The Spirit of St. Louis is a 1957 biographical film directed by Billy Wilder and starring James Stewart as Charles Lindbergh. Its screenplay was adapted by Charles Lederer, Wendell Mayes, and Billy Wilder from Lindbergh's 1954 Pulitzer Prize winning book of the same name. The film follows Lindbergh's historic transatlantic flight in his Ryan NYP monoplane from its May 20, 1927, take off from Roosevelt Field and ends with his landing at Le Bourget Field in Paris on May 21.
Plot
The film begins the night before Lindbergh's historic flight, and tells in multiple flashbacks the story of his aviation career beginning with his first solo flight in 1923, as a barnstormer, in Army flight training, as a flight instructor, a Contract Air Mail pilot, his failed attempt to buy a Bellanca aircraft from the Columbia Aircraft Corporation, the gaining of financial support from the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce, and the design and building of the aircraft "Spirit of St Louis".
After a difficult takeoff Lindbergh struggles with sleep deprivation, icing, and dead reckoning navigation, further episodes in his earlier life as a barnstormer in his beloved "Jenny" alongside Harlan A. "Bud" Gurney, and as an army flyer at Brooks Field are portrayed. Lindbergh finally reaches land at Dingle Bay, flies over Plymouth, crosses the English Channel and reaches Le Bourget Airfield in Paris to a hero's welcome.
Production
In order to accurately depict the transatlantic flight, three replicas were made of the "Spirit of St. Louis" for the various film units stateside, in Europe, and for studio work. Two of the replicas are still in flightworthy condition, with one currently on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan and a second replica at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.[1] Filming took place the Santa Maria Public Airport in Santa Maria, California, at what is currently the site of Allan Hancock College.
Cast
As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified):[2]
Aaron Spelling appears as Mr. Fearless in an uncredited role, that marked the director/writer/producer's early forays into acting.
When production began in August 1955, Jack Warner offered the role to John Kerr who turned it down.[3][4]
Numerous sources indicate that Stewart despite his age of 47 was lobbying Warner Bros. executives for the role of Lindbergh as early as 1954[5] and even underwent a strenuous diet and regime to look more like Lindbergh in 1927 (he was 25 when he made his transatlantic flight). Stewart had a lifelong passion relating to Lindbergh and aviation, having related in later life, that the "Lone Eagle"'s flight was one of the most significant episodes of his youth, leading him to seek a career as an aviator.[6] Stewart was ultimately cast as Lindbergh but his age was pointedly an issue in post-production reviews.[7]
Reception
When released in April 1957, after being in production for 20 months, the film was a box-office failure mainly due to its huge budget (running at $6 million, more than twice the original budget) and garnered mixed reviews. However, the film was commended for its special effects and James Stewart’s competent performance. In 1957, Time magazine described the film in these words, "Stewart, for all his professional, 48-year-old boyishness, succeeds almost continuously in suggesting what all the world sensed at the time: that Lindbergh's flight was not the mere physical adventure of a rash young 'flying fool' but rather a journey of the spirit, in which, as in the pattern of all progress, one brave man proved himself for all mankind as the paraclete of a new possibility."[8]
In later years, the film has regained some of its lustre and a modern re-evaluation has centered on the characterization of Lindbergh and the methodical depiction of the preparations for the momentous flight. The Smithsonian Institution has recently screened the film as part of its "classic" series and the DVD re-release has evoked commentary such as "captivating" and "suspenseful."
Awards and honors
At the 1958 Academy Awards, Louis Lichtenfield earned a nomination for Best Effects. The film has also been ranked #69 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers.
References
- Notes
- ^ Hardwick and Schnepf 1989, p. 60.
- ^ The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) Full credits
- ^ Pickard 1993, p. 176. An urban myth has developed involving James Dean. After completing the film Giant in mid-1955, James Dean was reputedly asked to play the role of Charles Lindbergh, but Dean died in an auto accident on September 30, 1955, before filming on Spirit of St. Louis could begin. At the time of his death, Dean was 25, the same age as Lindbergh was when he made the famous flight across the Atlantic.
- ^ IMDB entry and DVD liner notes
- ^ Pickard 1993, p. 176.
- ^ McGowan 1992, p. 10.
- ^ McGowan 1992, p. 64.
- ^ Jones et al 1970, p. 189.
- Bibliography
- Eliot, Mark. Jimmy Stewart: A Biography. New York: Random House, 2006. ISBN 1-4000-5221-1.
- Hardwick, Jack and Ed Schnepf. "A Viewer's Guide to Aviation Movies." The Making of the Great Aviation Films, General Aviation Series, Volume 2, 1989.
- Jones, Ken D., Arthur F. McClure and Alfred E. Twomey. The Films of James Stewart. New York: Castle Books, 1970.
- McGowan, Helene. James Stewart. London: Bison Group, 1992, ISBN 0-86124-925-9
- Pickard, Roy. Jimmy Stewart: A Life in Film. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. ISBN 0-312-08828-0.
- Smith, Starr. Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot. St. Paul, Minnesota: Zenith Press, 2005. ISBN 0-7603-2199-X
External links
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