User reviews

I first saw this film in the theater almost 30 years ago and have caught it a few times on TV since. Finally, I was able to find a DVD copy on E-Bay (apparently it is not currently available on DVD through normal means) and I am glad I did so. This movie has stood the test of time. It is both fun to watch and has some depth to it - it is not just a piece of fluff.

The casting is excellent - not a single actor is unfit for the part. Redford's looks and charisma, coupled with the fact that while he is still pretty young he does have a few visible age lines, make him perfect for the part of a debonair flyboy, ten years removed from World War I, who is stubbornly resisting the increasing regulation of flying as a profession. Bo Svensen is a great complement as the slightly older, more experienced, and more even-keeled Axel Olsson. Geoffrey Lewis' Newt Potts, Pepper's old squadron commander, represents the future that Pepper is trying to avoid. Ed Herrmann is the embodiment of the "seat of your pants" spirit of the early aircraft producers. Phil Bruns is a convincing "carnival barker" as Doc Dillhoeffer. And the Swedish actor Bo Brundin puts in a great turn as Ernst Kessler, German fighter ace turned barnstormer, who has long since realized that the bravery and chivalry he found in the air (both among comrades and opponents) is rarely found on the ground.

Kessler is based on Ernst Udet, the second-highest scoring German ace of WWI. Udet barnstormed after the war, had a shortened version of "Lola" painted on his Fokker D-VII, and had a fight similar to the epic battle that is an important subplot in the movie. Thus it is a nice touch that Udet is shown in the opening photo montage. (It's also good that no sequel was made - I'd hate to see the Kessler character return to Germany, join Hitler's Luftwaffe and commit suicide.)

This is also notable, on a personal level, as the first place I ever saw Susan Sarandon. I've been a fan ever since. Hell, she still looks great.

The flying sequences are magnificent. There's no CGI here, folks. These are real aircraft - beautiful replicas of Curtiss Jennies, Standard E-4's, and of course the Sopwith Camel and Fokker Triplane (plus a few others) - doing real stunt flying. The talented stunt pilots are credited under the umbrella of Tallmantz Aviation, which I'm guessing was formed by legendary stunt pilots Frank Tallman and Paul Mantz. Tallman himself flew in this film (and died in a crash three years later; Mantz died making "Flight of the Phoenix," another of my favorite flight movies, in 1965.) And the climactic sequence, while it may seem unlikely to some, is actually based (perhaps loosely) on a similar incident that occurred during the filming of either "Hells' Angels" or "Wings" in the late 1920's. The only possible anachronism that I can spot is Kessler's stunt plane, which looks a little too advanced for 1928. But I could be wrong there.

Beautiful aircraft, great flying sequences, fine acting, and even a real plot - what more could you want?

Robert Redford got one of his best roles in The Great Waldo Pepper which was directed by George Roy Hill who did right by him with Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid and The Sting. It does a wonderful job of capturing a bygone era of the Twenties when after World War I, the airplane was a big toy played with by some big kids.

The airplane got invented just in time for use in the war to end all wars. But no one figured out quite what to do with it. In point of fact it didn't have the capacity to drop bombs on the enemy to do that much damage. In the trench warfare days the real function was scouting those enemy lines to see and report on troop dispositions. But the other side did the same thing. So when they met dogfights happened. They were colorful and exciting, but didn't really do much militarily.

Aces got their reputations like the real life Baron Von Richtofen and Hermann Goering and the fictional Ernest Kessler as played by Bo Brundin here. Waldo Pepper in the Great War came up too late to show his stuff even though his former squadron leader Geoffrey Lewis says he was the most natural flier he ever saw. He had a brief encounter with Brundin days before the Armistice where Brundin let him off. He never got a chance to prove himself.

Now he proves himself every day in the various flying circuses doing daredevil stunts. People who fly do it for the love it and won't be happy going 9 to 5 on the ground. Redford is at the height of his abilities and this is his frustration that he never got to show his stuff in the arena where it really counted. Redford did a wonderful job in fleshing this aspect of his character.

