The Poseidon Adventure is a
1972The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :source: http://www.boxofficereport.com/database/1972.shtml- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ben*The Big Bird Cage*Blacula*Bone...
American
disaster filmA disaster film is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject. These films typically feature large casts of well-known actors and multiple plotlines, focusing on the characters' attempts to avert, escape or cope with the disaster and its aftermath...
based on a
novelThe Poseidon Adventure is an American adventure novel by Paul Gallico, released in 1969. It concerns the capsizing of a luxurious ocean liner, the SS Poseidon due to an undersea earthquake, and the desperate struggles of a handful of survivors to reach the bottom of the liner's hull before the ship...
by
Paul GallicoPaul William Gallico was a successful American novelist, short story and sports writer. Many of his works were adapted for motion pictures...
. It concerns the
capsizingCapsizing refers to when a boat or ship is tipped over until disabled. The act of reversing a capsized vessel is called righting.If a capsized vessel has sufficient flotation to prevent sinking, it may recover on its own if the stability is such that it is not stable inverted...
of a luxurious
ocean linerAn ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo, mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
by a tidal wave caused by an under sea earthquake and the desperate struggles of a handful of survivors to journey up to the bottom of the
hullA hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull comes the superstructure and deckhouse. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
of the liner before it sinks.
It won the Academy Award for Best Song for "The Song from 'The Poseidon Adventure'" (also known as "
The Morning After"The Morning After" is an Academy Award-winning song, first released during May 1973. It was the first success for singer Maureen McGovern, and was used as the love theme for the film The Poseidon Adventure, which was released late the year before.-Beginnings:The song was written during March 1972...
"), which became a hit single for
Maureen McGovernMaureen Therese McGovern is an American singer and Broadway actress, well-known for her premier rendition of the song, "We May Never Love Like This Again" for the movie The Towering Inferno .-Early life:...
, as well as winning an Academy Award for Special Achievement in Visual Effects.
The Poseidon Adventure is a
1972The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :source: http://www.boxofficereport.com/database/1972.shtml- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ben*The Big Bird Cage*Blacula*Bone...
American
disaster filmA disaster film is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject. These films typically feature large casts of well-known actors and multiple plotlines, focusing on the characters' attempts to avert, escape or cope with the disaster and its aftermath...
based on a
novelThe Poseidon Adventure is an American adventure novel by Paul Gallico, released in 1969. It concerns the capsizing of a luxurious ocean liner, the SS Poseidon due to an undersea earthquake, and the desperate struggles of a handful of survivors to reach the bottom of the liner's hull before the ship...
by
Paul GallicoPaul William Gallico was a successful American novelist, short story and sports writer. Many of his works were adapted for motion pictures...
. It concerns the
capsizingCapsizing refers to when a boat or ship is tipped over until disabled. The act of reversing a capsized vessel is called righting.If a capsized vessel has sufficient flotation to prevent sinking, it may recover on its own if the stability is such that it is not stable inverted...
of a luxurious
ocean linerAn ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo, mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
by a tidal wave caused by an under sea earthquake and the desperate struggles of a handful of survivors to journey up to the bottom of the
hullA hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull comes the superstructure and deckhouse. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
of the liner before it sinks.
It won the Academy Award for Best Song for "The Song from 'The Poseidon Adventure'" (also known as "
The Morning After"The Morning After" is an Academy Award-winning song, first released during May 1973. It was the first success for singer Maureen McGovern, and was used as the love theme for the film The Poseidon Adventure, which was released late the year before.-Beginnings:The song was written during March 1972...
"), which became a hit single for
Maureen McGovernMaureen Therese McGovern is an American singer and Broadway actress, well-known for her premier rendition of the song, "We May Never Love Like This Again" for the movie The Towering Inferno .-Early life:...
, as well as winning an Academy Award for Special Achievement in Visual Effects.
Shelley WintersShelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television.-Early life:...
was also nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a film for the role. The cast of the film includes five past Academy Award winners - Winters, Gene Hackman, Jack Albertson, Red Buttons and Ernest Borgnine. Parts of the movie were filmed aboard the
RMS Queen MaryRMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...
.
The plot centers upon the fictional ocean liner
SS Poseidon-In fiction:*SS Poseidon , the subject of the novel and film The Poseidon Adventure.-Ships:, a Panamanian steamship.* ST Poseidon a Greek tug....
, an aged luxury ship from the golden age of travel, on its final voyage from
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
to
AthensAthens , the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
before being sent to the scrapyard. On
New Year's DayNew Year's Day is the first day of the new year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome . In all countries using the Gregorian calendar as their main calendar, except for Israel, it is a public holiday, often celebrated with fireworks at the...
, it is overturned by a
tsunamiA is a series of water waves that is caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, such as an ocean. The original Japanese term literally translates as "harbor wave." Tsunamis are a frequent occurrence in Japan; approximately 195 events have been recorded...
caused by an underwater earthquake. Passengers and crew are trapped inside and a rebellious preacher attempts to lead a small group of survivors to safety.
A huge
box officeA box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to a venue. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall, or at a wicket...
success, it was the second highest grossing film of 1972, behind
The GodfatherThe Godfather is a 1972 American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola, and Robert Towne . It stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S...
