KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City will be represented at the Cannes Film Festival this year, thanks to John Travolta.

The “Pulp Fiction” and “Saturday Night Fever” star came to Kansas City last year to film scenes for a movie based on a children’s book he wrote and illustrated in 1997.

The movie, “Propeller One-Way Night Coach,” is Travolta’s directorial debut and will premiere at the prestigious film festival in May, organizers announced last week.

“This low-profile feature partially filmed in Kansas City last year and features local talent, crew, and locations,” the Kansas City Film Office wrote on Facebook Monday.

“A huge thank you to our partners at the Kansas City Aviation Department and the TWA Museum for their support.”

Few details have been made public about the filming because nondisclosure agreements remain in effect. Travolta was seen filming in Kansas City with local actors and crew in mid-January 2025 with the historic “Connie” plane.

Filming took place in New York and Los Angeles, too.

For years, Travolta, a licensed pilot and aviation buff, has been interested in the 1959 Lockheed Super-G Constellation aircraft. He flew on it to his 50th birthday party in Mexico in February 2004.

The plane has been a fixture at the Airline History Museum at the Kansas City Downtown Airport — Wheeler Field (formerly Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport) since 1986. The museum, locked in a legal dispute with its landlord, is currently closed to the public.

Last year The Star reported that Federal Aviation Administration records showed the Connie now belongs to Travolta, or at least to the Florida business of which he is president, Constellation Productions Inc.

FAA records showed that the plane’s tail number, N6937C, was registered to the company on Sept. 4, 2024.

Around the time Travolta filmed here, the plane was seen emerging from Hangar 9 at the airport “for a round of engine tests,” Vintage Aviation News reported last year.

“Impressively, all four engines ran successfully, and the aircraft even taxied around the ramp before returning to the hangar.”

Cannes highlighted Travolta’s flying resume — he’s certified to fly Boeing 707s, 737s, and 747s, Bombardier’s Global Express and was the first private pilot to fly an Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger airliner.

“With over 9,000 flight hours under his belt, the actor has also owned several aircraft for many years and even flew planes in two movies: ‘Look Who’s Talking’ (1989) and ‘Broken Arrow’ (1996),” festival organizers said.

Travolta’s children’s book was inspired by his childhood memories and lifelong love of flying. He wrote it for his son, Jett, who died at age 16 in 2009 after suffering a seizure and hitting his head in a bathtub at the family’s home in the Bahamas.

This is the movie’s plot description provided by Cannes organizers.

“Young airplane enthusiast Jeff and his mother set off on a one-way cross-country odyssey to Hollywood, which transforms a simple flight into the trip of a lifetime.

“Between airline meals, charming flight attendants, unexpected stopovers, larger-than-life passengers, and a thrilling glimpse at first class, the journey unfolds in moments both magical and unexpected, charting the course for the boy’s future.”

Newcomer Clark Shotwell, a 10-year-old actor from Idaho, plays Jeff, Travolta’s younger self. Clark is expected to walk the red carpet with Travolta in Cannes.

Travolta’s daughter, Ella Bleu Travolta, 26, portrays a flight attendant in the film. She made her acting debut at age 9 with her dad and the late Robin Williams in the 2009 Disney comedy, “Old Dogs.”

The Connie itself is a Hollywood pro that’s been featured in a handful of movies over the years. It was used for interior scenes for Jim Carrey’s “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls” in 1995, according to the Airline History Museum’s website.

It also appeared in Martin Scorsese’s 2004 Howard Hughes movie, “The Aviator,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Cannes opens on May 12. No date was given for when Travolta’s film will be shown.

The Apple Original Films movie will launch globally on Apple TV on May 29.

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