The Hindenburg
Directed by	Robert Wise
Produced by	Robert Wise
Written by	Nelson Gidding Richard Levinson William Link
Starring	George C. Scott Anne Bancroft
Music by	David Shire
Cinematography	Robert Surtees
Editing by	Donn Cambern
Distributed by	Universal
Release date(s)	December 25, 1975
Running time	125 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Hindenburg (1975) is a movie based on the disaster of the German airship Hindenburg. The film was produced and directed by Robert Wise, and was written by Nelson Gidding, Richard Levinson, and William Link based on the novel by Michael M. Mooney. The movie has an ensemble cast, including George C. Scott, Anne Bancroft, Burgess Meredith, and Charles Durning. Image File history File links Hindenburg1975. ... // Headline text Director Robert Wise Robert Wise (September 10, 1914 – September 14, 2005) was an Academy Award-winning American film producer and director. ... // Headline text Director Robert Wise Robert Wise (September 10, 1914 – September 14, 2005) was an Academy Award-winning American film producer and director. ... Nelson Roosevelt Gidding (born 1920, died May 2, 2004) was an American screenwriter specializing in adaptations. ... Richard Levinson (August 7, 1934 - March 12, 1987) was an American writer and producer who often worked in collaboration with William Link. ... William Link is a film and television writer, often working in collaboration with Richard Levinson. ... George C Scott as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubricks George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999) was a film/stage actor, director, and producer. ... Anne Bancroft (September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an iconic Academy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning American actress. ... Born in 1937, David Shire began scoring for television in the 60s and made the leap to scoring feature films in the early 70s. ... Robert Surtees (Aug 9, 1906 - Jan 5, 1985) was an American cinematographer who won Academy Awards three times, for the films King Solomons Mines, The Bad and the Beautiful and Ben Hur. ... Universal Pictures is the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal. ... December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 6 days remaining in the year. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... // January 28 - George Lucas creates the second draft of what would eventually become Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. ... USS Akron (ZRS-4) in flight, November 2, 1931 An airship or dirigible is a buoyant aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. ... Hindenburg may refer to: Paul von Hindenburg (1847 – 1934), German general in World War I and president of Germany (1925 – 1934) Oskar von Hindenburg (1883 – 1960), son of the former Carl Hindenburg, mathematician Named after Paul von Hindenburg: Hindenburg in Oberschlesien, from 1915 to 1945 the name of the city... // Headline text Director Robert Wise Robert Wise (September 10, 1914 – September 14, 2005) was an Academy Award-winning American film producer and director. ... Nelson Roosevelt Gidding (born 1920, died May 2, 2004) was an American screenwriter specializing in adaptations. ... Richard Levinson (August 7, 1934 - March 12, 1987) was an American writer and producer who often worked in collaboration with William Link. ... William Link is a film and television writer, often working in collaboration with Richard Levinson. ... George C Scott as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubricks George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999) was a film/stage actor, director, and producer. ... Anne Bancroft (September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an iconic Academy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning American actress. ... Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was a versatile American actor and is best known for portraying Rocky Balboas trainer Mickey Goldmill in the Rocky films and The Penguin in the television series Batman. ... Charles Durning Charles Durning (born February 28, 1923 in Highland Falls, New York) is an American actor of stage and screen, born to an impoverished Irish American Catholic family, which he left as soon as possible to ease the financial pressure on his mother. ...

A highly speculative thriller, The Hindenburg portrays a conspiracy leading to the destruction of the airship. In reality, while the zeppelins were certainly used as a propaganda symbol by the Third Reich, and anti-Nazi forces might have had the motivation for sabotage, the theory of sabotage was investigated at the time and no firm evidence for such sabotage was ever put forward. LZ127 Graf Zeppelin, one of the two zeppelins that carried passengers from Germany to the United States. ... An Australian anti-conscription propaganda poster from World War One U.S. propaganda poster, which warns against civilians sharing information on troop movements (National Archives) The much-imitated 1914 Lord Kitchener Wants You! poster Brochure of the Peoples Temple, portraying cult leader Jim Jones as the loving father of the... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... German supply train blown up by the Armia Krajowa during World War II Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening an enemy, oppressor or employer through subversion, obstruction, disruption, and/or destruction. ...