. The success of this film is in the vein of other all-star
disaster filmA disaster film is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject. These films typically feature large casts of well-known actors and multiple plotlines, focusing on the characters' attempts to avert, escape or cope with the disaster and its aftermath...
s in the 1970s such as
AirportAirport is a 1970 film based on the 1968 Arthur Hailey novel of the same name. This film, which earned over $100,000,000 at the box office at a time when achieving that milestone was rare, focuses on an airport manager trying to keep his airport open during a snowstorm, while a suicidal bomber...
(1970) and later films like
The Towering Inferno (1974), and
EarthquakeEarthquake is a 1974 American disaster film that achieved huge box-office success, continuing the disaster film genre of the 1970s where recognizable all-star casts attempt to survive life or death situations...
(1974). A sequel,
Beyond the Poseidon AdventureBeyond the Poseidon Adventure is a 1979 American disaster film, a sequel to the 1972 film, The Poseidon Adventure. It was directed by Irwin Allen and starred Michael Caine and Sally Field...
(1979), had an equally star-studded cast, but was a box-office and critical failure. The film was remade twice, first as a
television special in 2005The Poseidon Adventure is a 2005 action and adventure film based on a novel by Paul Gallico. It is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name.-Plot:...
with the same name, and a theatrical release with the name
PoseidonPoseidon is a 2006 action-adventure disaster film and the third film adaptation of The Poseidon Adventure by Paul Gallico. It stars Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, Emmy Rossum, Jacinda Barrett, and Richard Dreyfuss. It was directed by Wolfgang Petersen and produced and distributed by Warner Bros. in...
in 2006.
Plot
The SS
Poseidon, an ocean liner slated for retirement and dismantling, is making its way across the
AtlanticThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
and
Mediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it...
from
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
to
AthensAthens , the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
. Despite the protests of Captain Harrison (
Leslie NielsenLeslie William Nielsen, OC is a Canadian comedian and actor. Although Nielsen's acting career crosses a variety of genres in both television and films, he has achieved his greatest film success in comedies, including Airplane! and The Naked Gun series of films...
), who fears for the ship's safety in troubled waters, the representative of the Poseidons shipping company, Mr. Linarcos (
Fred SadoffFred Sadoff was an American stage, television and film actor.Frederick Edward Sadoff was born in New York to Henry and Bertha Sadoff; his only brother was born a few years earlier. He got his start as an actor on Broadway in the late 40's, appearing in South Pacific in the role of 'Professor'...
), insists that the ship makes full speed towards its destination, meaning that it is not allowed to carry additional
ballastA ballast tank is a compartment within a boat or ship that holds water. A vessel may have a single ballast tank near its center or multiple ballast tanks typically on either side. A large vessel typically will have several ballast tanks including double bottom tanks, wing tanks as well as...
onboard.
Detective Lieutenant Mike Rogo (
Ernest BorgnineErnest Borgnine is an American actor whose career spanned for over five decades. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the motion picture Marty. On television, he is known for playing the title character in the 1960s comedy series McHale's Navy. He earned an Emmy nomination at age 92 for his...
) and his former-prostitute wife Linda (
Stella StevensStella Stevens is an American film, television and stage actress, who began her acting career in 1959. She is a film producer, director and pin-up girl.-Early life:...
) —seasick, like many of the passengers — receive an invitation to the captain's table. Reverend Frank Scott (
Gene HackmanEugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and currently a novelist.Hackman has made 80 films. He came to fame in 1967 when his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde earned him his first Oscar nomination...
), a priest questioning his faith and believing God helps those who help themselves, delivers a sermon. Susan Shelby (
Pamela Sue MartinPamela Sue Martin , is an American actress best known for playing Nancy Drew on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries TV series and Fallon Carrington Colby on the ABC nighttime soap opera Dynasty.-Biography:...
) and her younger brother Robin (
Eric SheaChild actor Eric Shea , who appeared in the films Yours, Mine and Ours and The Poseidon Adventure , and in episodes of various TV series in the 1960s and 1970s. He also starred in Disney's The Whiz Kid. Shea's brothers Christopher and Stephen both voiced Linus van Pelt for the Peanuts TV animation...
) are traveling to meet their parents. Robin is interested in how the ship works and frequently visits the engine room. Retired Jewish hardware store owner Manny Rosen (
Jack AlbertsonJack Albertson was an American character actor dating to vaudeville. A comedian, dancer, singer, and musician, Albertson is perhaps best known for his roles as Manny Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure and Grandpa Joe in the 1971 version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and as Ed Brown in the...
) and his wife Belle (
Shelley WintersShelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television.-Early life:...
) are going to
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
to meet their two-year-old grandson for the first time. Haberdasher James Martin (
Red ButtonsRed Buttons was an American comedian and actor.-Early life:Red Buttons was born Aaron Chwatt on February 5, 1919 in New York City to Jewish immigrants. At sixteen years old, Buttons got a job as an entertaining bellhop at Ryan's Tavern in City Island, Bronx...
) is a love-shy, health-conscious bachelor. The ship's singer, Nonnie Parry (
Carol LynleyCarol Lynley is an American actress and former child model.-Biography:Born Carole Ann Jones in New York City, Lynley began her career as a child model under the name "Carolyn Lee", and when she started acting , she discovered that another actress had already registered the name, so...
) rehearses for the New Year's celebration with her band.
That evening,
New Year's EveNew Year's Eve or Old Year's Night is on , the final day of the Gregorian year, and the day before New Year's Day.New Year's Eve is a separate observance from the observance of New Year's Day...
