Jeff's Five and Dime: The Lindy Hop

Jeff’s Five and Dime is not your typical top-five list. Then again, what is typical about Jeff? In this weekly column Jeff will bring you a top-five list meant to amuse and on the rare occasion, make you think.

Today we are celebrating the 108th birthday of one of America’s finest heroes. Charles Lindbergh was born on February 4, 1902 in Detroit, Michigan. Known for being the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, Lindbergh flew his plane, The Spirit of St. Louis, from New York City and landed just outside Paris.

Lindbergh’s life seems fit for a Hollywood script, as it was filled with such great triumphs and so many controversies. This aviator is not only known for his flight but for the infamous kidnapping case involving his 20-month-old son. The crime and subsequent case was sensationalized by the media (just think how the press would have covered it today!) and eventually turned into a conspiracy theory. Lindbergh’s image also suffered dearly from his strong and public opposition to the U.S. voluntary entry into World War II. However, he is still remembered today as one of the greatest pioneers of the sky and an American treasure.

To celebrate this brave aeronaut, Jeff’s Five and Dime is going to look at my Favorite Five Airplane movies. Put your seats in the upright position and prepare for takeoff.

5. Memphis Belle – A wonderful, young cast tells the story of the crew of the Memphis Belle, a B-17 bomber that is set to tackle their 25th and final bombing mission. Though it is formulaic at times, the story of American bravery in the face of foreign adversity wins me over in the end. Quality actors such as D.B. Sweeny, Sean Astin, David Strathairn, Jon Lithgow, and Tate Donovan make this an admirable WWII flick.

4. Top Gun – Welcome to the danger zone. When I think fighter pilots, I think Maverick, Iceman and Goose from Top Gun. This movie just oozes machismo and sexiness and the dog-fighting in this flick is just plain cool. Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer are at the top of their games and let’s not forget the real stars of the film, the F-14 Tomcats.

3. Airplane! – The Airport disaster movies of the 70’s were ripe for the mocking and Jim Abrahams and David Zucker were just the men to pull it off with 1980’s Airplane!. As passengers get sick from a bad mid-flight meal, a former military pilot has to get over his debilitating phobia and land the plane to save not only all the passengers, but the girl he loves. Lloyd Bridges and Leslie Nelson are just two of the wickedly funny cast that make you belly-laugh several times throughout the film.

2. Con Air – Putting a large group of badass prisoners on a plane is not the best idea, unless you are making one of the best action films of the 90’s. Nic Cage stars as a former Army Ranger/Ex-con who finds himself on a prisoner transport flight with some of the worst criminals known to man. Unfortunately for him, the convicts stage an escape and seize control of the flight. Cage then has to protect his identity as a good guy amongst the bad guys and try and get the plane down safely.

1. Air Force One – Harrison Ford has played some memorable characters throughout the course of his career. Han Solo flew around space and Indiana Jones found himself up in the air many times, but one of his characters seems to be better than all the rest while soaring through the skies. President James Marshall of Air Force One is, by far, my favorite Harrison Ford character. He has all the things we look for in a political leader: a family man, a person of value, a strong leader, and a very charismatic figure. This movie gets me every time as Marshall has Gary Oldman’s Ivan Korshunov hanging out the back of the cargo bay and he yells, “Get off my plane.” I find my fist clenched and ready to pump it wildly in the air like my favorite football team just scored a touchdown. Air Force One is as good of an “up in the air thriller” as you are going to find.