An interesting aspect of the film was its transition from black and white to technicolor and back to greyscale. The film began with a Universal Studios newsreel that gave a lighthearted view to the history of the lighter-than-air craft. Afterwards the movie began, covering the events before the bomb's explosion. After the bomb explodes, a unique segue is presented utilizing special effects to recreate the first moments of the actual explosion (which were missed by all newsreel cameras at the actual event), taking the film back to the black and white mode appropriate to the news films taken at the scene. A black-and-white portrait. ... Logo celebrating Technicolors 90th Anniversary Technicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation (a subsidiary of Technicolor, Inc. ... The current Universal Studios logo Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or, officially, Universal City Studios), a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the major American film studios that has production studios and offices located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California, an unincorporated area of... A newsreel is a documentary film that is regularly released in a public presentation place containing filmed news stories. ... Lighter than air gases are buoyant in air because they have a density that is less than the density of air. ... In music, segue is a direction to the performer. ... Special effects (abbreviated SPFX or SFX) are used in the film, television, and entertainment industry to create effects that cannot be achieved by normal means, such as depicting travel to other star systems. ...

The film ended with a tribute to Herbert Morrison's footage, with the memorable quotation, "Oh the Humanity!". Hindenburg Disaster Newsreel Footage is a 1937 documentary film which shows the burning, explosion, and crash of the zeppelin Hindenburg. ...

The Hindenburg made extensive use of matte paintings to bring the Zeppelin to life, in addition to a highly-detailed 25-foot long miniature which was "flown" via wires on a Universal Studios soundstage. The miniature of the Hindenburg today rests in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Matte or matt can be used to describe a non-glossy finish on a surface; it can also be used to denote the surface surrounding a framed picture, between the picture itself and the frame; usually made from coloured card. ... LZ127 Graf Zeppelin, one of the two zeppelins that carried passengers from Germany to the United States. ... The current Universal Studios logo Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or, officially, Universal City Studios), a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the major American film studios that has production studios and offices located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California, an unincorporated area of... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: Country United States Federal District District of Columbia Government  - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)  - City Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D...

Historical errors

The film tries to stay fairly accurate although a few inaccuracies occurred:

