Come Fly with Me (film)
Encyclopedia
Come Fly with Me is a 1963 comedy film about three beautiful international airline stewardesses looking for romance
and excitement. The film has dramatic or soap opera
elements to it, and was a vehicle for glamorizing the jet age
and the prestige, adventure and romance that came with being a stewardess. It is based on Bernard Glemser
's 1960 chick-lit novel Girl on a Wing, which was published again in 1969 under the title, The Fly Girls.
The film was shot in Cinemascope
and in color, during 1962, in New York
, Paris
and Versailles
, Vienna
and the Woerther See. It premiere
d on March 27, 1963.
, are working for the fictional airline Polar Atlantic Airways. The three serve on a Boeing 707
making regular flights between New York and Paris
or Vienna
. Along the way, one girl (played by Dolores Hart
), meets an impoverished Austria
n baron
(played by Karlheinz Böhm
) who turns out to be a diamond smuggler. Another girl, a "Southern belle
" (played by Pamela Tiffin), develops a crush on the first officer of the airplane (Hugh O'Brian
), who himself is having an affair with a married woman (Dawn Addams
). The third stewardess (played by Lois Nettleton
) gets noticed by a multi-millionaire widower from Texas
(Karl Malden
).
Romantic love
Romance is the pleasurable feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.In the context of romantic love relationships, romance usually implies an expression of one's love, or one's deep emotional desires to connect with another person....
and excitement. The film has dramatic or soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
elements to it, and was a vehicle for glamorizing the jet age
Jet age
The Jet Age is a period of history defined by the social change brought about by the advent of large aircraft powered by turbine engines. These aircraft are able to fly much higher, faster, and farther than older piston-powered propliners, making transcontinental and inter-continental travel...
and the prestige, adventure and romance that came with being a stewardess. It is based on Bernard Glemser
Bernard Glemser
Bernard Glemser, also known under pen-names Robert Crane and Geraline Napier was a writer of fiction, non-fiction, and children's books. He served in the Royal Air Force as an intelligence officer during World War II, and then worked in the United States for the government of Britain for a few years...
's 1960 chick-lit novel Girl on a Wing, which was published again in 1969 under the title, The Fly Girls.
The film was shot in Cinemascope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
and in color, during 1962, in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and the Woerther See. It premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
d on March 27, 1963.
Plot
Three stewardesses, based in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, are working for the fictional airline Polar Atlantic Airways. The three serve on a Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
making regular flights between New York and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
or Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. Along the way, one girl (played by Dolores Hart
Dolores Hart
Dolores Hart is an American Roman Catholic nun and former actress. She made 10 films in 5 years, playing opposite Stephen Boyd, Montgomery Clift, George Hamilton and Robert Wagner, having made her movie debut with Elvis Presley in Loving You .-Background:Dolores Hicks was the only child of the...
), meets an impoverished Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
(played by Karlheinz Böhm
Karlheinz Böhm
Karlheinz Böhm is an Austrian actor. The son of conductor Karl Böhm, he is best known internationally for his role as Mark, the psychopathic protagonist of Peeping Tom, directed by Michael Powell...
) who turns out to be a diamond smuggler. Another girl, a "Southern belle
Southern belle
A southern belle is an archetype for a young woman of the American Old South's upper class....
" (played by Pamela Tiffin), develops a crush on the first officer of the airplane (Hugh O'Brian
Hugh O'Brian
Hugh O'Brian is an American actor, known for his starring role in the ABC television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp .-Early years and career:...
), who himself is having an affair with a married woman (Dawn Addams
Dawn Addams
Dawn Addams was an English actress in motion pictures of the 1950s.-Life and career:She was born Victoria Dawn Addams in Felixstowe, Suffolk, England, the daughter of Ethel Mary and Captain James Ramage Addams. Her mother died when she was young, and she spent her early life in Calcutta, India...
). The third stewardess (played by Lois Nettleton
Lois Nettleton
Lois June Nettleton was an American actress of film, stage, and television. She was Miss Chicago of 1948 as well as a semifinalist at that year's Miss America Pageant.-Early years:...
) gets noticed by a multi-millionaire widower from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(Karl Malden
Karl Malden
Karl Malden was an American actor. In a career that spanned more than seven decades, he performed in such classic films as A Streetcar Named Desire, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, On the Waterfront and One-Eyed Jacks...
).
Production notes
Glemsser wrote a follow-up novel in 1972, The Super-Jet Girls, however it was not made into a film.Critical reception
Variety wrote upon the film's release, "Sometimes one performance can save a picture and in Come Fly with Me it's an engaging and infectious one by Pamela Tiffin. The production has other things going for it like an attractive cast, slick pictorial values and smart, stylish direction by Henry Levin, but at the base of all this sheer sheen lies a frail, frivolous and featherweight storyline that, in trying to take itself too seriously, flies into dramatic air pockets and crosscurrents that threaten to send the entire aircraft into a tailspin."See also
- Boeing-Boeing, 1962 play
- Boeing Boeing, 1965 film version of the play
- Coffee, Tea or Me?Coffee, Tea or Me?Coffee, Tea or Me? is a book of alleged memoirs by Trudy Baker and Rachel Jones written "with" Donald Bain and first published in 1967. The book depicts the anecdotal lives of two lusty young fictional stewardesses...
, 1967 novel - The StewardessesThe StewardessesThe Stewardesses is a 1969 softcore, later R-rated, theatrical 3-D film produced, directed and written by Allan Silliphant and starring Christina Hart, Monica Gayle, Paula Erickson, and Donna Stanley....
, 1969 film