“Airport in the Jet Age” is a 1960s color film that explores a large metropolitan jet airport, primarily featuring United DC-8 Jet Mainliners. While not an exceptional film by any means, it is notable for containing views of LAX World Airport when it was brand new, relatively small (compared to today’s version) and still used isolated terminals and with the “theme building” standing alone at its core.
The film opens with a comparison of a book with an airport and how both can take people to places they’ve never been. So begins the journey of a boy in a business suit boarding a helicopter (mark 01:06) for his “taxi ride” to the airport, flying over the city and its traffic jams before arriving the terminal. We take a look inside (mark 02:13) as the boy checks in with the ticket agent and hands over his luggage. Safely aboard his United Airlines flight (mark 04:28) the film retraces each step in the process, showing the viewer what happens to check baggage (starting at mark 04:52), how the aircraft is fueled (mark 05:45), and how meals are prepared and loaded onboard a plane. We learn how weather conditions are verified (mark 07:30) and how that information is relayed to pilots. With all of the baggage and passengers onboard the film switches to the control tower (mark 09:12) — the “traffic policeman” who give jets the okay for takeoff.
The Theme Building is an iconic landmark structure at the Los Angeles International Airport within the Westchester neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles. It was dedicated on June 25, 1961, by the then US Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson, and it is an example of the Mid-Century modern influenced design school known as “Googie” or “Populuxe.” The distinctive white building resembles a flying saucer that has landed on its four legs. It was designed by a team of architects and engineers headed by William Pereira and Charles Luckman, that also included Paul Williams and Welton Becket. The initial design of the building was created by James Langenheim, of Pereira & Luckman.
The original design for the airport created by Pereira & Luckman in 1959 had all the terminal buildings and parking structures connected to a huge glass dome, which would serve as a central hub for traffic circulation. The plan was eventually scaled down considerably, and the terminals were constructed elsewhere on the property.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
