Skyward (film)

1980 American TV series or program

Skyward

Genre| Drama
Written by| Nancy Sackett[1]
Story by| Anson Williams
Directed by| Ron Howard
Starring| Bette Davis
Howard Hesseman
Marion Ross
Clu Gulager
Lisa Whelchel
Suzy Gilstrap
Music by| Lee Holdridge
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
Production
Executive producers| Anson Williams
Ron Howard
Producer| John A. Kuri
Cinematography| Robert Jessup
Editor| Robert Kern Jr.
Running time| 100 minutes
Production companies| Anson Productions
Major H Productions
Original release
Network| NBC
Release| November 20, 1980 (1980-11-20)

Skyward is a 1980 American made-for-television drama film starring Bette Davis, Howard Hesseman, Marion Ross, Suzy Gilstrap, Clu Gulager and Lisa Whelchel. It was directed by Ron Howard, written by Nancy Sackett and broadcast on NBC on November 20, 1980.[2][3]

## Plot

[edit]

Bette Davis stars as a flight instructor at an old Texas airport. When a young girl in a wheelchair finds the airport by watching gliders fly, she decides she wants to learn how to fly. Davis teaches her to fly with some special controls adapted for her disability. Howard Hesseman is an aircraft repair service mechanic trying desperately to get an old airplane back in the air. The three, together, put the young girl and the old plane up in the air.

## Production

[edit]

The film was set in Rockwall, Texas, with the plot centering on the town's airport, and partially filmed in the city and surrounding areas.[4][5]

Director Ron Howard has credited this film as helping to convince studios that he could direct feature films. Getting General Electric to sponsor the film was a big step, and getting Bette Davis on board was also ambitious. Howard recalls that Bette Davis was initially concerned about Gilstrap's casting because she had no real acting experience. Davis referred to Howard as “Mr. Howard" at the beginning of the first day of filming, but he soon became "Ron," and she later highly complimented his work, telling him he could be another William Wyler.[6][7]

Ron Howard reminisced: "On working with Bette Davis during the filming of 1980's "Skyward": "She didn't much like that there was this 25-year-old from a sitcom that was directing her. I was talking to her on the phone and I said, 'Well, Ms. Davis, I'll protect you as the director and make sure you're prepared and that your performance will not suffer,' and she said, 'I disagree, Mr. Howard.' I said, 'Ms. Davis, just call me Ron,' and she said, 'No, I will call you Mr. Howard until I decide whether I like you or not.' And then (on the set) I gave her a note. And she tried it, and it worked for her. She said, 'You're right, that works much better. Let's shoot.' And at the end of the whole thing, I said, 'Well, Ms. Davis, great first day. I'll see you tomorrow."' She said, 'Okay, Ron, see you tomorrow,'" and she patted me on the ass."

## Reception

[edit]

John J. O'Connor of The New York Times opined that G.E. Theater, "an indefatigable supplier of upbeat dramas," had "clearly found itself another hefty dose of safe inspiration" in this film. But he did credit the casting of paraplegic teenager Suzy Gilstrap[8] in the lead role, as well as the casting of Bette Davis and Howard Hesseman.[9] Tom Shales of The Washington Post called the movie "one sweet piece of work" and a "lyrical heartwarmer."[4]

The movie was the 16th ranked prime time television show in the United States for the week of its release, with a 22.0 Nielsen rating.[10]

The movie's success led to a one-hour Christmas special directed by Vincent McEveety in December 1981 called Skyward Christmas. Though Gilstrap reprised her role as Julie, the cast was largely new and the production generally received poor reviews.[11][8]

## Cast

[edit]

* Bette Davis as Billie Dupree
* Howard Hesseman as Koup Trenton
* Marion Ross as Natalie Ward
* Clu Gulager as Steve Ward
* Ben Marley as Scott Billings
* Lisa Whelchel as Lisa Ward
* Suzy Gilstrap as Julie Ward[12]
* Irma P. Hall as Mrs. Sinclair
* Mark Wheeler as Mr. Olsen
* Jessie Lee Fulton as Secretary
* Bill Thurman as Pilot #1
* Rance Howard as Pilot #2
* Rhonda Minton as Stephanie
* Gene Pietragallo as Jason
* Greta Blackburn as Miss Russell
* Jeff Nicholson as Theatre Usher
* Kate Finlayson as Nurse
* Rusty McCaskey as Boy in Class
* Charley French as Boy in Class
* Bill Blackwood as himself

## References

[edit]

1. ^ (20 June 1980) Bette Davis on Location, Santa Cruz Sentinel (Associated Press story), p. 16
2. ^ "Skyward (1980) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
3. ^ Hal Erickson (2015). "Skyward - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
4. ^ a b Shales, Tom (20 November 1980). Reaching For the Stars, The Washington Post
5. ^ Wilfong, David (16 August 2009). Rockwall seeking to become ‘Film Friendly City’, Rockwall County Herald Banner
6. ^ Ron Howard's Skyward, Archive of American Television (Ron Howard Interview), retrieved 9 September 2020
7. ^ Wygant, Bonnie. Bette Davis Interview, NBC DFW (1980)
8. ^ a b Gritten, David (7 December 1981). Paralyzed by a Falling Tree, Suzy Gilstrap Turned to Acting and Her Career Heads Skyward, People
9. ^ TV: Handicapped Girl And Her Flying Lessons, The New York Times
10. ^ (26 November 1980). Bullseye! CBS hits rating record with two shots, Courier-Post (Associated Press story)
11. ^ (3 December 1981). 'Skyward' sequel flops, Dayton Daily News
12. ^ (16 November 1980). Don't Feel Sorry, San Bernardino Sun (TV Week)

## External links

[edit]

* Skyward at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Ron Howard

* Accolades
* Filmography
* Unrealized projects

Feature films|

| Directed|

* Grand Theft Auto (1977, also wrote)
* Cotton Candy (1978, also wrote)
* Skyward (1980)
* Night Shift (1982)
* Splash (1984)
* Cocoon (1985)
* Gung Ho (1986)
* Willow (1988)
* Parenthood (1989, also wrote)
* Backdraft (1991)
* Far and Away (1992, also wrote)
* The Paper (1994)
* Apollo 13 (1995)
* Ransom (1996)
* EDtv (1999)
* How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
* A Beautiful Mind (2001)
* The Missing (2003)
* Cinderella Man (2005)
* The Da Vinci Code (2006)
* Frost/Nixon (2008)
* Angels & Demons (2009)
* The Dilemma (2011)
* Rush (2013)
* In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
* Inferno (2016)
* Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
* Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
* Thirteen Lives (2022)
* Eden (2024)

|

Produced|

* Clean and Sober (1988)
* The Chamber (1996)
* Inventing the Abbotts (1997)
* The Alamo (2004)
* Curious George (2006)
* Changeling (2008)
* Restless (2011)
* Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
* The Good Lie (2014)
* The Dark Tower (2017)
* Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021)
* The Beanie Bubble (2023)

Documentaries|

| Directed|

* Made in America (2013)
* The Beatles: Eight Days a Week (2016)
* Pavarotti (2019)
* Rebuilding Paradise (2020)
* We Feed People (2022)
* Jim Henson Idea Man (2024)

|

Produced|

* Beyond the Mat (1999)
* Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012)
* Music by John Williams (2024)

See also|

* Imagine Entertainment
* Brian Grazer

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