But his world is changing, if the military has put aviation on hold there are lots of commercial uses. And a guy named Herbert Hoover who Secretary of Commerce at that time spearheaded the creation of the Civil Aeronautics Agency to regulate air traffic. Airplanes would be hauling mail and people and would soon be large enough to haul freight. Not a world that calls for daredevil daring.

The Great Waldo Pepper is one of Robert Redford's best films and roles. The Great Robert Redford has this part really nailed down. Some other folks in the cast are a tragic Edward Herrmann who hasn't got the skill as a pilot that Redford has and shows it. Susan Sarandon plays a budding wing walker who also perishes tragically in one of her early roles. George Roy Hill assembled a great supporting cast to back up Redford.

In the end it's Redford who makes The Great Waldo Pepper great.

Anybody who likes old airplanes, stunt flying or just plain adventure and an interesting story should like this early Robert Redford film.

Redford plays the "The Great Waldo Pepper" as he barnstorms from place to place in the early 1900s. You see some wonderful bi-planes and the interesting characters who flew them. The most flamboyant person in this story is "Axel Olsson," played by Bo Svenson. He and Redford are intense competitors and the competition between the two is fun to witness, especially with humor thrown into the mix.

This film is noted for sporting a very young and beautiful Susan Sarandon who makes a very memorable exit from the film! Except for an excessive amount of usages of the Lord's name in vain, this would have been an excellent family film. Other actors whose names you might recognize in here are Edward Herrman, Georffrey Lewis and Margot Kidder.

It's 1926. WWI pilot Waldo Pepper (Robert Redford) is barnstorming and telling tales of his war exploits in a legendary fight against German ace Kessler. He gets into a rivalry with Axel Olsson (Bo Svenson) who travels with his girlfriend Mary Beth (Susan Sarandon). Waldo has been telling tall tales. In fact, he was a great instructor who was held out of the majority of the war. The two rivals become partners in Doc Dillhoefer (Philip Bruns)'s flying circus. He reconnects with sometimes girlfriend Maude (Margot Kidder). Maude's brother Ezra (Ed Herrmann) is building a monoplane to attempt the impossible outside loop. After many tragedies, he is reduced to being a Hollywood stuntman under an assumed name in a movie about the legendary dogfight.

The flying sequences are amazing with real planes. There are some dangerous stunts with limited camera tricks. The dogfight is thrilling. The tone turns quite sad in the middle. Quite frankly, I expected a heroic tale but it turns into a bummer with one particular incident. While that incident is powerful, it damaged the mood of the movie in a profound way. It actually may not be necessary since there are two tragedies in a row. The second one is the only absolutely necessary one. The first one should be reversed to uplift the story and the second one can be used to create the turn into the third act. Sarandon had more to give in this movie. The mood is bittersweet and the movie is pretty good overall.

The film's opening title card read: "Nebraska, 1926" and shows the old black-and-white Universal Pictures logo presentation, which features an old early 20th Century plane flying around the orbit of the planet earth . The Second Greatest Flyer in the World . The war was over - and the world's greatest flyers had never met in combat . But Waldo was going to change all that - even if it killed him . The era the picture is set in is mostly the ¨Roaring Twenties¨ , specifically the period is between 1926 and 1931 , in which bitter pilots are reduced to defying death in air flying circus such as Waldo Pepper (Robert Redford) , Axel Olson (Bo Svenson) and Ezra Stiles (Edward Herrmann). As a disillusioned biplane pilot named Waldo who had missed flying in WWI takes up barnstorming and later he carries out a movie career in his quest for the glory he had missed . After that , the pilot-become-barnstormer gets hired as a stuntman for the Hollywood movies . Eventually getting a chance to prove himself in a film depicting the dogfights in the Great War . Waldo believes the honor of the best WWI fighter pilots and he deems to be the German Ernst Kessler (Bo Brundin) who is working in Hollywwod as an aerial stunt .

