Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies
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| Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies | |
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 Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies poster |
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| Directed by | John Erman |
| Produced by | James Cresson Robert Fryer |
| Written by | Claudia Salter Steven Spielberg |
| Starring | Cliff Robertson Pamela Franklin Eric Shea Bernadette Peters |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith Jim Gradey |
| Cinematography | David M. Walsh |
| Editing by | Robert Belcher Lou Lombardo |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation |
| Release date(s) | April 1, 1973 |
| Running time | 92 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies (1973) is an adventure-comedy film, with a story by Steven Spielberg. The film centers on a stunt pilot (Cliff Robertson) and his son (Eric Shea) as they fly around the United States in the 1920s, and their adventures along the way.
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[edit] Background
Steven Spielberg had developed the story of a flyer with a young son, containing themes that interested him: planes and flying and a parents' responsibility. Spielberg expected to be the screenwriter and director. However, the studio executives who had bought the story left the studio and the new executive turned the story over to another writer with a separate director. [1]
[edit] Plot
In the early 1920s in Kansas, Eli, a barnstorming pilot and his young son Rodger set off to fly around the country on a series of adventures. Although Eli has many romances he does not form any permanent relationships, and Rodger misses his deceased mother.
[edit] Cast
- Ace Eli Walford -- Cliff Robertson
- Shelby -- Pamela Franklin
- Rodger Walford -- Eric Shea
- Allison -- Bernadette Peters (motion picture debut)
- Hannah -- Rosemary Murphy
- Sister Lite -- Alice Ghostley
- Jake -- Royal Dano
[edit] Response
The original producers, writer and director disapproved of the film and their names were removed; the film was shown with pseudonyms several years after it was filmed. In his New York Times review, Vincent Canby wrote: "...the movie is ... a mess of unexplored moods and loose ends..." [2]
[edit] Trivia
The film's scenes that take place in the town of "Monument" were actually filmed in Mount Hope, Kansas. At the time of the filming in 1972, there was an article in The Hutchinson News about Pamela Franklin, the English actress who played the character of Shelby. In this article, she talked about her experience of filming in a small Kansas town.
