Film Snail

6.1

Airplane II: The Sequel

PG·1982·85m

Comedy

Summary

A faulty computer causes a passenger space shuttle to head straight for the sun, and man-with-a-past Ted Striker must save the day and get the shuttle back on track – again – all the while trying to patch up his relationship with Elaine.

Cast

Lloyd Bridges

Steven McCroskey

Raymond Burr

Judge D.C. Simonton

Chuck Connors

The Sarge

Rip Torn

Bud Kruger / President Reagan

John Dehner

The Commissioner

Chad Everett

Simon Kurtz

Peter Graves

Capt. Clarence Oveur

Julie Hagerty

Elaine Dickinson

Robert Hays

Ted Striker

Kent McCord

Dave Unger

James A. Watson, Jr

First Officer Dunn

William Shatner

Cdr. Buck Murdock

Stephen Stucker

Jacobs / Courtroom Clerk

John Vernon

Dr. Stone

Al White

Witness

Sonny Bono

Joe Seluchi

Laurene Landon

Testa

Richard Jaeckel

Controller #2

Lee Bryant

Mrs. Hammen

John Larch

Prosecuting Attorney

Sandahl Bergman

Officer #1

David Leisure

Religious Zealot

Kitten Natividad

Moral Majority Woman (uncredited)

Monique Gabrielle

Woman at Topless Scanner (uncredited)

George Wendt

Ticket Agent (uncredited)

Jack Jones

Lounge Singer

Hervé Villechaize

Little Breather

Madeleine Fisher

Shuttle Agent

Sandy Ward

Defense Attorney

Louise Sorel

Nurse

Clint Smith

Scalper

Pat Sajak

Buffalo Anchorman

Pamela Guest

Woman with Baby (as Pamela Ann Rack)

David Paymer

Court Photographer

Ann Nelson

Airsick Woman

James Noble

Father O'Flanagan

Crystal Smith

Topless Model (uncredited)

Ilona Wilson

Woman at Topless Scanner (uncredited)

Ed Call

Information Agent

Richard Gilliland

Pervis

Howard Honig

Dave Walters

Lee Patterson

Phoenix Six Captain

Earl Boen

Doctor (uncredited)

Martin Garner

Old Man #2 (uncredited)

Rance Howard

Person #1 (uncredited)

Gregory Itzin

Young Man (uncredited)

Jim Staahl

International Inquirer Reporter (uncredited)

Leon Askin

Moscow Anchorman

Marcus K. Mukai

Tokyo Anchorman

Crew

Director, Screenplay

Ken Finkleman

Reviews

Geronimo1967

July 9, 2022

Well I suppose a sequel was bound to happen after the success of the first film, but sadly this isn't a patch on that. Essentially, this is exactly the same film only we substitute a lunar space shuttle for the aircraft. "Ted" (Robert Hays) has been certified (by "Perry Mason" himself - Raymond Burr) after his wartime PTSD finally got the better of him - or, perhaps because he was just aware of flaws in the systems of the shuttle that the big bosses wanted to overlook. Anyway, he manages to escape custody and get a black-market ticket for the flight that duly goes awry. Can he stop it from crashing into the moon-base and thereby really irking William Shatner's "Murdock"? Most of the cast from the first outing have stuck with this, and there are quite a few entertaining parodies for the likes of Burr, Shatner, Chuck Connors, Bono and Rip Torn but the comedy ship had already sailed. This is a feeble imitation that struggles right from the start to find that sweet spot; the humour is more crass and vulgar delivering more emphasis on the disjointed box office cameos rather than providing us with a decent plot. It's watchable but quite forgettable.