now a college student working in a doctor's office, decides to join the war effort and become a nurse. One night on the roof of her building, while on break with a coworker, she sees an aircraft, rekindling her childhood interest in aviation.

In 1921, a young Earhart has her first training flight with female flight instructorNeta Snook.That same year, she buys her first aircraft, aKinner"Canary," with the blessing of her father, who has become a chronic alcoholic. In 1924, she and her mother embark on a cross-country road trip from Los Angeles to Boston in an openroadster,engaging in arguments along the way. In Boston, Earhart has an on-and-off relationship with a young man and later works in a children's orphanage, using whatever little money she saves to subsidize her passion for flying.

In 1928, while employed at the orphanage, Earhart is invited to become the first woman ever to fly the Atlantic in a fixed-wing aircraft, the Fokker "Friendship." However, she flies as a passenger, with pilot Wilmer Stultz and copilot Lou Gordon (Steve Kanaly) at the controls. That same year, she pilots herAvro Avianbiplane in a coast-to-coast, stop-and-go flight, where some southern locals recognize her from the transatlantic Friendship flight. Not satisfied with having been a passenger on the Friendship flight, Earhart yearns to fly the Atlantic again as the first solo female aviator to do so. She marries George Putnam in a quasi arranged or open-marriage. This marriage to wealthy Putnam enables her to buy an expensive high performance red Lockheed Vega with which she plans the solo Atlantic flight. Earhart decides to leave Newfoundland on May 20, 1932, the fifth anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's 1927 flight.

Her marriage to media tycoonGeorge Palmer Putnam,who had been her publicist since the Friendship flight, and a series of record-breaking flights propel her to international fame as a long-distance flyer. Despite her open and frequently strained relationship with Putnam, she develops a close bond with his son David. With help from a close friend and adviser,Paul Mantz,Earhart plans her longest flight ever—a round-the-world attempt in 1937. The disappearance of Earhart and her navigatorFred Noonanduring the last stage of the flight leads to a massive but fruitless search effort, solidifying Earhart as an aviation icon.

Cast

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Susan Clark in a promotional image for the production

Production

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The film dramatized Earhart's life, but "refuses to speculate on the cause of Ms. Earhart's disappearance during a round-the-world trip in 1937"; however despite the lack of speculation "the clues that do exist are presented in full".[2]Mainly staying close to the historical record, one departure is portraying stunt pilot Paul Mantz as her "purported lover", a long-standing rumor that has never been substantiated.[3]Sobieski's screenplay drew on "her own experiences as a licensed pilot".[4]

Principal photography took place atCamarillo Airport,California, with aerial sequences flown by well-known aerobatic pilotArt SchollandFrank Tallman,owner of Tallmantz Aviation, a company primarily involved in flying for film and television production.[5]Ade Havilland Mothappeared in place of the Avro Avian that Earhart had purchased in England. ALockheed 12A(S/N 1204), was featured as Earhart's famedLockheed Model 10 Electra,used in thecircumnavigationalflight of the globe in 1937.[6]

Reception

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Interest in the story of Amelia Earhart, especially with the release ofAmelia(2009) led film reviewers to recall the earlier Earhart portrayals.[7]Rosalind Russellhad played "an Earhart-esque flier in 1943'sFlight for Freedom"andDiane Keatonstarred in the 1994 TNT movieAmelia Earhart: The Final Flight.[8]Susan Clark's performance compared favorably among the Earhart movies.[9][10]

Amelia Earhartwas nominated for a 1977Emmy awardswith William H. Tuntke (art director) and Richard Friedman (set decorator) nominated for Outstanding Art Direction or Scenic Design for a Dramatic Special; both Susan Clark and Susan Oliver were nominated for their work in the category of Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special, Clark for Outstanding Lead Actress and Oliver for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress.[11][12]The production was also nominated for the 1977Golden Globe awardfor Best Motion Picture Made for TV.[13]

Amelia Earhartwas screened at the AFI/Los Angeles International Film Festival (AFI FEST salutes the television movie), June 18–July 2, 1992.[14]

References

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Notes
  1. ^"Amelia Earhart."Archived2016-03-02 at theWayback MachineYourTrailers.net.Retrieved: May 2, 2012.
  2. ^Lovell 2009, p. 351.
  3. ^Erickson, Hal."Amelia Earhart (1976)."The New York Times,2010. Retrieved: May 2, 2012.
  4. ^Blau, Eleanor."Carol Sobieski, 51, A Writer of Scripts For Films and TV."The New York Times,November 9, 1990. Retrieved: May 3, 2012.
  5. ^"Tallman biography."Aerovintage.com.Retrieved: May 4, 2012.
  6. ^Mikkelson, David and Barbara."The Plane Truth."snopes.com,2012. Retrieved: May 3, 2012.
  7. ^"About Susan Clark."yahoo.com.Retrieved: May 3, 2012.
  8. ^Butler 1997, p. 416.
  9. ^King, Susan."Amelia Earhart's soaring spirit."Los Angeles Times,May 25, 2009. Retrieved: May 3, 2012.
  10. ^Goldstein and Dillon 1997, pp. 273–274.
  11. ^"Susan Clark."Emmys.com.Retrieved: May 28, 2012.
  12. ^"Susan Oliver."Emmys.com.Retrieved: May 28, 2012.
  13. ^"Amelia Earhart (1976) Awards."IMDb.Retrieved: May 2, 2012.
  14. ^"Amelia Earhart (1976): Miscellaneous Notes."Turner Classic Movies.Retrieved: May 3, 2012.
Bibliography
  • Butler, Susan.East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart.Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1997.ISBN0-306-80887-0.
  • Goldstein, Donald M. and Katherine V. Dillon.Amelia: The Centennial Biography of an Aviation Pioneer.Washington, DC: Brassey's, 1997.ISBN1-57488-134-5.
  • Lovell, Mary S.The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart.New York: St. Martin's Press, 2009, First edition 1989.ISBN0-312-03431-8.
  • Rich, Doris L.Amelia Earhart: A Biography.Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989.ISBN1-56098-725-1.
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