The screenplay was written by Arthur Hailey, Hall Bartlett, and John Champion, based on Hailey's 1956 television play Flight into Danger .
: The creators of Airplane! (the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams) bought the remake rights to Zero Hour! for approximately $2,500 and used much of its script nearly word-for-word. Zero Hour!(1957)
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 screenplay was written by Arthur Hailey, Hall
: 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. for approximately $2,500 and used much of its
: 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
While intended as a serious drama, the film's "classically structured" plot and intense dialogue eventually became the foundation for Airplane! .
: 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.