''Skyward'' is a 1980 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

starring

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

, Howard Hesseman,

Marion Ross Marion Ross (born Marian Ellen Ross; October 25, 1928) is a American former actress. Her best-known role is that of Marion Cunningham on the ABC television sitcom '' Happy Days'', on which she starred from 1974 to 1984 and for which she recei ...

, Suzy Gilstrap,

Clu Gulager William Martin Gulager (; November 16, 1928 – August 5, 2022), better known as Clu Gulager, was an American television and film actor and director born in Holdenville, Oklahoma. He first became known for his work in television, appearing in ...

and

Lisa Whelchel Lisa Diane Whelchel (born May 29, 1963) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, author, and life coach. She is known for her appearances as a Mouseketeer on ''The New Mickey Mouse Club'' and her nine-year role as the preppy and wealthy Blai ...

. It was directed by

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...

, written by Nancy Sackett and broadcast on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

on November 20, 1980.

Plot

Bette Davis stars as a flight instructor at an old Texas airport. When a young girl in a wheelchair finds the airport by watching gliders fly, she decides she wants to learn how to fly. Davis teaches her to fly with some special controls adapted for her disability. Howard Hesseman is an aircraft repair service mechanic trying desperately to get an old airplane back in the air. The three, together, put the young girl and the old plane up in the air.

Production

The film was made on location in

Rockwall, Texas Rockwall is a city in Rockwall County, Texas, United States, which is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. It is the county seat of Rockwall County. The U.S. Census Bureau estimate's As of the 2020 census, Rockwall's population is 47,251. T ...

, with the plot centering on the town's airport.Wilfong, David (16 August 2009)
Rockwall seeking to become ‘Film Friendly City’
''Rockwall County Herald Banner'' Director Ron Howard has credited this film as helping to convince studios that he could direct feature films. Getting General Electric to sponsor the film was a big step, and getting Bette Davis on board was also ambitious. Howard recalls that Bette Davis was initially concerned about Gilstrap's casting because she had no real acting experience. Davis referred to Howard to "Mr. Howard" at the beginning of the first day of filming, but he soon became "Ron," and she later highly complimented his work, telling him he could be another

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), ''The Best Years of ...

.Ron Howard's Skyward
Archive of American Television (Ron Howard Interview), retrieved 9 September 2020Wygant, Bonnie
Bette Davis Interview
NBC DFW (1980)

Reception

John J. O'Connor of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' opined that G.E. Theater, "an indefatigable supplier of upbeat dramas," had "clearly found itself another hefty dose of safe inspiration" in this film. But he did credit the casting of paraplegic teenager Suzy GilstrapGritten, David (7 December 1981)
Paralyzed by a Falling Tree, Suzy Gilstrap Turned to Acting and Her Career Heads Skyward
''People'' in the lead role, as well as the casting of

and Howard Hesseman.TV: Handicapped Girl And Her Flying Lessons
''

Tom Shales Thomas William Shales (born November 3, 1944) is an American writer and retired critic of television programming and operations. He was a television critic for ''The Washington Post'' from 1977 to 2010, for which Shales received the Pulitzer Pr ...

of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' called the movie "one sweet piece of work" and a "lyrical heartwarmer." Shales, Tom (20 November 1980)
Reaching For the Stars
''

'' The movie was the 16th ranked prime time television show in the United States for the week of its release, with a 22.0 Nielsen rating.(26 November 1980)
Bullseye! CBS hits rating record with two shots
''Courier-Post'' (

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

story) The movie's success led to a one-hour Christmas special directed by

Vincent McEveety Vincent Michael McEveety (August 10, 1929 – May 19, 2018) was an American film and television director and producer. Career Vince McEveety directed numerous Emmy Award-winning television series, including ''The Untouchables'', '' Gunsmoke ...

in December 1981 called ''Skyward Christmas''. Though Gilstrap reprised her role as Julie, the cast was largely new and the production generally received poor reviews.(3 December 1981)
'Skyward' sequel flops
''Dayton Daily News''

Cast

as Billie Dupree * Howard Hesseman as Koup Trenton *

as Natalie Ward *

as Steve Ward *Ben Marley as Scott Billings *

as Lisa Ward *Suzy Gilstrap as Julie Ward(16 November 1980)
Don't Feel Sorry
''San Bernardino Sun'' (TV Week) *

Irma P. Hall Irma Dolores Player Hall (born June 3, 1935) is an American actress who has appeared in films and television shows since the early 1970s. Hall often played matriarchal figures in films including '' A Family Thing'', '' The Ladykillers'' and ''Soul ...

as Mrs. Sinclair *Mark Wheeler as Mr. Olsen *Jessie Lee Fulton as Secretary *

Bill Thurman Bill Thurman (November 4, 1920 – April 13, 1995) was an American film and television actor. From the early 1960s until his death in 1995, he frequently appeared in B movies and independent films, often playing "redneck types" or sheriffs. He w ...

as Pilot #1 *

Rance Howard Rance Howard (born Harold Engle Beckenholdt; November 17, 1928 – November 25, 2017) was an American actor who starred in film and on television. He was the father of actor and filmmaker Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard, and grandfather of actr ...

as Pilot #2 *Rhonda Minton as Stephanie *Gene Pietragallo as Jason *Greta Blackburn as Miss Russell *Jeff Nicholson as Theatre Usher *Kate Finlayson as Nurse *Rusty McCaskey as Boy in Class * Bill Blackwood as himself *Charley French as Boy in Class

References

External links

* {{Ron Howard 1980 television films 1980 films 1980 drama films American drama television films 1980s English-language films Films directed by Ron Howard Films scored by Lee Holdridge NBC network original films Films shot in Dallas Films about disability in the United States Films about paraplegics or quadriplegics 1980s American films