Zero Hour!(1957) Apr 2026

: While on a flight with his wife and son, both pilots and half the passengers fall ill due to contaminated fish.

: Stryker must overcome his psychological trauma to land the plane safely in worsening weather, guided by a stern ground controller (Sterling Hayden). Legacy and the "Airplane!" Connection Zero Hour!(1957)

The screenplay was written by Arthur Hailey, Hall Bartlett, and John Champion, based on Hailey's 1956 television play Flight into Danger . : While on a flight with his wife

The 1957 film is primarily remembered today as the serious blueprint for the 1980 parody classic Airplane! . Directed by Hall Bartlett and starring Dana Andrews, the film is a straightforward disaster drama that follows a traumatized former World War II pilot forced to land a commercial airliner after the crew and many passengers are incapacitated by food poisoning. Plot and Origins The 1957 film is primarily remembered today as

: The character of Ted Stryker remains the protagonist in both films, though his "drinking problem" in the parody is a comedic literalization of the original's psychological struggle.

: Ted Stryker (Dana Andrews), an ex-Royal Air Force squadron leader haunted by a wartime mission in Germany that resulted in the deaths of six of his men.