FLYING HIGH (1980) AKA AIRPLANE, Movie Poster Australian One Sheet
Size AU One Sheet (27" x 40")
FLYING HIGH (1980) AKA AIRPLANE, Movie Poster Australian One Sheet starring Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker & Jerry Zucker...
FLYING HIGH (1980) AKA AIRPLANE, Movie Poster Australian One Sheet starring Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker & Jerry Zucker is in Very Fine+ Condition.
Movie Poster and Condition.
Condition: This poster is presented in Very Fine+, Folded as issued originally distributed to cinemas, 2 small holes at the bottom and top caused by a pin, some crossfold wear but no separation in excellent condition.
This authentic Australian One Sheet movie poster for Flying High (1980), released internationally as Airplane!, is an original cinema-issued poster produced for the Australian theatrical release. Original Australian posters for this classic comedy are becoming increasingly sought after by collectors of vintage film memorabilia, particularly those featuring iconic comedy classics from the 1980s.
Movie Synopsis
Flying High (1980), known throughout most of the world as Airplane!, is widely regarded as one of the greatest comedy films ever made. Directed by the legendary trio of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker, the film brilliantly spoofs the disaster movie genre, particularly the 1957 film Zero Hour!, while delivering an endless stream of visual gags, absurd dialogue and unforgettable one-liners that continue to entertain audiences decades after its release.
The story follows former fighter pilot Ted Striker (Robert Hays), a traumatised ex-war pilot whose fear of flying has left his life in turmoil. Determined to win back his former girlfriend, flight attendant Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty), Ted boards a commercial flight despite his crippling anxiety. During the journey, disaster strikes when the passengers and crew suffer severe food poisoning after eating contaminated fish, leaving the aircraft without anyone capable of flying it safely.
With both pilots incapacitated, Ted must overcome his personal fears and take control of the aircraft. Assisted by Elaine and guided from the ground by the gruff but experienced Steve McCroskey (Lloyd Bridges), Ted attempts to land the plane safely. Adding to the chaos is the unforgettable performance of Leslie Nielsen as the deadpan Doctor Rumack, whose serious delivery of ridiculous dialogue helped transform Nielsen into one of Hollywood's greatest comedy actors.
The outstanding ensemble cast includes Peter Graves, Robert Stack, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lorna Patterson, Stephen Stucker and many memorable cameo appearances. Every scene is packed with background jokes, visual references and subtle humour, rewarding repeat viewings as audiences continue discovering new gags hidden throughout the film.
Written by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker, the screenplay closely mirrors the dramatic structure of classic disaster movies while completely undermining audience expectations through relentless parody. The film's unique style of rapid-fire comedy became enormously influential, inspiring countless spoof films over the following decades. Unlike many comedies of its era, Flying High remains remarkably timeless thanks to its emphasis on visual humour rather than topical references.
One fascinating production fact is that many of the dramatic actors were deliberately cast because they had little or no comedy experience. Their completely serious performances made the outrageous situations even funnier. Leslie Nielsen's career changed forever after this film, launching him into starring roles in comedy classics such as The Naked Gun. The filmmakers also included numerous hidden visual jokes that occur in the background, encouraging viewers to watch the film multiple times to catch every gag.
Upon release, Airplane! became both a critical and commercial success, grossing well over US$170 million worldwide against a relatively modest budget. It is consistently ranked among the greatest comedy films ever produced and remains a favourite with audiences of all ages. Original cinema posters from the film, particularly authentic Australian One Sheet posters, have become increasingly desirable among collectors of vintage movie posters, comedy film memorabilia and fans of classic Hollywood cinema.
To find out more about Flying High (1980) click here to go to IMDB.com.
Special Notes.
Images may have a small 'MPA' digital watermark and this does not appear on the poster. Posters are being held by magnets in the corners to take photographs, so you may see some magnet and shadows from the magnets in these areas. The magnets are not included in the sale of the item.
Postage, Insurance & Your Country Taxes
Postage costs are quoted for this item, include insurance up to AUD$100, but if you reside outside of Australia, the price does not include any import taxes/fees that you may be required to pay when the item reaches your borders. Please check with your local authorities for any additional taxes or fees. If you would like full insurance coverage for your purchase, please message me and I would be happy to quote the additional cost (estimate is AUD$2.50 p/AUD$100 or 2.5% of the item value, up to a maximum item value of AUD$5,000).
FAQ
At Movie Posters Australia, the love and conservation of movie posters comes first, and we like to share this passion. Our commitment to quality means we will provide high quality memorabilia to our customers. Posters are carefully chosen and authenticated to ensure originality and value. We want our customers to trust MPA, so we always try to be as open and transparent as we can, provide detailed condition information and images, to ensure customers are comfortable and confident in their purchase.
While the industry does have a few condition rating standards, there is no movie poster condition rating system that has become the accepted standard world wide. This unfortunately makes condition terms vary from movie poster dealer to movie poster dealer. Terms like Mint, Near Mint, Very Fine, Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor, seem to be universal to most condition rating standards, but most standards still lack definition about what and how many flaws/defects/damage defines a specific condition level. For more information on how Movie Posters Australia grades the condition of its movie posters, daybills, lobby cards and other ephemera please see out Movie Poster Condition and Grading page.
In the early days of cinema, posters were primarily hand-drawn and printed in various sizes, often tailored to fit the available space in theaters or promotional areas. In the United States, the "One Sheet" size (some times called '1 Sheet' or '1SH' approximately 27" x 41", became the standard during the 1930s. This size was manageable for theater display and suited the needs of a growing film industry.
Different countries developed their own poster sizes and styles, which also changed sometimes over the decades, and were influenced by local preferences and practical considerations, like available paper sheet sizes and how many posters could be printed on one sheet.
In Australia, the most popular size, the Daybill, has evolved over the decades. Australian Daybills sizes in chronological order are:
- Long Daybills (15" x 40"), from 1920's to pre-WW2 or pre-1941, were printed two to a sheet, longer than current Daybill versions. There were size variances in width from 14.5" to 15" and in height from 39.5" to 40".
- War Time Daybill (10" x 30"), during WW2, for a short time to conserve paper during a war time shortage, four Daybills were printed on one sheet. Information from Press Sheets also referred to these War-Time sizes as "New Size Daybills".
- Post-War Daybill (13" x 30"), this 13" x 30" Post-War size carried through until the 1980's, but also varied in size from 13"-14" x 29.75"-30.25".
- Post-80's Daybill (33cm x 66cm, or 13" x 26"), over a few years in the late 80's, the size changed again to a metric 33cm x 66cm, although these have also varied from 32-33cm x 64.5-66cm. New sizes from the late 80's were created, sometimes called a Mini Daybill or Mini Poster, in 9" x 12", 11" x 17" and 13" x 20".
In the UK, the somewhat unique 'Quad' poster, measuring 30" x 40", became popular, offering a larger landscape format that allowed for more elaborate designs.
In Japan, movie poster sizes were smaller, such as the "B2" (20" x 28"), which suited the more compact living environment of larger cities, smaller advertising spaces, and unique aesthetic sensibilities.
The 1970s and 1980s, witnessed the rise of the "six-sheet" (81" x 81") format, reflecting a trend towards larger and more visually impactful advertising.
Overall, the variation in movie poster sizes across different countries and decades highlights the interplay between technological printing advancements, paper resource availability, paper sheet size changes, cultural preferences, and the evolving nature of movie marketing.
At Movie Posters Australia we tag each poster we sell with a 'size' and 'condition' description at the very top of the page for our customers to easily see. There may however be some slight variations to sizes by up one inch due to variations in production and guillotine methods by printers over the decades.