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1978 television film by E. W. Swackhamer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Winds of Kitty Hawk is a 1978 American made-for-television biographical film directed by E. W. Swackhamer about the Wright brothers and their invention of the first successful powered heavier-than-air flying machine, the Wright Flyer.[1] It's a tribute to the brothers and was broadcast on December 17, 1978, the 75th anniversary of their famous 1903 first aeroplane flight. It is one of several made-for-television films about historical people in aviation produced in the 1970s, including The Amazing Howard Hughes, Amelia Earhart, and The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case.
| The Winds of Kitty Hawk | |
|---|---|
| |
| Written by | William Kelley Jeb Rosebrook |
| Directed by | E.W. Swackhamer |
| Starring | Michael Moriarty David Huffman Tom Bower Scott Hylands |
| Music by | Charles Bernstein |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Charles Fries |
| Producer | Lawrence Schiller |
| Cinematography | Dennis Dalzell |
| Editor | John A. Martinelli |
| Running time | 98 minutes |
| Production company | Charles Fries Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | December 17, 1978 |
The film presents the brothers' lives in dramatic vignettes sometimes historically rearranged.
At the start of the 20th century, bicycle mechanics Wilbur and Orville Wright, begin tinkering with gliders on the windy sand dunes of Kitty Hawk. Three years and dozens of crashes later, the Wright brothers solve the technical problems that had stumped the best engineers in the world, and succeed in making the first successful powered flight. Ironically, their success marks only the beginning and not the end of their struggle.[2]
The film makes a claimer at the beginning stating that dramatic license had been taken but for the most part their story is told chronologically.
In 2012, the film became available on DVD from MGM Limited Edition.[3]
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