This attractive drama about flying results to be an elegiac homage to WWI fliers . It features impressive vintage aircraft flying sequences made by expert stunts and professional pilots . However , there are no studio takes in airplanes , all close-ups of actors being airborne were done for real, sometimes with George Roy Hill, a former Marine pilot himself, flying the airplane while directing ; as scenes with Robert Redford and Bo Svenson climbing out on the wing were done without any security harness or parachutes . The film reunited three successful Hollywood professionals of the sixties and seventies : actor Robert Redford , filmmaker George Roy Hill , and screen-writer William Goldman , the latter Oscar Winner for ¨The Sting ¨. All of them got a big hit with ¨Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid¨ . Breathtaking as well as overwhelming flying sequences , intelligent plot and brilliant scenes are major assets in this stunning flick . Robert Redford gives one of his best acting , along with Bo Svenson and Bo Brundin ; both actors are Swedish . The notorious secondary player Geoffrey Lewis also gives an admiring interpretation , as always . The movie represents an early screen role of actress Susan Sarandon , the film was one two 1975 movies that Sarandon appeared in that were released in that year , he other one was The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) which is considered to feature Sarandon's breakthrough film role . The yarn features actress Margot Kidder who became famous for starring in the "Superman" franchise with Christopher Reeve .

Colorful as well as evocative cinematography by the great cameraman Robert Surtees , a photographer expert on super-productions . Lively and enjoyable musical score by Henry Mancini , Pink Panther's composer . The movie is pretty well but had a commercial flop . The motion picture was compellingly directed by George Roy Hill . This is third and final of three films that as an actor, Robert Redford made with director George Roy Hill, he first two were The Sting (1973) and Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid (1969) . George Roy Hill had a long career from the fifties until the eighties with hit smashes such as ¨The world according to Garp¨ , ¨Slap shot¨, ¨Butch Cassidy¨, ¨The Sting¨ , ¨Hawaii¨ , ¨The world of Henry Orient¨ and commercial failures such as ¨The little drummer girl¨ , ¨A little romance¨ , ¨Slaughterhouse five¨, ¨Throughly Millie¨ , ¨Toys in the attic¨ , ¨Period of adjustment¨ and this ¨The great Waldo Pepper¨ ; however , the latter being today better considered than old times . Rating : 6,5/10 Above average . Worthwhile watching .

First I must say that this beautiful movie handles the wide screen format extremely well, to watch it on TV comes near to an act of profanation. The lines, the colors , the surfaces, the sun that always seems to be low above the horizon ... The Great Waldo Pepper really is a work of cinematic art.

Secondly I would really like to know how the idea for this script developed. It looks like the aviation business is a metaphor for the movie industry. I would not be surprised had director and co-scriptwriter George Roy Hill put many personal feelings and experiences into it. Aviation stands for freedom. But even in the title scene the constant fear of being forcefully grounded becomes evident – the main character, aviator Waldo Pepper, talks an overawed boy into getting a canister of gas for him with the promise of a free tour above the landing strip. Cute, at first sight, but also curiously grim. It immediately started me wondering how the boy could manage to carry the full canister over the required long distance.

The wish to be free and be able to fly off sets ever more demanding conditions. People get bored with acrobatics, they want to see blood. The artists comply, because they are ambitious but also because they know that it is the only way that allows them to continue. Time moves on and it becomes evident that commercial air service will put an end to the adventurous phase of aviation. Hollywood seems to be the only way out. Acrobats are needed as stunt-men there. The grindhouse routine of the dream factory is not to their liking, but what else can they do? On a set Waldo Pepper meets a famous German flyer he idolizes. Much to his surprise this Erich von Stroheim character is deeply in debt. „In the air, I see heroism, chivalry and a spirit of comraderie", rasps the German, „but on the ground ..." He just limply shrugs. The final quixotic showdown between Pepper and the German is a natural and very good ending of this surprisingly „deep" and rather pessimistic movie that offers far more than nostalgia.

