A Tip-Top Cast Goes Topsy-Turvy with Elan in The Poseidon Adventure

                The outset of the 1970s ushered in the era of the All-Star Disaster Epic, starting with the smash (in box-office terms, at least) release of Airport in 1970 and roughly ending with the aptly named When Time Ran Out in 1980, the same year Airplane! wreaked havoc on the now-passe genre to hilarious effect. These often-exciting, sometimes woebegone excursions hit the heights of the classy The Towering Inferno while suffering lows caused by avalanches, hurricanes, bad scripts and their ilk. Perhaps the most memorable and beloved of these flights (or cruises) of fancy came with the release of producer Irwin Allen’s (a.k.a. as the King of Disaster Films) watershed The Poseidon Adventure. Set on the title vessel during a New Year’s Eve at sea, the film details the plight of several key passengers trying to escape death after the SS Poseidon encounters a tidal wave to ring in the new year, and ungracefully goes belly up. Veteran British director Ronald Neame proved an ideal choice to bring the adept screenplay (by Stirling Silliphant and Wendell Mayes, from the Paul Gallico novel) to life with admirable flourish and a tongue-in-cheek sensibility, while keeping the pace just right, offering an epic experience in just under two hours, aided by a star-stacked cast who all get into the spirit of things with aplomb and tenacity, given the tricky situations and environs they encounter throughout the movie, overcoming them with varying degrees of success.

                For Gene Hackman, Poseidon would help cement his status as one of the principle male stars of his era, after breaking through with Oscar-nominated work in one of the signature films of the decade, 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde, then starting the 1970s off in fine style with another Supporting Actor nod for I Never Sang for My Father before gaining leading man status and a Best Actor Oscar for his tough, intense work as Popeye Doyle in The French Connection. For Poseidon, Hackman would carry the energy and commanding presence he so usefully employed in Connection as the Reverend Frank Scott, the self-appointed leader of the group trying to find which way is up to reach the freedom “The Morning After” can provide, as the film’s beautiful theme song has already made clear exists. Hackman does a terrific job showing the Reverend’s egocentric, controversial nature, while also convincing the audience he’s the right man to move the survivors onwards and upwards, via Hackman passionately conveying Scott’s strength and intense desperation in trying to save his colleagues from certain death. After Poseidon Hackman would score acclaim for another key film of the decade, 1974’s The Conversation, while also keeping a high profile in big hits such as Superman and a hilarious cameo in Young Frankenstein, then remain a force onscreen with 1988’s Mississippi Burning and another Oscar for vivid work as a sadist in The Unforgiven, while carefully balancing strong dramatic work with lighter fare such as Get Shorty and The Birdcage, before eventually retiring via 2004’s Welcome to Mooseport.

                As the reverend’s chief ally and adversary, depending on situation, Ernest Borgnine is properly bombastic as Mike Rogo, a detective on the cruise with his lovely but equally tough wife Linda, who has “a past,” as they say. As Linda, Stella Stevens plays her scenes opposite Borgnine with gusto and comic flair, and together they also manage to convey the deep love that exists behind their constant bickering. Borgnine’s overt, machismo-infested playing convincingly matches Hackman’s force as they go mano a mano in many scenes, with both adding an entertaining element of ham into their verbal battles. Stevens also adds a nice touch to these front-and-center confrontations, showing Linda has the street smarts to jump right into any fight to help resolve the situation and get Mike to aid the reverend before time runs out, while she also aids other passengers in moving forward as they rise to the bottom.

Shelley Winters is generally considered the stand-out of the cast, with good reason. As Belle Rosen, a hefty grandmother traveling with her husband Manny (Jack Alberson, at his earnest best) to see her family, she brings great heart, humor and, ultimately, heroics to the proceedings. An awesome character arc leads to possibly the greatest scene in any disaster film, wherein the here-to-fore seemingly helpless Belle lively implores Reverend Scott to let her step in at a precarious obstacle in the group’s venture to lead the way past the waterlogged obstruction. With conviction and the patented panache that helped her win two Oscars while creating many other memorable comic and dramatic portrayals, Winters sells the scene beautifully, resulting in one of the most famous and entertaining sequences in 70’s cinema. Post her Poseidon peak, Winters would continue to thrive as a star character actor, scoring particularly strong as another outspoken, caring mother in 1976’s Next Stop, Greenwich Village.

Others in the stalwart cast making strong impressions include Roddy McDowell, as the likeable steward who helps the group in climbing up to the next level via a useful Christmas tree, Pamela Sue Martin as Susan Shelby, the young girl who develops a crush on the reverend and also owns the perfect wardrobe to wear when major calamity ensues, and Eric Shea as her bratty but knowledgeable little brother Robin, who appears to know as much about the ship as Captain Harrison, played by Leslie Nielson with the stoic reserve that would serve as a perfect fit for his later 180 career switch into comedy, starting with 1980’s Airplane! Red Buttons and Carol Lynley are also along for the ride, suggesting a May-December romantic angle, and Arthur O’Connell appears briefly as Chaplain John, who is at odds with Reverend Scott concerning his approach to religion.

The Poseidon Adventure made a splash as huge as the one onscreen upon its release in December of 1972, quickly became one of filmdom’s biggest blockbusters with U.S.  and Canadian rentals (according to Variety) of $42,000,000, placing it behind The Godfather as the year’s top hit. Although accolades were generally lukewarm amid the vast public support for the movie, Winters was rewarded with a Golden Globe win and Oscar nomination for her florid and moving work, while Hackman’s imposing performance was mentioned alongside his Connection role in his British Academy Award Best Actor win. Among eight Oscar nominations for the film, richly warranted Academy Awards went to Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn for the enduring “The Morning After,” and a special achievement Oscar for Best Visual Effects was granted to L.B. Abbott and A.D. Flowers for their awesome work in illustrating the havoc wreaked onscreen in such convincing fashion, helping to capture the imagination of fans thirsty to experience an onscreen Adventure like no other. Although a sequel and Poseidon remakes may have upped the ante regarding what could be achieved in dynamically presenting catastrophic events, with its singular cast, ace direction and top production values, the original screen rendering of Gallico’s compelling story remains the one to beat, becoming a New Year’s Eve (or New Year’s) viewing staple as it continues to thrill new audiences, while maintaining a sturdy fanbase of those who fondly recall the film and never tire of taking another enthralling trip on the Poseidon.

Note: I admit to bias regarding my unconditional love for The Poseidon Adventure: first viewing the film at a drive-in around the time of release, the film captured my six-year-old imagination like few other cinematic endeavors of the period, assisting in quickly building my passion for movies at a tender age. Time has never tarnished the wonders involved in experiencing yet another viewing of the film and becoming enraptured by the fantastic events depicted therein as much as ever, regardless of developing a more critical, cynical eye over the years.