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Gas! -or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It.

Original title: Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It.
  • 19701970
  • RR
  • 1h 18m
IMDb RATING
4.2/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
18,557
31
Gas! -or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)
A gas is let loose upon the world that kills anyone over 25 years old.
Play trailer3:15
1 Video
22 Photos
ComedyDramaSci-Fi
A gas is let loose upon the world that kills anyone over 25 years old.A gas is let loose upon the world that kills anyone over 25 years old.A gas is let loose upon the world that kills anyone over 25 years old.
IMDb RATING
4.2/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
18,557
31
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Roger Corman
    • Writer
      • George Armitage(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Bob Corff
      • Elaine Giftos
      • Bud Cort
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Roger Corman
    • Writer
      • George Armitage(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Bob Corff
      • Elaine Giftos
      • Bud Cort
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 38User reviews
    • 34Critic reviews

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:15
    Trailer

    Photos22

    Gas! -or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)
    Wild in the Streets (1968)
    Bud Cort, Talia Shire, Bob Corff, Elaine Giftos, Ben Vereen, and Cindy Williams in Gas! -or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)
    Bob Corff, Elaine Giftos, Ben Vereen, and Cindy Williams in Gas! -or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)
    Bob Corff in Gas! -or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)
    Bob Corff and Elaine Giftos in Gas! -or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)
    Bob Corff in Gas! -or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)
    Gas! -or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)
    Gas! -or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)
    Alex Wilson in Gas! -or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)
    Ben Vereen and Cindy Williams in Gas! -or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)
    Elaine Giftos in Gas! -or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bob Corff
    Bob Corff
    • Coel
    • (as Robert Corff)
    Elaine Giftos
    Elaine Giftos
    • Cilla
    Bud Cort
    Bud Cort
    • Hooper
    Talia Shire
    Talia Shire
    • Coralee
    • (as Tally Coppola)
    Ben Vereen
    Ben Vereen
    • Carlos
    Cindy Williams
    Cindy Williams
    • Marissa
    Alex Wilson
    Alex Wilson
    • Jason
    Lou Procopio
    • Marshal McLuhan
    Phil Borneo
    • Quant
    Alan H. Braunstein
    • Dr. Drake
    • (as Alan Braunstein)
    Jackie Farley
    • Ginny
    David Osterhout
    • Texas Ranger
    Juretta Taylor
    • Zoe
    Michael D. Castle
    • Burroughs
    • (as Mike Castle)
    Alan DeWitt
    • Dr. Murder
    Bruce Karcher
    • Edgar Allen
    Stephen White
    • Sergeant Sentry Collar
    Raye Birk
    Raye Birk
    • Mort Catafalque
    • (as Ray Birk)
    • Director
      • Roger Corman
    • Writer
      • George Armitage(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The title comes from a statement by an U.S. Army officer during the Vietnam War who defended the destruction of a Vietnamese village by saying they had to "destroy the village in order to save it."
    • Goofs
      After breaking a road barrier, the car of the main character has 3 out 4 headlights broken, later they are intact, while it does not seem probable they would be repaired.
    • Quotes

      Dr. Murder: Are you now or have you ever been a member of any organization which advocates the violent overthrow of the government of the United States of America?

      Marissa: Yes.

      Dr. Murder: Which one?

      Marissa: The Paul Revere and the Raiders fan club

    • Connections
      Featured in Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Victory March
      (Notre Dame fight song)

      [played by marching band]

    User reviews38

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    "Arrow-feather!"
    Roger Corman's Gas-s-s-s, his final film as director for AIP, is dated (and probably even was for the period it got released), but somehow it's almost part of its charm. It's an irreverent comedy about a noxious gas that wipes out everybody- at least in the US much as we can figure- who's over the age of 25. Party-time! In what appears to be, in the premise, as a slight twist on Corman's own Last Woman on Earth, it's an epic of low-budget proportions, a rampant fiasco of kids in hippie-wear (or not as case turns out) and the Darwinian struggles that take place as the roughnecks, jocks and bikers-on-country-clubs face off against those darn 'commie-anarchists'. Certainly a good premise indeed, at least for those who love the exploitation fare of the period (myself counted, even as I'm from after that era).

    While it might be one of Corman's (intentionally) funnier pictures, there's a nagging feeling that something's not totally there. It is cheap, it is slapdash, it's episodic. The problem, as with some of Corman's other movies, is that a little more effort would make something even more interesting. If there was, for example, another snappy and sharp writer alongside George Armitage, who could whip the script into a tight and awesome shape, it could even be one of the great exploitation films. As it stands, it's merely OK overall. Luckily the good tries to outweigh the bad, which is that there are some really, actually clever one-liners ("Hey, we all have our own inconsistencies, that doesn't stop the revolution," to "Drop that chloride, you commie anarchist!") and seeing the biker country-clubbers and the God lightning bolt climax.

    Best of all is to see a running-gag in-joke for Corman- probably more than one, actually. The first is more obvious, and laugh-out-loud, which is a biker Edgar Allen Poe, who just shows up here and there like some sage wise-man (who is, of course, not over 25) with his wife and occasional raven on his shoulder spouting garbled quotes. The second is a little more subtle, which seems to be a play on his film the Trip, as in the psychedelic-type scenes (i.e. dancing to Country Joe and the Fish) with the camera zooming in and out fast, lots of hand-held, etc). Corman's gone through this all before, so it has to be questioned: how much of this is tongue in cheek, and how much is just almost shoddy film-making? Can't be sure. At least there was consistent chuckling to be had, especially at seeing a young Bud Cort in a cowboy hat, and, of all people, Talia Shire!
    helpful•10
    2
    • Quinoa1984
    • Apr 4, 2008

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 1970 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Gas-s-s-s
    • Filming locations
      • Belen, New Mexico, USA
    • Production companies
      • American International Pictures (AIP)
      • San Jacinto Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 18 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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