Hacker Cinema
The Spirit of St. Louis
1957 · Film · 135 min
Directed by Billy Wilder
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh struggles to finance and design an airplane that will make his New York to Paris flight the first solo transatlantic crossing.
3 neutralfrom 3 commenters
Where to watch
No streaming data for this title.
3 comments on Hacker News
People have always peed in bottles when they're on a long drive, piloting an airplane long distance, on a sailboat, and so on. Some peoples' bladders have a short fuse, and carry a bottle.
Do you think Lindberg brought a port-a-potty along with his Spirit of St Louis? I remember the opening sequence in a Jeff Bridges movie where he pulls over in his car and dumps his pee bottle.
P.S. My dad was a B-17 navigator in WW2. I asked him what did they do when had to go. He said an empty ammo box was used. What was done with the full box? "Extra bombs over Germany!"
> For decades, humans have said they want jetpacks, and for thousands of years we have said we want to fly, but do we really? Look up. The sky is empty.
I have wanted to become a small plane or ultralight pilot since I was in high school (I'm nearly 40 now)... it's just that with a single income and kids, life is expensive and busy.
I was astonished recently while watching The Spirit of St Louis (the 1957 Jimmy Stewart movie) - how as a young man Charles Lindbergh drove into Souther Field, bought an army surplus Jenny biplane for $500 cash (about $8000 in today's dollars), and took off immediately without any bureaucracy. Oh for that kind of freedom!
Maybe I'll do paramotor training with my kids when they're in their late teens - but for now, I can only stare up at the sky and dream (and occasionally watch YouTube videos of others living that dream).
Jimmy Stewart as Charles Lindbergh pitching to bankers in the movie "Spirit of St Louis:" "We have to know...We have to try."