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Chicago Air & Water Show: Bill Murray Has Landed

Florence Henderson, Gary Sinise Round Out Star-Studded 3-Day 50th Anniversary Show

CHICAGO (CBS) ― An exuberant Bill Murray landed safely on a lakefront beach after parachuting from a plane at the 50th annual Chicago Air and Water Show.

RAW VIDEO Of Bill Murray's Skydive

The actor, clad in a gold-colored jumpsuit, joked that he was nervous about jumping from 13,500 feet and almost reconsidered.

Afterward, he pretended for a moment to stagger as if dizzy, then smiled broadly, waved to the crowd and shook hands with members of the US Army Golden Knight Parachute Team. Listen To WBBM-AM Interview With Bill Murray

Murray told CBS 2's Vince Gerasole, "I am fine.. my ears popped… you start laughing hysterically once you hit the air."

"It's kind of a nervous moment you think you don't want to jump out but then there's two guys that have you by the body and they throw you out of the plane just in case you have second thoughts," the comedian said. "They say you feel like going back up right away, but I feel like having a drink."

Murray, 57, made the tandem jump strapped to Staff Sgt. Joe Jones of the Golden Knights, the same Army team that jumped with former President George H.W. Bush. 

City officials say Murray is participating to show his support for the Illinois United Service Organizations.

Murray says he was originally scheduled to fly with the Blue Angels, but forgot to get his paperwork in on time, so in his words - organizers offered to throw him out of a plane instead.

CBS 2's Susan Carlson reports military jets in perfect formation always captivate the audience.

"The sonic booms and sounds, and watching all these jets and fighter jets, I just love it," said air show fan Leonard Smith.

"As a family we've been coming down here for at least five years, probably more," said Judy Kurth.

Fans camped out early to get a good spot, and they came prepared. Ali Roller and her friends brought their own picnic table.

"We have umbrellas so we're in the shade and we keep the food not warm and we all have chairs, and we just sit and have fun," Roller said.

The McCreary family even set up a tent. It provided protection from the sun, but not the sound.

Eight-year-old Jack McCreary deemed the show "very cool, but very loud," as he covered his ears.

It's enough excitement to encourage some people to play hooky.

"I just kinda like, told the customers, you know, it's a bad day, I was having trouble with the vehicle," said David Atwater. "The vehicle is a hundred feet away from here in the parking lot, and I'm at the air show."

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the show, the event will last three days, instead of two.

The Air and Water Show is always awash in excitement, but this year it will also be studded with celebrities. See the three-day schedule here.

Murray's jump followed former "Brady Bunch" star Florence Henderson's performance at the national anthem.

Other celebrities with Chicago roots who are participating in the show include actor Gary Sinise, who performed with his band Lt. Dan Band.

By the 11 a.m. hour, the North Avenue Beach was already getting crowded.

The celebrity contingent brought a sizable number of people to North Avenue Beach extra early. They were treated to the sight and sound of an F-18 Hornet buzzing along the beach at 600 mph.

Any piece of the beach is valuable viewing area. Some people arrived before dawn, unpacked their gear, and dug into the sand until the entertainment gets underway.

"To see the whole show, you really have to be close, especially if you're going to have kids with you or whatever," one man said. "If you're set up further back, they can't see anything over everybody's heads, so we've got the prime spot here."

"We brought our umbrella, and our beach chairs, and a blanket, and we have relatives meeting us; in fact, my brother and sister-in-law are staying downtown," a woman said. "We're going to make a whole weekend of it."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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