Heatwave!

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Heatwave!
GenreDrama
Written by Peter Allan Fields (teleplay)
Mark Weingart(teleplay)
Herbert F. Solow (story)
Directed by Jerry Jameson
Starring Ben Murphy
Bonnie Bedelia
Lew Ayres
Theme music composer Fred Steiner
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producer Harve Bennett
ProducerHerbert F. Solow
Production locations Long Beach, California
Saugus, California
Cinematography Enzo A. Martinelli
Editors J. Terry Williams
Doug Young
Running time90 mins
Production company Universal Television
Release
Original networkABC
Picture formatColor
Audio format Mono
Original releaseJanuary 26, 1974 (1974-01-26)

Heatwave! is an American disaster movie that was broadcast on the ABC television network on January 26, 1974. It was an ABC Movie of the Week. Its running time was 90 minutes. The film was directed by Jerry Jameson, produced by Herbert F. Solow and Harve Bennett.

Contents

The plot focuses upon the effect an intense and prolonged heat wave and water shortage has on Frank Taylor and his pregnant wife Laura Taylor, both while they are in the city where they live and after they decide to relocate.

Plot

When the heat wave eventually causes a total blackout that shuts down the brokerage firm where Frank works, he and Laura decide to relocate to a mountain cabin in a remote small town—which is also affected by the heat, blackout, and water shortage.

On the way to the cabin, the Taylors' car is taken from them; and they are forced to walk eight miles to the town. When the Taylors reach the town, they go to see Dr. Grayson, who appears to be Laura's old family physician. Dr. Grayson advises Laura that it is important for her to rest given the stress she has been under in the hot, dry conditions.

After Laura has seen the doctor, the Taylors go to the cabin and find two young hikers have taken shelter there. After being briefly angry, the Taylors decide to allow the hikers to stay.

Laura rests in the cabin. However, she still gives birth prematurely.

After the baby is born, Dr. Grayson states the baby cannot survive without being in an incubator, particularly because of the extreme conditions. Dr. Grayson also states that he not only has no incubator but that he would be unable to run one as he has no fuel for his generator. (He is out, and the pumps fuel stations use are powered by electricity). However, with the assistance of the hikers and two town residents, Frank is able to build and power a makeshift incubator.

When the baby has been placed in the incubator, the characters hear that it is raining, which—in the movie—indicates the heat wave has broken and the water shortage will end.

Principal cast

Production

’Due to the complete lack of budget, a lot of things happen off screen. There are mentions of forest fires and constant references to ‘brown outs’ ’’. [1]

Alternative titles

This movie is also known by other titles outside the United States; they include the European English name of Heatwave and the French name of 120 degrés Fahrenheit.

Reception

A retrospective review finds that the film is "Really more a drama than a disaster movie". [2] Various reviewers express the lack of interest or empathy provoked by the main character: "Heatwave! suffers from an unlikable and ineffective main character in Frank, who by the time he inexplicably shrugs all that off to construct an advanced medical device from a fish tank, fan, mini-fridge and cloth, has completely lost the audience." [3] They also insist on the cinematographic challenge of visually showing a heatwave on screen, and failure of the film to do so: "The biggest hole of all, though, I have to say, is the premise itself. Unlike, say, earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, or tsunamis, there is no visual component to a heat wave." [4]

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References

  1. ↑ "Film Review: Heatwave!". I Love Disaster Movies!. 2 June 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "Do You Really Believe All That?", More Than Things, UNP - Nebraska Paperback, pp. 117–130, retrieved 30 April 2023
  3. ↑ "Heatwave! (1974)". MonsterHunter. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  4. ↑ "In Which We Get Real Topical with a Look at "Heatwave!" (1974)". (Travalanche). 30 June 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2023.


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