The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Director:

Ronald Neame
(more)

Writers:

Paul Gallico (novel)
Stirling Silliphant (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

13 December 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Tagline:

Hell, Upside Down

Plot:

A group of passengers struggle to survive and escape, when their ocean liner completely capsizes at sea.

Plot Keywords:

Survivor | Passenger | Tidal Wave | Water | Priest

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Reverend Scott
Ernest Borgnine	...	Rogo
Red Buttons	...	Martin
Carol Lynley	...	Nonnie
Roddy McDowall	...	Acres
Stella Stevens	...	Linda Rogo
Shelley Winters	...	Belle Rosen
Jack Albertson	...	Manny Rosen
Pamela Sue Martin	...	Susan
Arthur O'Connell	...	Chaplain
Eric Shea	...	Robin
Fred Sadoff	...	Linarcos
Sheila Allen	...	Nurse (as Sheila Mathews)
Jan Arvan	...	Doctor
Byron Webster	...	Purser
John Crawford	...	Chief Engineer
Bob Hastings	...	M. C.
Erik L. Nelson	...	Mr. Tinkham (as Erik Nelson)
Leslie Nielsen	...	The Captain
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Phil Adams	...	Cable Steward (uncredited)
Craig Barley	...	Extra (uncredited)
Todd Bartlett	...	Extra (uncredited)
Charles Bateman	...	First Officer Larsen (uncredited)
Bill Catching	...	Man (uncredited)
Craig Chudy	...	Helmsman (uncredited)
Ronn Cragg	...	Radarman (uncredited)
Jimmy Cross	...	Dinning Room Steward (uncredited)
Fred Dale	...	Man (uncredited)
Connie Ducharme	...	Woman (uncredited)
Jim Galante	...	Assistant Engineer (uncredited)
Bob Golden	...	Wiper (uncredited)
Orwin C. Harvey	...	Falling Man (uncredited)
Larry Holt	...	Falling Man (uncredited)
Chris Howell	...	Man (uncredited)
Kathryn Janssen	...	Woman Seated Next to Purser (uncredited)
Marco López	...	Passenger (uncredited)
Maurice Marsac	...	French Naval Officer (uncredited)
Ernie F. Orsatti	...	Terry - Susan's Date (uncredited)
Victor Paul	...	Kyrenos (uncredited)
Stuart Perry	...	Teddy Parry (uncredited)
Frieda Rentie	...	Indian Woman (uncredited)
Lance Rimmer	...	Extra (uncredited)
Elizabeth Rogers	...	Woman Next to Mr. Tinkham (uncredited)
George Sawaya	...	Bos'n Mate (uncredited)
David Sharpe	...	Man (uncredited)
Paul Stader	...	Martin - Wireless Operator (uncredited)
Mark Tulin	...	Bass Guitarist as Ship Sinks (uncredited)
Waddy Wachtel	...	Crump - Guitarist #1 (uncredited)
Roseann Williams	...	Woman (uncredited)

Directed by
Ronald Neame
Irwin Allen		(co-director: action sequences) (uncredited)

Writing credits
Paul Gallico		(novel)
Stirling Silliphant		(screenplay) and
Wendell Mayes		(screenplay)

Produced by
Irwin Allen	....	producer
Sidney Marshall	....	associate producer
Steve Broidy	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Sherrill C. Corwin	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
John Williams

Cinematography by
Harold E. Stine		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Harold F. Kress

Casting by
Jack Baur

Production Design by
William J. Creber		(as William Creber)

Set Decoration by
Raphael Bretton

Costume Design by
Paul Zastupnevich

Makeup Department
Del Acevedo	....	makeup artist
Edwin Butterworth	....	makeup artist (as Ed Butterworth)
Carol Pershing	....	hair stylist
Sheral Ross	....	hair stylist
Allan Snyder	....	makeup artist
Ann Wadlington	....	hair stylist
Daniel C. Striepeke	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Hal Herman	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Norman A. Cook	....	assistant director (as Norman Cook)
Les Warner	....	second assistant director
Donald White	....	second assistant director (as Don White)