, passengers gather in the dining room to celebrate. Captain Harrison is called to the bridge because of a report of an undersea
earthquakeAn earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph...
. Harrison receives word from the lookout that there is a huge wave heading towards them. He issues a
maydayMayday or May Day may refer to:* Mayday * May Day, a holiday on or around May 1* Mayday University Hospital, a hospital in Croydon...
and commands a "hard left" turn, but it is too late. The wave hits the bridge, drowning Harrison, Linarcos and the other ship's officers on the bridge. With its lack of ballast, the ship rolls over, killing or injuring many of the people on board.
In the dining room, survivors take stock of their predicament. Acres (
Roddy McDowallRoderick Andrew Anthony Jude "Roddy" McDowall was an English-born actor and photographer. He is known for beginning his long career as a child actor. His best known role is in the "Planet of the Apes" films and TV series from 1968-1974.-Early life and career:McDowall was born in Herne Hill,...
), an injured waiter, is trapped at the galley door now high above. With information from Martin, Scott surmises that the escape route will be found 'upwards', at the outer hull, which is now above water. Robin tells Scott that the hull near the propeller shaft is only one inch (2.54 cm) thick. The Rosens, the Rogos, Nonnie, Susan, Robin, Acres and Martin agree to go with Scott, using a Christmas tree as a ladder. Scott unsuccessfully tries to convince more passengers to join them. After the small group climbs to the galley, there is a series of explosions. As seawater floods the ballroom the survivors rush to the Christmas tree, but the weight of everyone climbing causes it to collapse.
Acres and Scott find the galley, and the survivors pick their way through the kitchen to a staircase. Scott climbs the underside of the stairs and he and Martin use a firehose to pull the others up. Scott leads them to an access tunnel. Rogo has been instructed to look after everybody, but just as Martin and Nonnie climb into the hole, water begins filling the corridor. While climbing up a long ladder inside the funnel, with Acres above them, the ship rocks from another series of explosions. Acres falls into the churning water and is lost despite Rogo's attempt to save him.
Climbing out of the shaft, Scott and Rogo argue over the loss of Acres. Their group meets a larger band of survivors led by the ship's medic, heading towards the bow. Scott is certain they are heading for their doom, but Rogo wants to follow them and gives Scott fifteen minutes to go aft to find the engine room. Although he takes longer than allowed, Scott finds the way to the engine room.
The group discovers the engine room is on the other side of a flooded corridor, so someone must swim through with a line to help the others. Belle, a former professional swimmer, claims she can manage it, but Scott refuses and dives in with the line. Halfway through, a panel collapses on Scott, trapping him. The survivors notice something is wrong and Belle dives in. She frees Scott and they make it to the other side. As Scott secures the lifeline, Belle has a heart attack. Before dying she tells Scott to give her "Chai" pendant (representing the Hebrew sign for life) to her husband, who in turn will give it to her grandson.
Rogo swims over to make sure Belle and Scott are alright, then leads the rest over. When Rosen swims to the other side and finds his wife's body he is unwilling to go on, but Scott gives him Belle's Chai pendant, reminding him that he has a reason to live.
Scott leads the survivors across a catwalk to the propeller shaft room's watertight door, but there is another series of explosions and Linda falls to her death. An infuriated and heartbroken Rogo blames her death on Scott. More explosions rupture a pipe that releases steam, blocking their escape. Scott, outraged about the three deaths and this final obstacle, rants at God for betraying the survivors. He leaps and grabs onto the burning-hot valve wheel to shut off the steam, then tells Rogo to lead the group before letting go of the wheel, sacrificing himself.
Rogo leads the remaining survivors — Rosen, Martin, Nonnie, Susan and Robin — through the watertight door and into the propeller shaft room. They hear a noise above the ship and bang on the ceiling to get the rescuers' attention. The rescuers cut through the hull and help the group from the ship. The survivors, the only six alive after the disaster, fly off to safety by helicopter.
Main Characters
- Reverend Frank Scott (played by Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and currently a novelist.Hackman has made 80 films. He came to fame in 1967 when his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde earned him his first Oscar nomination...
). He is a good natured preacher going on the cruise to discover God in his own way. When the boat is turned upside down, it is up to him to lead the people willing to the top of the boat. He ends up sacrificing himself to save them all.
- Detective Lieutenant Mike Rogo (played by Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine is an American actor whose career spanned for over five decades. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the motion picture Marty. On television, he is known for playing the title character in the 1960s comedy series McHale's Navy. He earned an Emmy nomination at age 92 for his...
)
- James Martin (played by Red Buttons
Red Buttons was an American comedian and actor.-Early life:Red Buttons was born Aaron Chwatt on February 5, 1919 in New York City to Jewish immigrants. At sixteen years old, Buttons got a job as an entertaining bellhop at Ryan's Tavern in City Island, Bronx...
)
- Nonnie Parry (played by Carol Lynley
Carol Lynley is an American actress and former child model.-Biography:Born Carole Ann Jones in New York City, Lynley began her career as a child model under the name "Carolyn Lee", and when she started acting , she discovered that another actress had already registered the name, so...
), a young singer who is travelling with her brother, earning their fare by their performances, when the wave strikes. Devastated over her brother's death, she is looked after by James Martin. It is suggested that a romance is slowly blossoming between the two.
