Wonkette Movie Night: The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

'Oh, can't you see the morning after? It's waiting right outside the storm Why don't we cross the bridge together And find a place that's safe and warm?'

We two have paddled in the stream
From morning sun till night
The seas between us Lord and swell
Since the days of auld lang syne

Happy New Year! 

As the passengers of the big ocean liner ring in the New Year on the last voyage of The Poseidon, all sing Auld Lang Syne. Then their world turns upside down. A greedy suit forcing the captain and the ship past their limits. When an undersea earthquake creates a massive wave that cannot be escaped and it slams into the port side of the ship, it begins its roll and poor Leslie Nielsen (The Captain) is one of the first to go, he should probably stick to Airplanes!

A canonical disaster flick. Big cast with even bigger names taken on a journey of survival with big effects, these cinematic monsters of mayhem had one memorable name among them. Irwin Allen, AKA the "Master of Disaster."

Fire and water, as the movie The Towering Inferno followed two years after The Poseidon Adventure with the same successful formula — set up the stories in the beginning but get quickly to the explodey stuff. The cast is a cavalcade of stars with the big names and whom the director puts through nine hells. 

The list: 

Gene Hackman
Ernest Borgnine
Red Buttons
Carol Lynley
Roddy McDowall
Stella Stevens
Shelley Winters
Jack Albertson
Pamela Sue Martin
Arthur O'Connell
Leslie Nielsen

Including a Wonkette favorite (Shall We Get Our Grande Dame Guignol On? We do not talk enough about Shelley Winters' contribution to the genre, Robyn Pennacchia)

Shelley Winters won two Academy Awards and a Golden Globe for her performance as Belle Rosen. Here's a woman who at first believes that she is too old to try an escape. As her husband Manny says later in the film, "Stop giving our lives away!" 

The group makes their way to the bottom of the boat, each challenge along the way giving each character a chance to show their flaws, their humanity and their heroism. The smart ass kid is the one that needed to be listened to, to save them.  

Like the passengers on The Poseidon we all know what it is like to have our worlds turned upside down. But if you have a willingness of the imagination to foresee a better future you have a much greater chance of getting there than those who stay behind waiting to be rescued.

The Poseidon Adventure is available with subscription on Starz, Hulu, Sling TV and Philo. For $3.99 on Prime, Vudu, Apple TV and Google Play.

To make requests, see the movie lists and schedules go to WonkMovie.

Pop your popcorn!

Enjoy!

Tonight’s cartoon is Lady, Play Your Mandolin (1931) by Merrie Melodies starring the character Foxy.