Art Department
Tom Cranham	....	production illustrator
Dan Goozee	....	production illustrator
Bob McLaughlin	....	property master
Ward Preston	....	assistant art director
Jerry Kobold	....	assistant prop man (uncredited)
Charles Stevens	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)
Richard A. Villalobos	....	leadman (uncredited)

Sound Department
John A. Bonner	....	sound supervisor (as John Bonner)
Herman Lewis	....	production mixer
Theodore Soderberg	....	re-recording mixer
Orrick Barrett	....	boom man (uncredited)
Raul A. Bruce	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
A.D. Flowers	....	mechanical effects

Visual Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
Matthew Yuricich	....	matte painter (uncredited)

Stunts
Paul Stader	....	stunt coordinator
Phil Adams	....	stunts (uncredited)
Craig R. Baxley	....	stunts (uncredited)
Lightning Bear	....	stunts (uncredited)
Marilyn Bower	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Brutsche	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Catching	....	stunts (uncredited)
Craig Chudy	....	stunts (uncredited)
Howard Curtis	....	stunts (uncredited)
Pepper Curtis	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Pepper Curtis	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Daheim	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Dale	....	stunts (uncredited)
Carol Daniels	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paula Dell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bennie E. Dobbins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mike Donovan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Durock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jeannie Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Lila Finn	....	stunts (uncredited)
Donna Garrett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Orwin C. Harvey	....	stunts (uncredited)
Larry Holt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chris Howell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Loren Janes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mike Johnson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Denver Mattson	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Moio	....	stunts (uncredited)
Doug O'Dell	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Doug O'Dell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ernie F. Orsatti	....	stunts (uncredited)
Frank Orsatti	....	stunts (uncredited)
Victor Paul	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Peter Peterson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Allen Pinson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bobby Porter	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert Prohaska	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Robotham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Wally Rose	....	stunts (uncredited)
Russell Saunders	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Sawaya	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Scheiwiller	....	stunts (uncredited)
David Sharpe	....	stunts (uncredited)
Rodell Sharpe	....	stunts (uncredited)
Marilyn Stader	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Stader	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tom Steele	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Summers	....	stunts (uncredited)
George P. Wilbur	....	stunts (uncredited)
June lorna Wilson	....	stunts (uncredited)
James Winburn	....	stunts (uncredited)
Thomas Worrell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Zendar	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Thomas Morris	....	camera operator (as Tommy Morris)
Lou Pazelli	....	key grip
Clyde Taylor	....	gaffer
Henry Gerzen	....	key grip (uncredited)
Bob Henderson	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Tom Kerschner	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
James Mitchell	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Joe Valdez	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Wally Harton	....	costumes: men (uncredited)
Dick James	....	costumes: men (uncredited)
Barbara Westerland	....	costumes: women (uncredited)

Editorial Department
William DeNicholas	....	assistant film editor
Brent Eldridge	....	digital color correction (uncredited)

Music Department
Vinton Vernon	....	scoring mixer
Alexander Courage	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Chris Haynes	....	driver (uncredited)
Frank Khoury	....	driver (uncredited)
Jim Martell	....	transportation coordinator (uncredited)