- Belle Rosen (played by Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television.-Early life:...
)
- Manny Rosen (played by Jack Albertson
Jack Albertson was an American character actor dating to vaudeville. A comedian, dancer, singer, and musician, Albertson is perhaps best known for his roles as Manny Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure and Grandpa Joe in the 1971 version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and as Ed Brown in the...
) Manny Rosen is a Jewish shopkeeper from Brooklyn, New York. He is married to Belle Rosen, but near the end, Belle dies from a heart attack. They are on the way to meet their grandchild in IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
.
- Acres (played by Roddy McDowall
Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude "Roddy" McDowall was an English-born actor and photographer. He is known for beginning his long career as a child actor. His best known role is in the "Planet of the Apes" films and TV series from 1968-1974.-Early life and career:McDowall was born in Herne Hill,...
) is a shy and reclusive steward aboard the Poseidon. Before the New Year's Eve party, Acres watches the ship's band rehearse as he and the other waiters get ready for the night. At the party Acres serves passengers drinks. After the capsizing Acres is trapped at the galley door now high above the ballroom. Originally Acres was going to climb down to them; however, Reverend Frank Scott decides that survivors should go up as rescue will be found upwards. At first Scott suggests table cloth to climb up to Acres; however, Acres tells them there is none. Soon after they decide to use the Christmas tree to climb up to Acres. While the other survivors climb up a staircase, Acres and Scott go ahead and find the only exit to 'Broadway' where Acres suggests using an access tunnel to the funnel shaft. When they climb up the tunnel, the ship rocks from another series of explosions and Acres falls into the churning water and disappeared. Rogo makes an attempt to save him, but the shaft explodes and forces him to abandon Acres. Scott and Rogo soon argue over the loss of Acres. It is unknown if Acres really died or survived.
- Linda Rogo (played by Stella Stevens
Stella Stevens is an American film, television and stage actress, who began her acting career in 1959. She is a film producer, director and pin-up girl.-Early life:...
) is a loud mouth and tough woman. Linda was a prostitute until she married Mike, a policeman. He arrested her six times; revealed as his ploy to convince her to marry him. Linda and Mike are travelling together on a holiday. Seasick Linda is given suppositories by the ship's doctor, recovers, and sits at the captain's table at the New Year's Eve party having received invitations to do so. Linda and Mike survive the capsizing. Linda has to wear Mike's shirt as she cannot climb the Christmas tree with her dress on, and had "just panties" on underneath. Shortly before reaching the hull a series of explosions throw Linda to her death from a catwalk onto a burning platform below. Mike blames Scott for Linda's death as her corpse is incinerated.
- Susan Shelby (played by Pamela Sue Martin
Pamela Sue Martin , is an American actress best known for playing Nancy Drew on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries TV series and Fallon Carrington Colby on the ABC nighttime soap opera Dynasty.-Biography:...
) is a teenager travelling with her younger brother to meet their parents. At the New Year Eve party, Susan dances with her friend Terry; however, Susan has a crush on Reverend Frank Scott. After the capsizing Susan ends up on a table which is now connected to the ceiling, and jumps into tablecloth which is being held by other passengers. Susan and Robin then agree to go with Scott. While the survivors are in Broadway, Susan and Scott find the hatch that leads to the engine room. Scott tells Susan to return to the others and go forward if he has not come back in five minutes. After waiting, Susan tells the others the bad news, but Scott reappears and announces he has found the way to the engine room. When Scott dies Susan is deeply upset. However, she and the other survivors are rescued a short time later.
- Robin Shelby (played by Eric Shea
Child actor Eric Shea , who appeared in the films Yours, Mine and Ours and The Poseidon Adventure , and in episodes of various TV series in the 1960s and 1970s. He also starred in Disney's The Whiz Kid. Shea's brothers Christopher and Stephen both voiced Linus van Pelt for the Peanuts TV animation...
) is a young boy travelling with his older sister Susan to meet their parents. Robin is interested in how the ship works and frequently visits the engine room and the captain. Robin and his sister survive the capsizing of the Poseidon and help Reverend Frank Scott by climbing up the Christmas tree to test it. While going through Broadway with the other survivors, Robin goes missing but is found by Scott. However, the water begins to flood Broadway and they race to the hatch and make it up just as the water floods the corridor. Robin and Susan are later rescued.
- Captain Harrison (played by Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC is a Canadian comedian and actor. Although Nielsen's acting career crosses a variety of genres in both television and films, he has achieved his greatest film success in comedies, including Airplane! and The Naked Gun series of films...
) is the captain of the Poseidon. Captain Harrison is ordered by Mr. Linarcos to empty ballast and proceed at full speed; however, he does not agree with this, telling him it is dangerous. Still he does what he is told rather than lose his command. Captain Harrison attends the New Year's Eve party where Reverend Frank Scott, Mike and Linda sit at his table. However, he and Linarcos are called back to the bridge because of an emergency report of an undersea earthquake near CreteCrete is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km²...
. Harrison receives word from the lookout that there is a huge wave heading towards them. He immediately issues a mayday, but it is too late. The wave hits the bridge, drowning Harrison, Linarcos and other ship's officers.
- Mr. Linarcos (played by Fred Sadoff
Fred Sadoff was an American stage, television and film actor.Frederick Edward Sadoff was born in New York to Henry and Bertha Sadoff; his only brother was born a few years earlier. He got his start as an actor on Broadway in the late 40's, appearing in South Pacific in the role of 'Professor'...
