The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) | |
| Director(s) | Billy Wilder |
| Producer(s) | Leland Hayward |
| Top Genres | Adventure, Biographical, Drama, Film Adaptation, Historical |
| Top Topics | Aviation, Book-Based, True Story (based on) |
Featured Cast:
The Spirit of St. Louis Overview:
The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) was a Adventure - Biographical Film directed by Billy Wilder and produced by Leland Hayward.
SYNOPSIS
This straightforward biopic with Stewart playing aviator Charles Lindbergh may be the least typical film of director Wilder's career. Concentrating on his famous 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic, the film presents in flashbacks moments from Lindbergh's early career as a barnstormer and mail pilot. Stewart, who at 49 was playing a man half that age, is genuine and engaging in what is essentially a one-person film. Notable for an outstanding score by Waxman.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
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Quotes from
Charles Lindbergh:
I take up a compass heading of 65 degrees out of New York, keep correcting the heading every 100 miles.
Benjamin Frank Mahoney, President Ryan Airlines Co.: What happens over the water?
Charles Lindbergh: Over the water I keep watching the waves, see which direction the wind's blowing in, allow for the drift...
Benjamin Frank Mahoney, President Ryan Airlines Co.: And hope the Lord will do the rest.
Charles Lindbergh: No, I never bother the Lord. I'll do the rest.
Benjamin Frank Mahoney, President Ryan Airlines Co.: Might need a little help up there, don't you think?
Charles Lindbergh: No, it will only get in the way.
[last lines]
Charles Lindbergh: [narrating] There were 200,000 people there that night. And when we came back home, there were 4 million people waiting.
Charles Lindbergh: [after politely trying to smoke a cigar given to him by an investment banker] The idea of committing suicide never crossed my mind except when I took this cigar.
read more quotes from The Spirit of St. Louis...
Benjamin Frank Mahoney, President Ryan Airlines Co.: What happens over the water?
Charles Lindbergh: Over the water I keep watching the waves, see which direction the wind's blowing in, allow for the drift...
Benjamin Frank Mahoney, President Ryan Airlines Co.: And hope the Lord will do the rest.
Charles Lindbergh: No, I never bother the Lord. I'll do the rest.
Benjamin Frank Mahoney, President Ryan Airlines Co.: Might need a little help up there, don't you think?
Charles Lindbergh: No, it will only get in the way.
[last lines]
Charles Lindbergh: [narrating] There were 200,000 people there that night. And when we came back home, there were 4 million people waiting.
Charles Lindbergh: [after politely trying to smoke a cigar given to him by an investment banker] The idea of committing suicide never crossed my mind except when I took this cigar.
read more quotes from The Spirit of St. Louis...
Facts about
James Stewart was unusually difficult to work with throughout filming. Some wondered if he had realized how miscast he was in the movie.
James Stewart was given the role of Charles Lindbergh after John Kerr had turned it down, owing to his disapproval of Lindbergh's pro-Nazi sympathies and his racist and anti-Semitic views. This was despite the fears of the producers that Stewart was too old for the part.
There was a scale model (approx. 1/5 the size) of the Spirit in the old Air Museum in San Diego's Balboa Park before the museum burned down in 1976. The museum hired an elderly lady to talk to the visitors who looked at the model. She claimed that her husband was in the group photo of the team who built the original Spirit. She also said that she had some of the scrap fabric left over from the construction. She told a story about each of the team members, including the secretary. Lindbergh is on one end and wearing a crumpled hat. She explained that the hat belonged to a man on the other end of the picture, and Lindbergh grabbed it as a joke and ran around to the other end of the group just before the picture was taken. The taking of this picture is in the movie, but Lindbergh is out of place, and he's not wearing a hat. Sadly, the model was lost in the fire.
read more facts about The Spirit of St. Louis...
James Stewart was given the role of Charles Lindbergh after John Kerr had turned it down, owing to his disapproval of Lindbergh's pro-Nazi sympathies and his racist and anti-Semitic views. This was despite the fears of the producers that Stewart was too old for the part.
There was a scale model (approx. 1/5 the size) of the Spirit in the old Air Museum in San Diego's Balboa Park before the museum burned down in 1976. The museum hired an elderly lady to talk to the visitors who looked at the model. She claimed that her husband was in the group photo of the team who built the original Spirit. She also said that she had some of the scrap fabric left over from the construction. She told a story about each of the team members, including the secretary. Lindbergh is on one end and wearing a crumpled hat. She explained that the hat belonged to a man on the other end of the picture, and Lindbergh grabbed it as a joke and ran around to the other end of the group just before the picture was taken. The taking of this picture is in the movie, but Lindbergh is out of place, and he's not wearing a hat. Sadly, the model was lost in the fire.
read more facts about The Spirit of St. Louis...