Being a Big Robert Redford fan for years, I have seen this movie numerous times and just got the DVD of it. It makes you stop and think of the chances these young took back in the dirty 1930's to fly these machines. My dad use to tell us about how these small towns (he was from Nebraska too, just like the movie)had these air shows. One time he saw a dare devil, like the one in the movie, crash and burn to death in from of hundreds of people. They just don't make movies like the one Redford did, any more! I have a fear of heights and every time I saw that girl on the wings standing there, my heart will drop and my palms get sweaty!

This is a great movie, from a very special era in movies, and contains an all-time great scene that speaks to the darker nature of humanity. SPOILER AHEAD!! I speak of the scene where Ezra Stiles, Waldo Pepper's best friend has crashed, and he is trapped in his plane, which has caught on fire. Waldo is trying to free him from the burning plane. A crowd of onlookers, who came to watch the aerial show, has gathered around the burning plane, staring while Waldo tries to free his best friend. THey do nothing but stare while Waldo screams at them, begging for their help.

The faces of the onlookers provides an insight into human nature: the blank, staring faces of the Midwestern peasantry, rapt at the sight of the trapped Stiles burning to death. Waldo frantically tries to enlist their help in dragging Stiles, to no avail.

Waldo finally has to brain his trapped friend so that he will not burn alive while still conscious.

A very interesting story about a combination of a pilot/peddler! As usual Robert Redford was great as Waldo Pepper ! A couple of biplane pilots who fought during the WWI came back from the battle field and started working on taking people on rides and trying to see who was the greatest among them. The interesting thing was that in those days they did not have license. Shocker! When they all got into trouble for excessive stunts and the death of a young woman, they went to Hollywood, to be stunt men. My favorite scenes: Pilot destroying the platform; the plane going through the barn; Waldo Pepper walking on the wing of a flying plane, the pilot taking the plane down a city street.

I am afraid of heights and the palms of my hands were sweating throughout the entire movie.

Despite the period detail and the wonderful detail regarding aircraft, this is one awful film. The acting is wooden, the plot ridiculous, and overall, the whole thing is a disaster. Enjoy the vintage airplanes, the stunts, and the period detail and try to ignore the rest. I saw this in the theater when it was first released and I remember at the time wondering, "What the hell was the point?" So ludicrous it was hard to stay in the theater at the time, the characters so shallow and silly that no one could accept them as anything but cardboard cutouts, the script one of this writer's worst, and this director's nadir, there is absolutely no reason to sit through this turkey. Except for the aircraft and the fact Frank Tallman did the flying. Try your best to pay no attention to the rest of the movie.

This movie is made by some of the same players that made Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Writer, Director and Actor). Unfortunately, it doesn't have nearly the acclaim. Perhaps because the ultimate tone of the movie is darker, the movie still captures that fun that permeates Butch Cassidy.

In terms of the aerial stunts and flying sequences, not only does the hold up to the modern movies like 'Flyboys', it is in fact, much better. Visually just as complete, you also know these are the real deal.

The script is brilliant. At the end of this film, one is forced to wonder why this level of movie so rarely is ever seen today.

You can read the other reviews for plot points, and details. Suffice to say that if you are a fan of movies with planes, actions, love, tragedy cool war history lover, or Hollywood of the early thirties, you'll eat this movie up.

Now lets get a DVD of this that is worthy!

This movie starts out rather laid back and sweet in nature, but it suddenly turns rather bleak and depressing halfway through for a short moment, which is somewhat odd and not fitting to the general laid back mood of the rest of this family picture.

The story: Robert Redford plays the part of an ex-World War 1 pilot, who has become a pilot stuntman after the war. Desperately looking for work, he decides to pull of the scariest plane stunts possible in order to attract crowds in the hope of becoming rich and famous. Will he be successful or will he die trying?