) is the company representative of the Poseidon. Mr. Linarcos orders Captain Harrison to empty ballast and proceed at full speed, against the Captain's better judgement, telling Mr. Linarcos it is dangerous. However Linarcos tells him he has the legal right to relieve him of command. That evening he attends the New Year's Eve party; however, he and Captain Harrison are called back to the bridge because of an emergency report of an undersea earthquake near CreteCrete is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km²...
. However, they are too late and the wave hits the bridge, drowning Captain Harrison, Linarcos, and the other ship's officers.
- Chaplain John (played by Arthur O'Connell
Arthur O'Connell was an American stage and film actor. He appeared in films in 1941 and television programs...
) is a priest aboard the Poseidon. Chaplain John is friends with Reverend Frank Scott and helps him at the sermon on Sunday's service. That evening Chaplain John attends the New Year's Eve party and survives the capsizing. John helps the injured; however, when Reverend Frank Scott decides to go up, John decides to stay. Scott asks him to come but John tells him he must stay with them and help them even though he knows he will die if he stays. After a series of explosions, seawater begins to flood the ballroom, killing Chaplain John.
- Mr. Tinkham (played by Erik L. Nelson) is the bridge officer aboard the Poseidon. He attends the sermon at Sunday's service and later attends the New Year's Eve party where he sits with Belle and Manny. At the party Belle asks Mr. Tinkham if he is married, whereupon he replies that the sea is his mistress. After the Poseidon capsizes, Mr. Tinkham is seriously injured and is helped by Reverend Frank Scott. Mr. Tinkham repeatedly tells Scott he must get to "Lifeboat Stations"; however, he soon dies.
- The Purser (played by Byron Webster
Byron Clark Webster is an English footballer who plays for Doncaster Rovers as a defender.-Career:Born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Webster made his debut for York City against Burton Albion in the Conference National on 29 December 2004. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 draw...
) is the purserThe purser joined the warrant officer ranks of the Royal Navy in the early fourteenth century and existed as a Naval rank until 1852. The development of the warrant officer system began in 1040 when five English ports began furnishing warships to King Edward the Confessor in exchange for certain...
aboard the Poseidon. He attends the New Year's Eve party and sits with Susan and Robin, where he tells them that the Poseidon is a giant hotel. The purser survives the capsizing of the ship and tells the other passengers to wait for rescue. However, Reverend Frank Scott does not listen to him and tries to persuade passengers to go up. Still the purser does not listen to Scott, telling him it is suicide. The purser with many other passengers stays; however, after a series of explosions, seawater begins to flood the ballroom, killing the purser.
- Terry (played by Ernie F. Orsatti) is a passenger aboard the Poseidon. Terry attends the New Year's Eve party and sits with Susan as they are friends. Terry also dances with Susan at the party. He is also the character who does the spectacular fall into the skylight that was filmed from the perspective of the table he was hanging onto. The scene after the capsizing briefly shows him lying in the skylight with his corpse smoking from being subjected to electric current.
Popular culture
- The comedy-musical stage version The Poseidon Adventure, the Musical! by Bill Robens and Genemichael Barrera, (Los Angeles, 2002) was featured in the Fox Movie Channel
The Fox Movie Channel is a channel which shows movies uncut and commercial-free. Movie content consists mainly of selections from 20th Century Fox's library of releases through the 1990s and movies produced exclusively for television. Widescreen versions are shown whenever available. Typically,...
documentary Cult Culture: The Poseidon Adventure.
- Another musical has been based upon the story, POSEIDON! An Upside Down Musical written by David Cerda
David Cerda is an American performer and playwright based in Chicago, Illinois. He is currently the artistic director for Hell In A Handbag Productions. His campy, highly theatrical plays have made him an infamous icon within the Chicago theater scene...
with Hell in a Handbag Productions in Chicago.
- An official fan club was created in the late 1990s. The Poseidon Adventure Fan Club (1999-2006) was an international club run by Jak Castro, which presented seven fan club reunions over the course of its run. Most of the film's original cast made appearances at these reunions. The fan club was featured in the FOX Movie Channel documentary Cult Culture: The Poseidon Adventure, and in the AMC Backstory The Poseidon Adventure, which is also included on the special edition DVD of the original film.
- One of the special effects models used for filming is on view at the LA Maritime Museum.http://www.lamaritimemuseum.org/
- The Pokémon
, abbreviated from , is an ongoing Japanese animated series, which has since been adapted for the North and South American and European television market...
episode "Pokémon Shipwreck!" was based on the events of this movie.
- An episode of The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie...
("The Wettest Stories Ever ToldThe Wettest Stories Ever Told is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons’ seventeenth season.-Plot:When the Simpsons' plans for a nice family outing at the Frying Dutchman turns into a dining disaster , the family try to salvage the night by turning the episode into yet another Simpsons anthology...
") parodied the film, even including a spoof of "The Morning AfterThe Morning After is the title of a number of creative works:*"The Morning After" , a 1969 episode of the The Avengers* The Morning After , a 1971 album by the J...
" exaggeratedly foreshadowing the destruction of the ship, the SS Neptune. Neptune is the Roman name of the Greek god Poseidon.
