If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium

More than four decades ago, a bad movie called If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium was inflicted on the public. The picture featured a parade of stars getting cameos and walking through a dreadful script. In case you thought John Cassavetes was a pure cineaste, he takes a turn in this movie, and there's nothing artistic about it. How nutty was the casting? Well, even the singer Donovan got into the act.

Beyond its kitschy bad taste, the movie is strictly memorable for its title. It has been quoted and used as conversational filler to indicate all the evils of package tourism. The title came to mind yesterday when I read the story of a Ryanair flight from Fez, Morocco that was scheduled to land at Beauvais, France. The flight was delayed beyond the time the Beauvais airport was open. Ryanair sent the plane to Liege, Belgium. The passengers refused to disembark. However, the crew locked the bathrooms and left the plane. Apparently, a "tense negotiation" took place and the passengers eventually got off the aircraft.

The episode demonstrates just how wacky air transportation has become. I don't even think a cast with the late Cassavetes' skill could manage to convincingly tell yesterday's 21st Century version of If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium. Then again, it could be the in-flight movie.