WINDS OF KITTY HAWK, THE (TV)
Summary
This made-for-television movie dramatizes the true story of aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright. The program begins in July of 1897 in Dayton, Ohio, as Willbur Wright first begins to develop his concept of a flying machine. By 1900, he has built the first model of his machine, and he borrows money from the savings of his familyÕs bicycle shop to finance a full-scale construction in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. His father protests such a risky use of hard-earned family funds, particularly for travel to a faraway state, but WilburÕs only dream is to fly. With the full support of his sister Kate and brother Orville, Wilbur travels to the desolate sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, where the isolation, coastal winds, and wide open space allow him to work freely on his flying machine. Orville soon joins his brother on the coast to collaborate. They are hopeful but also concerned; a competitor, Professor Langley, is developing a similar glider with government funding. The Wrights' glider continues to develop, and they are able to fly for a short distance, but the brothers face many challenges and are forced to rebuild repeatedly, adding new features to their machine in order to adapt to the winds, facilitate take-off, and stay airborn. By 1903, the brothers feel that their invention is advanced enough to merit hiring an attorney to file for a patent. However, getting a patent that fully protects their invention is not so simple as they had anticipated. As the Wrights continue to labor on the "Wright Flyer" and feel the pressure from competitors and their lagging patent application, the tensions take a toll, and the brothers begin to fight. But when LangleyÕs much touted flyer crashes twice in a row, the brothers feel some relief and become more confident of their own success. Soon, word gets out about their invention, and a motor builder named Glenn Curtiss tries to interest them in a business partnership. When Wilbur declines, Curtiss decides to collaborate with inventor Alexander Graham Bell, who has taken over LangleyÕs operation. Curtiss uses the Wright design and adds the power of his own engines. A fierce rivalry begins between Glenn Curtis and the Wright brothers, which will last for the next eight years. The competitors race to get their machines in the air first; they fight over government and foreign contracts; they compete to win prizes and grants. In September of 1908 at Fort Myers, Virginia, the Wrights suffer a great defeat, and Curtiss takes advantage of their vulnerability. Not only does the race between Curtiss and the Wrights continue, but Wilbur also files a patent suit against Curtiss. Although they have to share the spotlight with their competitor, the Wright brothers finally gain the recognition they deserve for their innovative creation and committed work. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: December 17, 1978 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:41:12
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T84:0387
- GENRE: Docudrama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Aeronautics - History - Drama; Wright Flyer (Airplane) - Drama
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV, 1978
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Charles Fries … Executive Producer
- Lawrence Schiller … Producer, Direction (Misc.), Flying sequences and montages directed by
- Tony Ganz … Associate Producer
- E.W. Swackhamer … Director
- Jeb Rosebrook … Writer, Teleplay by
- William Kelley … Writer, Teleplay by
- Charles Bernstein … Music by
- John Fresco … Music supervisor
- Michael Moriarty … Cast, Wilbur Wright
- David Huffman … Cast, Orville Wright
- Tom Bower … Cast, William Tate
- Robin Gammell … Cast, H.A. Toumlin
- Scott Hylands … Cast, Glenn Curtiss
- John Randolph … Cast, Alexander Graham Bell
- Kathryn Walker … Cast, Kate Wright
- Eugene Roche … Cast, Bishop Milton Wright
- John Hoyt … Cast, Professor Samuel Langley
- Joseph Bernard … Cast, the Mayor of New York
- Lew Brown … Cast, Harlan Mumford
- Carole Tru Foster … Cast, Agnes Osborne
- Dabbs Greer … Cast, Ace Hutchin
- Mo Malone … Cast, Elizabeth Mayfield
- Robert Casper … Cast, the Man
- Ross Durfee … Cast, William Howard Taft
- Frank Farmer … Cast, Newell
- Lawrence Haddon … Cast, the First General
- Vaughn Armstrong … Cast, the Reporter
- Tom Lawrence … Cast, the Doctor
- Charles Macaulay … Cast, the Second General
- Stephen Zacharias … Cast, the Fisherman
- Ari Zeltzer … Cast, Tom Tate
- Marie Todd … Cast