Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies is a 1973 American adventure comedy film directed by John Erman from a screenplay by Claudia Salter. The film centers on a barnstorming pilot (Cliff Robertson) and his son (Eric Shea) as they fly around the United States in the 1920s, having adventures along the way. One of the driving forces behind the production, Robertson was a real life pilot, although Hollywood stunt pilot Frank Tallman flew most of the aerial scenes. The film was the first feature credit for filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who wrote the story.
Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies was released in the United States on April 1, 1973, by 20th Century Fox.
Plot
In the early 1920s, Eli (Cliff Robertson) is a barnstorming stunt pilot in Kansas. When flying with his wife Wilma, (Patricia Smith), Eli crashes into a barn. He survives by being thrown into a haystack, but his wife is killed. He has to raise his 11-year-old son Rodger (Eric Shea) on his own. While Eli is the parent, his young son is often the more mature. Both father and son take on the restoration of the wrecked Standard J-1 aircraft, but are at odds when Rodger paints the name "Wilma" on the side of the aircraft. Eli becomes angry and upset and slaps paint over the name, still blaming himself for his wife's death. He paints on a slogan, "Fly with Ace Eli", instead.
Wanting to cut all ties to the past, Rodger, who misses his deceased mother, douses their farm house with gasoline and sets it ablaze, taking all the old memories with it. After finishing repairs on their aircraft, Eli and Rodger set off on a barnstorming tour. To begin their odyssey, the pair land on the main street in a small town and are treated like celebrities.
Wherever Eli lands, he finds a new girlfriend, but does not form any permanent relationships. One girl in particular, Shelby (Pamela Franklin), a rich flapper, chases Eli from town to town in her car. Eventually, she joins Eli and Rodger on their trip across the country. With Rodger exploring new adventures, trying out cigarettes and alcohol, and even what Eli calls "smutty" books, he still pines for his mother. Besides learning to fly with his father as a co-pilot, Rodger becomes the manager of the tour, looking after all the finances, even paying Allison (Bernadette Peters), a prostitute. Spurred by a taunt from his father, Rodger flies their aircraft solo, even managing a bouncy landing.
Shelby and Eli carry on a tempestuous relationship, but when Shelby is confronted by Eli's strident professions of love, she brutally ends the affair. Trying to comfort Rodger, for whom she truly cares, she is shunned and leaves. Eli ultimately accepts that his running away and dragging his son along on an aimless journey through Kansas is not good for either himself or his young son. Abandoning the barnstorming tour, the pair of aviators make their way back to their former home, where people still love them.
Cast
Cliff Robertson as Ace Eli Walford
Pamela Franklin as Shelby
Eric Shea as Rodger Walford
Bernadette Peters as Allison
Rosemary Murphy as Hannah
Alice Ghostley as Sister Lite
Royal Dano as Jake
Kelly Jean Peters as Rachel
Don Keefer as Mr. Parsons
Patricia Smith as Mrs. Wilma Walford
Herb Gatlin as Frank Savage
Arthur Malet as Brother Watson
Ariana Chase as Betty Jo (credited as Ariane Munker) Hope Summers as Laura Jim Boles as Abraham Lew Brown as Harris Robert Hamm as Dumb Dickie Brent Hurst as Jeffrey Rodger Peck as Leroy Jan Simms as Mrs. Parsons Dixie Lee as Mrs. Harrison Claudia Bryar as Ann Felicity Van Runkle as Linette Pat O'Connor as Brother Foster Bill Quinn as Mortician
Production
Steven Spielberg had developed the story of a flyer with a young son, containing themes that interested him: aircraft and flying and parental responsibility. He developed the premise with fellow Cal State alumni Claudia Salter, and hoped to direct it himself, but Richard D. Zanuck, who was then the president of 20th Century Fox, declined to hire Spielberg as director. Producers Robert Fryer and James Cresson hired John Erman to direct because he was older. The film originally ended with Eli committing suicide, but the studio recut it to give it a happier ending. Spielberg was so displeased by the film that he publicly complained it had been "turned into a really sick film. They should bury it." Spielberg would not make a film for Twentieth Century Fox until 2002's Minority Report (even then, this was a co-production with DreamWorks).