Today’s movie is a disaster film with scenes that happen on
May 18. Watch it tonight and enjoy.
ST. HELENS
After 123 years, volcanic
activity starts at Mount St. Helens, causing a disruption in the Earth’s
magnetic field that causes a flock of quail to collide with a helicopter, almost causing it to crash.
David Jackson is sent by the USGS to investigate. Harry Truman is the crotchety
owner of Spirit Lake lodge located near the mountain. Jackson meets and falls
in love with Linda, a waitress at a local restaurant. Some locals are upset that
Jackson is saying Mount St. Helens might be active as they are afraid it will
cause economic loss. Jackson sets up
instruments to monitor the mountain. When a smoke plume goes up the head of the
USGS comes to the mountain, but he downplays the seriousness of the
situation. Tourists come to see the
volcano as it continues to vent, while the sheriff tries to get and keep people
out of the danger zone. The townspeople talk the governor into allowing access
to the town again. Jackson flies into the crater in a helicopter and gets what
he thinks is positive proof that an eruption is on the way. An evacuation is
ordered. On May 18, 1980, Jackson is on the mountain to monitor equipment when
the mountain erupts killing him and many others, including Harry Truman, who stupidly decided to stay in the area.
[1:22:04 to 1:30:53]
A tolerable melodrama. The acting
is good, although certainly not Oscar quality. It is good enough to keep you
interested.
Encyclopedia of Earthquakes
and Volcanoes by Alexander Gates and David Ritchie (Checkmark Books, New
York, 2007) at page 223 and the movie at 1:22:12 give the date of the eruption.
Producer - Peter S. Davis and William N. Panzer
Director - Ernest Pintoff
Screenplay - Peter
Bellwood, Larry Ferguson, Michael Timothy Murphy and Larry
Sturholm
Released -
September, 1981
Runtime – 1 hour 30 min
Starring -
Art Carney as Harry Truman
David Huffman as David A. Johnston
Cassie Yates as Linda Steele
Albert Salmi as
Clyde Whittaker
Ron O'Neal as Otis
Kaylor
Tim Thomerson as
Sheriff Wayne Temple
Bill McKinney as
Kilpatrick
Nehemiah Persoff as
Mr. Ellison
Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015
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