Fire and Rainis a 1989 Americanmade-for-televisiondisaster filmdirected byJerry J. Jameson,starringCharles Haid,Angie Dickinson,andTom Bosley,as well as anall-starensemble television cast in supporting roles. It is based on theDelta Air Lines Flight 191plane crashatDallas/Fort Worth International Airporton August 2, 1985, as depicted inFire and Rain: A Tragedy in American Aviation(1986) by Jerome Greer Chandler.
| Fire and Rain | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Genre |
|
| 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 |
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 additionalgenreof the complex, heavily character-drivenensemble castfilm, 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
editThis articleneeds an improvedplot summary.(November 2015) |
On August 2, 1985, Delta Airlines Flight 191 a Lockheed L-1011 flown by Captain Connors (John Beck) and First Officer Rudy Price (Dick Christie) is preparing to land atDallas/Fort Worth International Airporton its single stop, flying fromFort Lauderdale, FloridatoLos Angelesvia Dallas Fort Worth. Air Traffic controllers advise that a thunderstorm is present. The flight crew surmise that the plane might get washed, but have no other worries about the storm being so near. Passengers such as Lucille Jacobson (Patti LaBelle), who is terrified of flying, however, are fearful about landing in a storm. Others, like Marilyn (Gloria Hocking) and Mike Steinberg (Joe Berryman) are thinking more about their California vacation. As the rain pelts down on the plane, there is no warning of an impending crisis.
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
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Filmed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the film was adocudramathat recreated the events of August 2, 1985, when Delta Airlines Flight 191, aLockheed L-1011-385-1 TriStarairliner flying from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Los Angeles was coming into Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on its single stop on the route. It unexpectedly flew into an isolated thunderstorm hovering very close to the field. The storm created a dangerous "wind shear",or"microburst",dashing it into the ground just slightly more than a mile north of the outer perimeter.[2]
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 theDallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.Some of them had been on duty during the actual rescue following the crash, and were, in effect, portraying themselves.
In popular culture
editThe crash of Delta Flight 191 was not only the subject of the film.[4]It was also featured on an episode ofWhen Weather Changed HistoryonThe Weather Channel,[5]and the episode "Deadly Weather" ofSurvival in the Sky.[6]The television seriesMayday(akaAir Crash InvestigationorAir Emergency) onDiscovery Channel CanadaandNational Geographicdramatized it in the episode "Invisible Killer" (aka "Slammed to the Ground" ).[7]It was also shown and discussed in a laterMaydayepisode about theAmerican Airlines Flight 1420accident, which also occurred during landing in bad weather conditions.
References
editNotes
- ^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.
- ^Fire and RainatIMDb
- ^When Weather Changed HistoryepisodeDelta 191 CrashatIMDb
- ^Survival in the SkyepisodeDeadly WeatheratIMDb
- ^"Slammed To The Ground."Mayday.
Bibliography
- Birtles, Phillip.Lockheed L-1011 TriStar(Airliner Color History). St. Paul: Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 1998.ISBN978-0-7603-0582-9.
- Chandler, Jerome Greer.Fire and Rain: A Tragedy in American Aviation.Austin, Texas: Texas Monthly Press, 1986.ISBN978-0-87719-048-6.
- Roberts, Jerry.Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors.Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2009.ISBN978-0-81086-138-1.
