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The Great Waldo Pepper

"The second greatest flyer in the world."

1975-03-13 Adventure 1hr 48m

A biplane pilot who had missed flying in WWI takes up barnstorming and later a movie career in his quest for the glory he had missed.

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The Great Waldo Pepper
Amazon Video

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Storyline

A biplane pilot who had missed flying in WWI takes up barnstorming and later a movie career in his quest for the glory he had missed.

  • Released
    1975-03-13
  • Revenue
    $20,642,922
  • Budget
    $5,000,000
  • Runtime
    1hr 48m
  • Genre
    Adventure, Drama
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    6.7
  • Production
    Universal Pictures

Crew

George Roy Hill
Director
William Goldman
Writer
George Roy Hill
Producer
Keywords:
world war i aerial combat red baron biplane flying ace barnstorming fighter ace stunt pilot the red baron airplane pilot

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Cast

Robert Redford

Robert Redford
Waldo Pepper
Bo Svenson

Bo Svenson
Axel Olsson
Bo Brundin

Bo Brundin
Ernst Kessler
Susan Sarandon

Susan Sarandon
Mary Beth
Geoffrey Lewis

Geoffrey Lewis
Newt
Edward Herrmann

Edward Herrmann
Ezra Stiles
Philip Bruns

Philip Bruns
Dilhoefer
Roderick Cook

Roderick Cook
Werfel
Kelly Jean Peters

Kelly Jean Peters
Patsy
Margot Kidder

Margot Kidder
Maude
Scott Newman

Scott Newman
Duke
James S. Appleby

James S. Appleby
Ace
Patrick W. Henderson Jr.

Patrick W. Henderson Jr.
Scooter
James N. Harrell

James N. Harrell
Farmer
Elma Aicklen

Elma Aicklen
Farmer's Wife
Deborah Knapp

Deborah Knapp
Farmer's Daughter
John A. Zee

John A. Zee
Director, Western Set
John Reilly

John Reilly
Western Star
Jack Manning

Jack Manning
Director, Spanish Set
Joe Billings

Joe Billings
Policeman
Lawrence P. Casey

Lawrence P. Casey
German Star
Greg Martin

Greg Martin
Assistant Director
Greg Bransom

Greg Bransom
Carnival Specrator (uncredited)
Marilyn Burns

Marilyn Burns
Spectator (uncredited)
A.L. Camp

A.L. Camp
Farmer (uncredited)
Harvey Christiansen

Harvey Christiansen
Farmer in Crowd (uncredited)
William Creamer

William Creamer
Country Man in Restaurant (uncredited)
Kenny E. Bishop

Kenny E. Bishop
(uncredited)
Cheryl Downey

Cheryl Downey
Minor Role (uncredited)
Inge Erving

Inge Erving
City Woman in Restaurant (uncredited)
Todd Ezell

Todd Ezell
Carny Barker (uncredited)
John Guttman

John Guttman
Poth Farmer #2 (uncredited)
Robert S. Holman

Robert S. Holman
Farmer at Fence #1 (uncredited)
Elsie Julian

Elsie Julian
Country Woman in Restaurant (uncredited)
R.C. Keene

R.C. Keene
Air show attendee (uncredited)
Patrick G. Koerber

Patrick G. Koerber
Man in Crowd (uncredited)
Ruby Leonard

Ruby Leonard
Ruby (uncredited)
James Patrick Lockett

James Patrick Lockett
Boy from Poth (uncredited)
Richard A. Meyer

Richard A. Meyer
Poth Farmer #1 (uncredited)
Steve Moriarty

Steve Moriarty
Airport Mechanic (uncredited)
Wayne Nowotny

Wayne Nowotny
(uncredited)
Harold Offer

Harold Offer
City Man in Restaurant (uncredited)
Murray Pollack

Murray Pollack
Doctor (uncredited)
James Rosborough

James Rosborough
Farmer at Fence #2 (uncredited)
Art Scholl

Art Scholl
Red Baron (uncredited)
George W. Smyth

George W. Smyth
Little Falls Farmer (uncredited)
Robert W. Winn

Robert W. Winn
Theater Manager (uncredited)