- The cartoon The Angry Beavers
The Angry Beavers is an American animated television series created by Mitch Schauer for the Nickelodeon channel. The series revolves around the central characters: Daggett and Norbert Beaver, two young beaver brothers who have left their home to become bachelors in the forest...
featured an episode in which two of the characters had to escape from the sinking dam.
- The film is parodied in the Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. The eponymous series was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, with the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
episode "The Puerto Rican Day", in which Elaine accompanies a ragtag group that includes a priest under stadium bleachers in an attempt to escape the parade.
- The band Killdozer
Killdozer was the name of a band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1983, with members Bill Hobson, Dan Hobson and Michael Gerald. They took their name from the 1974 TV movie, directed by Jerry London, itself based on a Theodore Sturgeon short story. They released their first album, Intellectuals are...
's song "Man Vs Nature" pays satirical homage to the film as well as The Towering Inferno and EarthquakeEarthquake is a 1974 American disaster film that achieved huge box-office success, continuing the disaster film genre of the 1970s where recognizable all-star casts attempt to survive life or death situations...
(the last erroneously identified as an Irwin Allen production.) The lyrics of the first verse begin On my screen a ship was sinking/it seemed so real but it was just a movie/made by Irwin Allen (my what a relief).
- The television show Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach may refer to:* Sunset Beach , an NBC television soap opera that aired 1997-1999.* Sunset Beach, California, the unincorporated beachfront community northwest of Huntington Beach in Orange County, that the soap opera is named after...
(1997-2000) borrowed large chunks of the plot for its 'shockwave' storyline. This had around half of the cast boarding a cruise liner which was turned upside down by a giant wave. As in the movie, the show's characters had to make their way to the bottom of the ship (which was at the top) and cut their way through.
- In the Father Ted
Father Ted is a situation comedy television programme produced by Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4. The show depicts the lives of three Irish Catholic priests on the remote fictional Craggy Island off the west coast of Ireland. It ran for three series, totalling 25 episodes, between 21 April...
episode "Speed 3"Speed 3" is the third episode of the third series of Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted and the 20th episode overall. It is a parody of the film Speed...
", the priests watch the entire Poseidon Adventure to help them rescue Dougal from a milk float, believing it will help them as "Gene Hackman plays a priest in it!" It is "No help at all".
- The movie Rugrats Go Wild!
Rugrats Go Wild is a crossover 2003 Nickelodeon animated film, with two animated television series Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys. The film was produced by Klasky Csupo and released in theaters on June 13, 2003 by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies...
parodies the boat overturning and uses the song "The Morning After"
- A SNES game called S.O.S.
S.O.S., known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Human Entertainment and published in 1994 by Vic Tokai for the Super NES. The game was later released as a sequel only in Japan for the PlayStation known as Septentrion: Out of the Blue....
, or Septentrion in Japan, has a largely similar plot, although some of the specifics vary.
- Mad Magazine (issue 161) did a spoof of this movie called "The Poop-side Down Adventure". The cover does not show Alfred E. Neuman
Alfred E. Neuman is the fictional mascot and iconic cover boy of Mad magazine. The face had drifted through American pictography for decades before being claimed and named by Mad editor Harvey Kurtzman.-History:...
's face, but only his legs upside-down in a life preserver. It is also famous for being the best selling issue of all time in MAD Magazine's long history.
- In the mid-1990s, The Poseidon Adventure was spoofed by a live comedy troupe called "The Sick and Twisted Players", led by Tony Vaguely in San Francisco.
- The Urban Legends Reference Page has a joke page, complete with a phony Internet Movie Database entry which claims that a silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially spoken dialogue. The idea of combining motion pictures with recorded sound is nearly as old as film itself, but because of the technical challenges involved, synchronized dialogue was only made practical in the late 1920s with...
version of The Poseidon Adventure, starring Donald Crisp as Reverend Scott, was playing in the ship's theater on the RMS TitanicThe RMS Titanic was an Olympic-class passenger liner owned by British shipping company White Star Line and built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, United Kingdom...
at the time it struck the iceberg. This is done to caution the reader about believing everything you read on the Internet, even on the Urban Legends page.
- The third season Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess is an American television series, a supernatural adventure that aired from September 4, 1995 until May 21, 2001. The series was created in 1995 by writer-director-producer Robert Tapert under his production tag, Renaissance Pictures with later co-executive producers being...
episode 'Tsunami' similarly features a ship overturning and the passengers being trapped inside.
- An episode of Duckman
Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man is an animated sitcom that aired from 1994-1997, created by Everett Peck and developed by Peck, Jeff Reno and Ron Osborn. The sitcom was based on characters created by Peck in his Dark Horse comic...
in which some characters are trapped in an emergency shelter including a waiter, Acres, who is a one-shot character, is quickly killed off and instantly forgotten by the rest of the party.
- On an episode of Mama's Family
Mama's Family is an American television sitcom that premiered on NBC on January 22, 1983. It ended its run on that network in May 1984 when it was cancelled, but NBC would continue to air reruns until September 1985. In June 1986, Mama's Family returned in first-run syndication, where it aired for...
, "Mama Gets the Bird", Mama and Iola enter the kitchen, turned upside down, looking for Uncle Oscar's gold. Mama replies to Iola "this looks like the galley from the Poseidon Adventure".
- On an episode of Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. The series revolved around a group of friends in the area of Manhattan, New York City, who occasionally live together and share living expenses. The series was produced by...
