Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? (1968)

When the Great Northeast Blackout of 1965 hit, millions of people were left in the dark, including Waldo Zane, a New York executive in the process of stealing a fortune from his company, ... See full summary »

Director:

Hy Averback

Writers:

Claude Magnier (play), Everett Freeman,

Stars:

Doris Day, Robert Morse, Terry-Thomas

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Doris Day	...	Margaret Garrison
Robert Morse	...	Waldo Zirrer
Terry-Thomas	...	Ladislaus Walichek
Patrick O'Neal	...	Peter Garrison
Lola Albright	...	Roberta Lane
Steve Allen	...	Radio Announcer
Jim Backus	...	Tru-Blue Lou
Ben Blue	...	Man with a Razor
Pat Paulsen	...	Conductor
Dale Malone	...	Otis J. Hendershot Jr
Robert Emhardt	...	Otis J. Hendershot Sr
Harry Hickox	...	Detective Captain
Parley Baer	...	Dr. Dudley Caldwell
Randy Whipple	...	Marvin Reinholtz
Earl Wilson	...	Earl Wilson

Storyline

When the Great Northeast Blackout of 1965 hit, millions of people were left in the dark, including Waldo Zane, a New York executive in the process of stealing a fortune from his company, and two people whose paths he's destined to cross, Broadway actress Margaret Garrison and her husband, Peter.

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Plot Keywords:

blackout | actress | fortune | stuck in an elevator | stealing money | 

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Taglines:

Oh, the liberties that were taken the night New York flipped its fuse... and became "Fun City"!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 June 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Als das Licht ausging...

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although the New York blackout occurred thirty months before this movie was released, it was based on a play that opened in Paris nine years before the blackout.

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Goofs

At the beginning, when the man walks past the subway station, there is a noticeable jump in the film, before the tiger emerges from the subway.

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Connections

Referenced in Blackout '77 (2015)

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Soundtracks

"Where Were You When The Lights Went Out"
Words by Kelly Gordon
Music by Dave Grusin
Performed by The Lettermen

User Reviews

Where was Doris when her manager approved this script?

Doris Day never lets a bad script get her down. Even in the most trying of circumstances, Day gives 100% and usually comes out unscathed. This comedy, perhaps inspired by a real-life New York City black-out in 1965 but actually adapted from a late-'50s French play by Claude Magnier, gives Doris little to do but spoof her own goody-goody image and, in the second-half, be comically sedated (which is amusing because of the spin Day gives to the situation). There are some funny lines here, yet the staginess of the material has obviously been carried over from the play...and instead of conjuring up some amusing incidents within the Big Apple, we get stuck in the suburbs. Doris' co-stars (Patrick O'Neal, Robert Morse, and Terry-Thomas) are not well-suited to her, and neither is the shapeless hairdo they've got her wearing. Still, it's not terrible, it features a few big laughs, and for Day-buffs it's a must-see. ** from ****