• There are two minor historical errors on the model used in the film. One is that the word "D-LZ129" should be on the top of the ship, while the model is missing this and only has the word "D-LZ129" on the sides. Another inaccuracy is that the word "D-LZ129" on the sides is written too small and too much to the back of the ship although it is still between the "space" of the two engine cars.
• The landing wheel always "folds" back in the model, while the wheel is often swiveled backwards during flight in the real Hindenburg.
• The passenger gangway doors are swung open inaccurately because in reality they had to be opened manually and wouldn't land directly on the ground (rolling stairs were provided to let passengers walk down without jumping)
• The part when the port fin's fabric rips did not happen to the Hindenburg but is based on an incident that happened to the Graf Zeppelin.
• A historical error in the film is the addition of a Blüthner baby grand piano on the last flight. While the Hindenburg did indeed have a piano aboard for the 1936 season, it was removed in 1937 to save weight.
• The mooring mast used in the landing sequence is of the wrong color, as it is black while the real mooring mast was actually red and white.
• During the landing sequence the ship drops water ballast through some the windows on the keel near the nose. This is very inaccurate, as water ballast was actually dropped through holes much more towards the gondola as well as near the tail section.
• While the explosion sequence when the model is "blown up" is realistic and is in black and white, in reality the explosion should have spread to the stern more and two strange objects were seen in the photographs of the disaster, which were most likely fuel tanks and/or water tanks, were missing in the explosion sequence.
• Also, in the sequence when the ground crew are running away from the ship, the ship's port side seems to be losing more fabric, while in reality the port side did not spread that fast.
• In the film, the characters of Ernst Lehmann and Hugo Eckener are portrayed as very wary of the Nazi party. In reality, while Eckener hated the Nazis and spoke against them openly, Lehmann was very accommodating to the powers in Berlin in order to advance his career and the fortunes of the Zeppelin Company. In fact, while the movie shows Lehmann protesting using the ship in the previous year to drop propaganda leaflets, in reality Lehmann was eager and glad to oblige in this undertaking, to the extent that he launched the ship in a dangerous wind condition, bashing in the tail. In real life Eckener lashed out at Lehmann for endangering the ship to please the Nazis, resulting in Propaganda Minister Goebbels blacklisting Eckener in the press forever after, despite his being a national (and international) hero.
• The film is set in 1937. At one time the dialog refers to the fact that the German car manufacturer Opel is to be taken over by General Motors "the next day". In fact, Opel had already been taken over completely in 1929.
• Although a military band plays the German national anthem during the start of The Hindenburg, no male spectator removes his hat and no military personnel salute, which would have been simply impossible in the Nazi era.
• At the beginning of the film during the fake newsreel, the name of the airship Graf Zeppelin is shown painted on its side. But it is painted in a different font, a dead giveaway that the airship shown is actually the LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin II, which was not built until the year after the Hindenburg crashed, and therefore a 1937 newsreel would not show it.
• On board the Hindenburg, the Countess is reading a paperback book, which is a German-language edition of Gone with the Wind. Paperback books were introduced in Germany no earlier than 1948.
• At one of the Airports there are Citroën delivery cars which were built in the 1950s.

Graf Zeppelin, filled with abundant hydrogen, circumnavigated the globe. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A grand piano A piano is a keyboard instrument, widely used in western music for solo performance, chamber music, and accompaniment, and also as a convenient aid to composing and rehearsal. ... Captain Ernst August Lehmann (May 12, 1886 - May 7, 1937) was a German airship captain. ... The Graf Zeppelin (LZ 130) was the last of the great Zeppelins built by the Zeppelin Luftschiffbau during the period between the World Wars. ... Gone with the Wind, an American novel by Margaret Mitchell, was published in 1936 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937. ... Citroën is a French automobile manufacturer, founded in 1919 by André Citroën. ...

Other

• Many of the fictional characters are based on actual people. For example: Franz Ritter is based on Fritz Erdmann, Karl Boerth is based on Eric Spehl, Captain Fellows is clearly based on Commander Charles Rosendahl, as well as a few others.
• The possibility of Boerth's (i.e. Spehl's) deliberate sabotage is one theory of the fire that had been the subject of a book, around the time of the film's development. It has never been proven definitively.
• Although sabotage may be only a theory to the disaster, the sequence in the beginning about a bomb threat from a Kathie Rauch of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is fact.
• There are at least three different versions of the film for both VHS and DVD. One version appears on a standard 4:3 TV with parts cut off. One version (possibly the DVD version) has more of the ship being shown as well a small part after Ritter talks to Joseph Goebbels about time bombs found aboard other airships, aircraft and possibly ships, such as the Graf Zeppelin. Another version has somebody in the background saying "Oh my God! Oh my God!" while the ship is on fire.
• It is unknown if the service wind and gusts chart with the flashing light in the landing sequence really existed.
• It is unknown if crew members really pressed a button in order to drop the mooring lines.
• A real-life tragedy nearly happened during the filming of the Hindenburg's fiery death. A full-scale section of the Zeppelin's nose was built for the film, and was set to be destroyed by fire for the film's final destruction sequence. A half-dozen stunt artists wearing fire-retardant gear were placed in the nose replica as it was set afire; however, the fire quickly got out of control, causing several stunt artists to get lost in the smoke, damaging several cameras filming the action, and nearly destroying the sound stage. Some of the footage from this sequence was used in the final cut of the film, but the full sequence, as it had been planned, was not included.