, ChandlerChandler Muriel Bing is a fictional character on the popular US television sitcom Friends , played by Matthew Perry.-Background:...
imitates a dance by Belle Rosen, saying he was "Shelly Winters from Poseidon Adventure".
- On a 2008 episode of the animated TV series King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997 to September 13, 2009 on Fox. It centers on the Hills, a small-town Methodist family in Arlen, Texas...
, entitled "Pour Some Sugar On Kahn," the character Kahn performs a karaoke rendition of "The Morning AfterThe Morning After is the title of a number of creative works:*"The Morning After" , a 1969 episode of the The Avengers* The Morning After , a 1971 album by the J...
" to an enthusiastic audience.
- On an episode of the cult classic series "Get a Life
"Get a life" is an originally American idiom and catch phrase usually intended as a taunt, to indicate that the person being so addressed is devoting an inordinate amount of time to trivial or hopeless matters...
" with Chris Elliot, there is an episode in which he is stuck upside down on a roller coaster and begins to sing The Morning AfterThe Morning After is the title of a number of creative works:*"The Morning After" , a 1969 episode of the The Avengers* The Morning After , a 1971 album by the J...
- On the Carol Burnett Show from the 1970s, she and the cast do a spoof on disaster movies, mainly Airport 75, with Carol playing the Karen Black stewardess role. At one point she announces that the inflight movie will be The Poseidon Adventure.
- On the Tony Orlando and Dawn variety show, a spoof of The Poseidon Adventure is done in one of the songs.
- On the HBO series Dream On
Dream On may refer to:*"Dream On" w. B.G DeSylva, m. Victor Herbert, 1925*Dream On!, a 1981 movie starring Ed Harris and Paul Reubens*Dream On , an American adult situation comedy...
one of the characters played by Denny Dillon, is obsessed with The Poseidon Adventure and names some of the puppies in her litter Shelley WintersShelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television.-Early life:...
, Ernest BorgnineErnest Borgnine is an American actor whose career spanned for over five decades. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the motion picture Marty. On television, he is known for playing the title character in the 1960s comedy series McHale's Navy. He earned an Emmy nomination at age 92 for his...
, etc.
- On the animated series South Park
South Park is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become infamous for its crude, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
there is an episode in which the character of Chef falls in love with an evil woman who turns out to be a succubus. The only way the boys can get rid of her is to play "the Morning AfterThe Morning After is the title of a number of creative works:*"The Morning After" , a 1969 episode of the The Avengers* The Morning After , a 1971 album by the J...
" in reverse.
- An episode late in the series of Designing Women
Designing Women is an American television sitcom that centered around the working and personal lives of four Southern women and one man in an interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia. It aired on the CBS Television network from September 29, 1986 until May 24, 1993...
finds the stars trapped in an elevator and Bernice (Alice Ghostly) says she remembers The Poseidon AdventureThe Poseidon Adventure is an American adventure novel by Paul Gallico, released in 1969. It concerns the capsizing of a luxurious ocean liner, the SS Poseidon due to an undersea earthquake, and the desperate struggles of a handful of survivors to reach the bottom of the liner's hull before the ship...
and says she could never figure out how they shoved Shelley WintersShelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television.-Early life:...
through the pipes
- The famous glass windows in The Poseidon Adventure
The Poseidon Adventure is an American adventure novel by Paul Gallico, released in 1969. It concerns the capsizing of a luxurious ocean liner, the SS Poseidon due to an undersea earthquake, and the desperate struggles of a handful of survivors to reach the bottom of the liner's hull before the ship...
were originally created for the Fox movie Hello Dolly, and were also seen in the movie Sleeper with Woody AllenWoody Allen is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, comedian, writer, musician, and playwright....
. Some of those windows are now on display at the Fox Baja movie studio in Mexico.
- Cracked
Cracked is an American comedy website, and was originally a humor magazine. Founded in 1958, Cracked proved to be the most durable imitator of the popular Mad Magazine....
Magazine, a MADMad or MAD may refer to:* The state of being insane.* The state of being angry.* Mad , an American humor magazine* The Danish word for food* Mad River, various rivers* Mad , a rock band from Buenos Aires, Argentina...
-style magazine, also did a parody of The Poseidon AdventureThe Poseidon Adventure is an American adventure novel by Paul Gallico, released in 1969. It concerns the capsizing of a luxurious ocean liner, the SS Poseidon due to an undersea earthquake, and the desperate struggles of a handful of survivors to reach the bottom of the liner's hull before the ship...
called The Perspirin Adventure!
- On the 1970s series The Bob Newhart Show
The Bob Newhart Show is the name of two different television series, both starring comedian Bob Newhart. The better-known is a situation comedy produced by MTM Enterprises, which aired on CBS from September 16, to April 1,...
, Bob and Emily are getting ready to take a sea cruise and the other characters on the show are in the stateroom seeing them off...one of them mentions having just watched The Poseidon AdventureThe Poseidon Adventure is an American adventure novel by Paul Gallico, released in 1969. It concerns the capsizing of a luxurious ocean liner, the SS Poseidon due to an undersea earthquake, and the desperate struggles of a handful of survivors to reach the bottom of the liner's hull before the ship...
...