Videos and Photos

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The Great Waldo Pepper
The Great Waldo Pepper
The Great Waldo Pepper
The Great Waldo Pepper
The Great Waldo Pepper
The Great Waldo Pepper

Movie Reviews

Reviews for The Great Waldo Pepper
reviewer avatar

A Review by Otokichi786 6

Written by Otokichi786 on 2016-09-21

Former World War I pilot Waldo Pepper barnstorms across rural America, giving 5 minute rides to skeptical townsfolk. Clearly the people behi... read more

Former World War I pilot Waldo Pepper barnstorms across rural America, giving 5 minute rides to skeptical townsfolk. Clearly the people behind this project love aviation and capture the feel of the post-World-War-I era when "the sky's the limit" was literally true. The downside of early aviation is shown via the ups and downs of "Doc Dilhoefer's Flying Circus," where a novice wing walker freezes in place. The long arm of the FAA catches up to Waldo because "it's time that aviation got civilized." With limited opportunities after being grounded for life, Waldo finds salvation at the movies, where danger is ever-present in the rickety, worn-out planes and fatal stunts for the camera. An old nemesis that Waldo missed meeting over France, Ernst Kessler (Ernst Udet?), arrives for the next project--the epic three vs. one dogfight. With the FAA closing in, Waldo's days in the air are numbered, though he's in better shape than the down-at-heels Kessler. Waldo and Kessler leave their parachutes behind as the cameras roll; this aerial ballet is going to be a battle! 7/10

reviewer avatar

A Review by Wuchak 7

Written by Wuchak on 2024-09-28

**_The daredevil barnstormers of the 1920s with Robert Redford and Bo Svenson_** Two former pilots of WW1 team-up to entertain people in ... read more

**_The daredevil barnstormers of the 1920s with Robert Redford and Bo Svenson_** Two former pilots of WW1 team-up to entertain people in middle America with increasingly risky aerial maneuvers. Susan Sarandon plays a woman who joins the team while Margot Kidder appears as the protagonist’s on-again, off-again girlfriend. Geoffrey Lewis is also on hand as an inspector of the newly formed Air Commerce. "The Great Waldo Pepper" (1975) is a tribute to the men & women who risked their lives to entertain people in ‘flying circuses’ in the ’20s through the early ’30s. By the time of this particular story, competition amongst stunt fliers resulted in progressively dangerous tricks, as well as highly publicized accidents, which led to hampering safety regulations and the demise of barnstorming. The tone mixes life-or-death drama with amusing bits. There are a couple of shocking sequences that some critics have interpreted as ‘coldhearted,’ but they just reflect those times. Even if you were a female who joined the team, you’re one of the boys and they all knew the risks. Sudden deaths, while unfortunate, didn’t change the fact that it was part of how these people made a living. And the show must go on, as they say. Speaking of which, if you’re familiar with movies like “The Blue Max,” “Flyboys” and “The Red Baron,” this is what some of the surviving flying aces were doing after the war. It runs 1 hour, 47 minutes, and was mostly shot in and around Elgin, Texas (which is just east of Austin), and Piru, California (which is a 50-minute drive northwest of Los Angeles). Studio stuff was done at Universal Studios. GRADE: B-/B

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by Patrick E. Abe

Former World War I pilot Waldo Pepper barnstorms across rural America, giving 5 minute rides to skeptical townsfolk. Clearly the people behind this project love aviation and capture the feel of the post-World-War-I era when "the sky's the l...

reviewer avatar

A Review by Otokichi786 6

Written by Otokichi786 on 2016-09-21

Former World War I pilot Waldo Pepper barnstorms across rural America, giving 5 minute rides to skeptical townsfolk. Clearly the people behind this project love aviation and capture the feel of the po...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by Wuchak 7

Written by Wuchak on 2024-09-28

**_The daredevil barnstormers of the 1920s with Robert Redford and Bo Svenson_** Two former pilots of WW1 team-up to entertain people in middle America with increasingly risky aerial maneuvers. Sus...

read more