Some of these stunts are truly nerve wrecking to watch!Terrific! And these few exhilarating stunts were performed in a period in which there were no CGI special effects. So what you see is what you get:true to life stunt work. Quite impressive. The stunts though only take up a very tiny small part of the movie though and the dramatic arch of this movie feels somewhat disjointed and never rises above average. Lacking punch. Still a reasonably nice watch though...

The Great Waldo Pepper is for sure not one of Redford's best or most memorable movies - but it is a lot of fun, if you like the blend of comedy and adventure and if you like the nostalgic theme of old-school flying with all those old machines. The story: the time of the Great Depression, flying aces of the WWI travel thru the US and perform for a little money their tricks to entertain poor country folks, everyone tries to perform the best show and grab some money. Rivalry and chivalry among the aces lead sometimes to triumph and sometimes tragedy.

Is there anything redford can't do?? Here, he's pepper, who wants to do great big, impressive stunts with his airplane. He missed out on the real flying action during world war one, so he already has a chip on his shoulder. He meets up with axel, who is also an avid barn-stormer stunt, and they put a show together. Which gets more and more dangerous. This can't end well. I'm not sure just what accent mary beth is supposed to have; in victor victoria, sarandon's accent worked because it was a silly, cheap accent on a silly, cheap girl. It's entertaining enough. A bit dated now, since theres only so many stunts one can do with the older equipment planes. It's pretty good. Some pretty gruesome scenes when things don't go well. It all comes down to the battle scene as they recreate kessler's famous air duel. Written and directed by george hill.

Robert Redford's entrance in The Great Waldo Pepper is so cute. He's flying a little yellow airplane, and after a couple of impressive tricks, he lands in the middle of a field in a small midwestern town. People's jaws are already dropped, but seeing his gorgeous smile gives them even more entertainment as he says, "Hello, good people!" It just doesn't get any better than that.

Which means the rest of the movie isn't just one giant entrance with a Robert Redford smile. If you like acrobatic flying, or movies like The Gypsy Moths, you'll be really entertained by the rest of the running time. As for me, I was just kept entertained by how cute Robert Redford always is when he makes a period piece and gets to wear 1920s-1930s costumes. If you care about the plot, it's about a WWI veteran who takes chances in his daredevil flying because he just missed out on flying action in the war. He has a friendly rivalry with a German pilot, Bo Svenson, and they meet up from time to time as they tour the country giving shows in small towns.

George Roy Hill won a Rag award for his incredible direction, which not only took audiences up into the air with him and his actors, but also used very little stunt men and safety harnesses. In fact, when you see Bob and Bo standing on the wings of their planes, it's really them! Not the smartest decision on anyone's part, but it's pretty amazing to watch.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. As this movie deals with airplane flights, some of the shots will swerve or tilt and make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

This is a well shot film (the light in the Prarie scenes are beautiful) about why people love flying and how it gets into their bones to the point where they will take great risks with their lives as well as other people's!

Redford looks heroic and every bit the Ladies Man especially in uniform.

The aerial sequences are terrific with some really risky stunts and shots. Made in 1975, there are no CGI effects - everything is real and raw.

I felt the film to be a little slow at times but it's a film for grown ups so we can take that speed, can't we?

Scott A. Frisina's review on the main page is as good a synopsis as anyone can give - that's how it is - read it then see this excellent film.

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.

How can this film barely have more than a single page of comments? Redford in his youthful heyday, following the success of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Susan Sarandon as the female lead, and yet, apparently, so few have ever seen this that less than two pages covers comments. Major urging: see this film.

Extremely well written and directed, even better acting, all stunts by human beings and not computers, and beautifully photographed. The only weakness is that due to audience availability, this film is hard to find on DVD, even at Blockbuster. Similar to The Hill, absolutely the best acting performance by Sean Connery, but try and see it. Major hint to those who have missed Waldo Pepper: never, ever, under any circumstances whatsoever, attempt the double loop, especially in a plane. Today, July 28, 2007, we had two crashes at the Wisconsin and Ohio Air Shows. Death isn't just in the movies when doing stunts in a plane.