This article is about Milwaukee in Wisconsin. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42°30N to 47°3N  - Longitude 86°49W to 92°54W Population  Ranked... Paul Joseph Goebbels (29 October 1897–1 May 1945) was a German politician and Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda during the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945. ...

Awards

The Hindenburg won two Special Achievement Academy Awards: Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ...

• Peter Berkos for Sound Effects
• Albert Whitlock and Glen Robinson for Visual Effects

The film was also nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound. the famous matte Albert J Whitlock (September 15, 1915 in London – October 26, 1999 in Santa Barbara, California) was an English motion picture matte artist best known for his work with Disney and Universal Studios. ... Visual effects (vfx) is the term given to a sub-category of special effects in which images or film frames are created or manipulated for film and video. ... The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. ... The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is awarded each year to a cinematographer for his work in one particular motion picture. ...

Cast

• George C. Scott as Col. Franz Ritter
• Anne Bancroft as Ursula, The Countess
• William Atherton as Boerth
• Roy Thinnes as Martin Vogel
• Gig Young as Edward Douglas*
• Burgess Meredith as Emilio Pajetta
• Charles Durning as Capt. Pruss*
• Richard A. Dysart as Capt. Lehmann*
• Robert Clary as Joe Spah*(miscredited or erroneously credited as Joe Spahn)
• Rene Auberjonois as Maj. Napier
• Peter Donat as Reed Channing
• Alan Oppenheimer as Albert Breslau
• Katherine Helmond as Mrs. Mildred Breslau
• Joanna Moore as Mrs. Channing
• Stephen Elliott as Capt. Fellows
• Joyce Davis as Eleanore Ritter
• Colby Chester as Eliot Howell III
• Michael Richardson as Rigger Neuhaus
• Herbert Nelson as Dr. Hugo Eckener**
• William Sylvester as Luftwaffe Colonel

• *beside name means actual name of person on the last flight of the Hindenburg.
• ** beside name means real person involved with zeppelins.

George C Scott as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubricks George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999) was a film/stage actor, director, and producer. ... Anne Bancroft (September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an iconic Academy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning American actress. ... William Atherton (born William Atherton Knight) is an American film actor. ... Roy Thinnes (born April 6. ... Actor Gig Young in City That Never Sleeps Gig Young (November 4, 1913–October 19, 1978) was an American film actor. ... Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was a versatile American actor and is best known for portraying Rocky Balboas trainer Mickey Goldmill in the Rocky films and The Penguin in the television series Batman. ... Charles Durning Charles Durning (born February 28, 1923 in Highland Falls, New York) is an American actor of stage and screen, born to an impoverished Irish American Catholic family, which he left as soon as possible to ease the financial pressure on his mother. ... Richard Dysart is a film and television actor. ... Robert Clary Robert Clary (born March 1, 1926 as Robert Max Widerman) was a French actor of Jewish descent. ... René Murat Auberjonois (born June 1, 1940 in New York, New York) is an American actor best known for his early 1980s role as Clayton Endicott III on the television show Benson and his role as Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ... Peter Donat (born 20 January 1928 in Nova Scotia, Canada) is an actor best known for his roles in American television. ... Alan Oppenheimer (born April 23, 1930 in New York City, New York) is an American voice-actor who has had an active career in cartoons since the 1940s. ... Katherine Helmond (born July 5, 1928 as Katherine Marie Helmond in Galveston, Texas) is an American film, theater and television actress. ... Stephen Elliott (born November 27, 1918 in New York City; died May 21, 2005 in Woodland Hills, California) was an American actor and comedian from New York City. ... Michael Richardson is an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. ... William Sylvester (January 31, 1922 - January 25, 1995) was an American TV and film actor. ...

Awards

External link

• The Hindenburg at the Internet Movie Database