- In the Daria
Daria was an American animated television series that ran on the cable network MTV from 1997 to 2002. Created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn, the series about a smart, acerbic, and somewhat misanthropic high school girl was a spin-off of MTV's animated Beavis and Butt-head .The series was...
episode "Sappy Adventure", Jane Lane mentions that her favorite song is "the theme from the Poseidon Adventure".
Awards wins
- Academy Award for Best Original Song - (Al Kasha
Al Kasha is a Brooklyn–born composer, songwriter and arranger, as well as businessman. He is most noted for his years of collaboration with songwriter Joel Hirschhorn....
& Joel HirschhornJoel Hirschhorn, , was an American songwriter. During a successful career, he won the Academy Award for Best Song on two occasions...
) for the song "The Morning After"The Morning After" is an Academy Award-winning song, first released during May 1973. It was the first success for singer Maureen McGovern, and was used as the love theme for the film The Poseidon Adventure, which was released late the year before.-Beginnings:The song was written during March 1972...
"
- Academy Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects
The Academy Award for Visual Effects is an Oscar given to one film each year that shows highest achievement in visual effects.The category was called Best Special Effects when it was created in 1939. In 1963, the category was split into two: Best Special Visual Effects and Best Sound Effects...
- (L.B. Abbott & A.D. Flowers)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previous year....
- Shelley WintersShelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television.-Early life:...
- BAFTA Award for Best Actor - (Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and currently a novelist.Hackman has made 80 films. He came to fame in 1967 when his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde earned him his first Oscar nomination...
)
Award nominations
- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
- (Shelley WintersShelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television.-Early life:...
)
- Academy Award for Best Art Direction
The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
- (William J. CreberWilliam J. Creber is an American art director. He was nominated for three Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction. He continues to consult on special projects including key street designs for Disney theme parks and rebuilding the street facades that burned in the June 2008 Universal...
& Raphael BrettonRaphael Bretton is a French set decorator. He won an Academy Award and was nominated for three more in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:...
)
- Academy Award for Best Cinematography
The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture....
- (Harold E. Stine)
- Academy Award for Costume Design
This Academy Award was first given for movies made in 1948 when separate awards were given for black-and-white and color movies.- 1940s :Black-and-White*1948: Roger K. Furse – Hamlet** Irene Lentz – B...
- (Paul ZastupnevichPaul Zastupnevich was an American costume designer and assistant to movie producer and director Irwin Allen.-Biography:...
)
- Academy Award for Film Editing
The Academy Award for Film Editing is one of the annual awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; it was first given for films released in 1934. The name of this award is occasionally changed; in 2008, it was listed as the Academy Award for Achievement in Film Editing. The New York...
- (Harold F. KressHarold F. Kress was an American film editor best known for the 1962 film How the West Was Won.-Biography:...
)
- Academy Award for Original Music Score
The Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Winners with multiple nominations:...
- (John Williams)
- Academy Award for Sound
The Academy Award for Sound Mixing is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest or most euphonic sound mixing or recording, and is generally awarded to the production sound mixers and re-recording mixers of the winning film. Compare this award to the Academy Award for Sound Editing...
- (Theodore Soderberg & Herman Lewis)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama
This page lists the winners and nominees for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, since its institution in 1951. The organizer, Hollywood Foreign Press Association , is an organization comprised of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are...
- Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score - Motion Picture - (John Williams)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song - Motion Picture - (Al Kasha
Al Kasha is a Brooklyn–born composer, songwriter and arranger, as well as businessman. He is most noted for his years of collaboration with songwriter Joel Hirschhorn....
& Joel HirschhornJoel Hirschhorn, , was an American songwriter. During a successful career, he won the Academy Award for Best Song on two occasions...
) for the song "The Morning After"The Morning After" is an Academy Award-winning song, first released during May 1973. It was the first success for singer Maureen McGovern, and was used as the love theme for the film The Poseidon Adventure, which was released late the year before.-Beginnings:The song was written during March 1972...
"
- BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role - (Shelley Winters)
See also
- The Poseidon Adventure
The Poseidon Adventure is an American adventure novel by Paul Gallico, released in 1969. It concerns the capsizing of a luxurious ocean liner, the SS Poseidon due to an undersea earthquake, and the desperate struggles of a handful of survivors to reach the bottom of the liner's hull before the ship...
(book)
- Beyond the Poseidon Adventure
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure is a 1979 American disaster film, a sequel to the 1972 film, The Poseidon Adventure. It was directed by Irwin Allen and starred Michael Caine and Sally Field...
(1979)
- The Poseidon Adventure
The Poseidon Adventure is a 2005 action and adventure film based on a novel by Paul Gallico. It is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name.-Plot:...
(2005)
- Poseidon
Poseidon is a 2006 action-adventure disaster film and the third film adaptation of The Poseidon Adventure by Paul Gallico. It stars Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, Emmy Rossum, Jacinda Barrett, and Richard Dreyfuss. It was directed by Wolfgang Petersen and produced and distributed by Warner Bros. in...
(2006)
- SS Poseidon
-In fiction:*SS Poseidon , the subject of the novel and film The Poseidon Adventure.-Ships:, a Panamanian steamship.* ST Poseidon a Greek tug....
- SS Andrea Doria
SS Andrea Doria was an ocean liner for the Italian Line home ported in Genoa, Italy, most famous for its sinking in 1956. Named after the 16th-century Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, the Andrea Doria had a gross register tonnage of 29,100 and a capacity of about 1,200 passengers and 500 crew...
- Rogue Wave
External links