Other crew
Teresa Brachetto	....	script supervisor
John Campbell	....	unit publicist
Al Gail	....	assistant to producer
Art Volpert	....	production coordinator
Steve Marlowe	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)
Art Volpert	....	production controller (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century-Fox)
• Kent Productions (as Kent Productions, Inc.)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1972) (USA) (theatrical) (released by) (as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation)
• Fox-Rank (1972) (UK) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1973) (France) (theatrical)
• MGM-Fox Films (1972) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Canada) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (UK) (DVD) (special edition)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1974) (USA) (TV)
• Magnetic Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Central Casting  extras casting (uncredited)
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes (uncredited)
• City of Long Beach, California Museum of the Sea Foundation  portions of this picture filmed aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, with the cooperation of (as the City of Long Beach, California Museum of the Sea Foundation)
• NovaStar Digital  post-production sound services (uncredited)
• P.S.A. Hotels  portions of this picture filmed aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California with the cooperation of (as P.S.A. Hotels, Inc.)
• Queen Mary Corporation  portions of this picture filmed aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California with the cooperation of (as Speciality Queen Mary Corporation)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System) | Mono (35 mm optical prints)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | USA:PG (PCA #23341) | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | UK:A (original rating) | Australia:PG | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) (2002) | Iceland:16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:12 | Brazil:Livre | Peru:14 | UK:PG (tv rating) | UK:PG (video rating: DVD additional material etc) (2006) | Netherlands:14 (orginal rating)

Filming Locations:

RMS Queen Mary - 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

In the scene in which Rev. Scott rescues Robin, the set was built on tracks which would slowly lower the inclined set into a large water tank. The set was supposed to stop moving once the set was half-submerged, but for some reason it continued until the camera crew was underwater. The film magazine was rushed to the lab, where immediate processing showed the film was undamaged.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the water starts flooding the dining room it sprays onto the light fixture causing them to go off. Seconds later it is spraying onto it again.

Quotes:

Mr. Manny Rosen:I want to stay with her a little longer.
Reverend Frank Scott:You've got one minute.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1988)

Soundtrack:

The Song From The Poseidon Adventure

The #1 70s disaster movie that started it all

The 1970's were the heyday of disaster films and this was one of the better ones. An overacting all-star cast graced the screen in all of them. THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE was the very first big-budget moneymaker that spawned a whole slew of knock-offs involving tidal waves, fires, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and volcanoes. It is also arguably the best. Producer Irwin Allen was the mastermind behind most of them, known for spending millions of dollars on special effects and his big-name stars.

A simple plot: a tidal wave knocks a ship upside down and a handful of survivors have to climb to the bottom of the ship at the surface before the ship sinks. They are led by a fanatical preacher (Gene Hackman) who conflicts with an ex-cop (Ernest Borgnine) and his ex-hooker wife (Stella Stevens). Jack Albertson (WILLY WONKA) and Shelley Winters are an elderly Jewish couple who are on their way to see their new grandchild. Pamela Sue Martin (TV's Nancy Drew) and Eric Shea (like Bobby Brady, but more annoying) are brother and sister on their way to meet their parents. Roddy McDowall (a fantastic actor) is wasted as a ship hand who dies rather quick. Red Buttons (PETE'S DRAGON) is an elderly gentleman who helps the ship's lounge singer (Carol Lynley) retain her sanity. Arthur O'Connell is a strict reverend who refuses to go along with Hackman. Leslie Nielsen makes a cameo as the ship's captain who dies during the tidal wave.

The cast really isn't very important, it's the special effects and on-going tension that makes the film so much fun. I absolutely love the claustrophobic and wet feeling that is so important to the execution of the film. While a lot of the acting hasn't aged well (Shelley Winters, Gene Hackman and Ernest Borgnine are especially guilty of overacting!), the special effects aren't too cheesy and the entire set of the ship is wonderfully well-made, still standing as an achievement on its own. Lots of unintentional humor abounds (the obese Shelley Winters swimming underwater, displaying her underpants clinging to her bulbous buttocks), which makes the viewing experience all the more enjoyable. The theme song, "The Morning After", won an Oscar and is rather lightweight, but highly listenable.

THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE definitely does have some twists and turns that surprise the viewer (not everyone gets out alive) and holds the audience's attention throughout the entire thing, even though things do get a little soap opera-ish at times. This makes a great double bill with THE TOWERING INFERNO, which I find a better picture, but POSEIDON is a very fun viewing and is, if anything, a great movie to watch if you have 2 hours to kill.