The Great Los Angeles Earthquake | |
---|---|
Genre | Action Drama Thriller |
Written by | William Bast Paul Huson |
Directed by | Larry Elikann |
Starring | Joanna Kerns Dan Lauria Lindsay Frost Joe Spano Michael T. Weiss Richard Masur Ed Begley, Jr. |
Theme music composer | David Shire |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producers | Frank von Zerneck Robert M. Sertner |
Producers | Stratton Leopold Susan Weber-Gold Gregory Prange |
Production locations | La Brea Tar Pits - 5801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, California |
Cinematography | Dennis C. Lewiston |
Editors | Stephen Adrianson Gregory Prange |
Running time | 178 minutes |
Production company | Von Zerneck Sertner Films |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | November 11, 1990 |
The Great Los Angeles Earthquake is a 1990 American made-for-television disaster film about a massive earthquake that strikes Los Angeles, California. The movie stars Joanna Kerns in the movie's lead role, seismologist Clare Winslow, who tries to warn city leaders of the possibility that a powerful earthquake may strike southern California. The film aired on NBC on November 11–12, 1990. [1]
The movie opens with a small tremor occurring in the hills outside Los Angeles near a United States Geological Survey (USGS) research post, cutting to a scene of a teenage girl on a date with her boyfriend at the Earthquake Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood. The girl is later revealed to be Heather, daughter of Clare Winslow (Joanna Kerns), a seismologist with the USGS.
Clare and her staff, among whom is her assistant Jerry Soloway (Ed Begley Jr.), have been studying a series of tremors near Los Angeles. The With this information, she concludes that there is a better-than-average chance that a massive earthquake will strike along the San Andreas Fault and cause severe damage to Los Angeles, and such an earthquake appears imminent. Against her will, she conducts an interview with Kevin Conrad (Richard Masur), a sensationalist television reporter who prematurely airs it after altering the interview to shock instead of inform, creating a political firestorm and causing tension between Clare and her husband Steve (Dan Lauria).
Steve works closely with high-powered and wealthy real estate developer Wendell Cates (Robert Ginty) who faces losing money and his socio-political reputation from public fear of the possibility of the earthquake. Wendell threatens Clare and attempts to have her fired from her job. Nevertheless, Clare tries to alert the more skeptical city and state government officials including Chad Spaulding (Joe Spano) of the Office of Emergency Management. Fearing political fallout and possible panic, they decide to ignore her warnings.
As this unfolds, Clare's family dynamic is further explored through her strained relationship with teenage daughter Heather (Holly Fields), which is mirrored by the relationship of Clare's mother Anita Parker (Bonnie Bartlett) and Clare's sister Laurie (Lindsay Frost), who are estranged from each other due to Anita's open resentment of Laurie's romantic relationship with LAPD officer Matt (Alan Autry).
When tremors are detected along the smaller, lesser-known Newport-Inglewood fault, city officials call a news conference to alert citizens of the threat. For most residents, however, it will already be too late. Not long after preparations and evacuations begin, the long-feared earthquake strikes, reaching 8.0 in magnitude and quickly followed by a 7.2 aftershock, causing massive damage and killing thousands; among the victims is Anita, who had been trapped in a high-rise condominium elevator with Laurie during the quake. During the time that they are trapped they reconcile shortly before Laurie is rescued by other survivors, but Anita is less fortunate and dies when the elevator crashes to the bottom of the shaft. Another victim is Miguel, son of Clare's housekeeper Sonia, who is fatally injured during the collapse of his high school gymnasium at his graduation rehearsal. Steve Winslow is thought to be dead after being crushed by a wall at the airport, but he is revealed to have survived the quake at the end of the film.
Other deaths include those of Wendell Cates, who is thrown to his death from his skyscraper window, and Chad Spaulding, who is electrocuted while attempting to escape from the USGS safety bunker beneath City Hall. A more redeeming storyline is that of Kevin Conrad, who is transformed from a cut-throat reporter looking for a hot story into a more sensitive and humanitarian character deeply affected by the tragedy and devastation. The remainder of the movie centers on the political and social fallout following the earthquake, and Winslow's attempts to reunite with her family.
According to an interview in The Los Angeles Times , the film's theme was inspired by the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, based on the idea of someone raising the alarm with no action being taken. Executive producer Frank von Zerneck quoted NBC studio executives as saying “L.A., so what? Our network covers 50 states. The attitude of most of the people in the country is, ‘Good for them. It deserves to fall off into the Pacific. People in California are crazy anyway.’” [2]
The film was made over a three-year period for an estimated $9.2 million. Action scenes were filmed on "New York Street" at the Universal Studios lot, the same location used in Earthquake . [2]
Speaking about the production, actress Joanna Kerns said, “The technical advisers thoroughly scared me. I wound up bolting my house to the foundation. I have all my furniture bolted to the walls. I have earthquake kits everywhere-cars, dressing rooms, homes. Lots of water. Emergency numbers.” [3]
The Washington Post wrote, “Bad as it is, "The Big One" does seem an improvement over the 1974 theatrical release "Earthquake," which also fantasized the destruction of L.A. Why do filmmakers keep returning to this topic? Guilt. They feel sheepish about all the money they make from mediocre entertainment and are haunted by the fear that there's biblical-scale retribution in the works.” [4]
Michael Hill of The Baltimore Sun praised the special effects and compared it to the poignancy of The Day After . He also described it as “a throwback to TV films of more than a decade ago, "The Big One" is a well-made mess of a melodrama, hitting every one of its predictable notes with force and clarity, adding the bombastic percussion of nearly-spectacular special effects to an appropriately responsible cautionary message." [5]
Southern California is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area as well as the Inland Empire. The region generally contains ten of California's 58 counties: Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Kern, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Imperial counties.
Tremors is a 1990 American monster horror film directed by Ron Underwood, produced by Brent Maddock and S. S. Wilson, written by Maddock, Wilson, and Underwood and starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, and Reba McEntire.
Earthquake is a 1974 American ensemble disaster drama film directed and produced by Mark Robson and starring Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner. The plot concerns the struggle for survival after a catastrophic earthquake destroys most of the city of Los Angeles, California.
Volcano is a 1997 American disaster film directed by Mick Jackson, written by Jerome Armstrong and Billy Ray, and produced by Neal H. Moritz and Andrew Z. Davis. The film stars Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche, Don Cheadle and Keith David. It tells the story of an effort to divert the path of a dangerous lava flow through the streets of Los Angeles following the formation of a volcano at the La Brea Tar Pits. The story was inspired by the 1943 formation of the Parícutin volcano in Mexico.
Joanna Kerns is an American actress and director best known for her role as Maggie Seaver on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains from 1985 to 1992.
The Naked Jungle is a 1954 American adventure film directed by Byron Haskin, and starring Charlton Heston and Eleanor Parker. Telling the story of an attack of army ants on a Brazilian cocoa plantation, it was based on the 1937 short story "Leiningen Versus the Ants" by Carl Stephenson.
Joey Soloway is an American television creator, showrunner, director and writer. Soloway is known for creating, writing, executive producing and directing the Amazon original series Transparent, winning two Emmys for the show; directing and writing the film Afternoon Delight, winning the Best Director award at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival; and producing Six Feet Under.
Big One, or The Big One may refer to:
Kate Hutton, nicknamed the Earthquake Lady, Dr. Kate, or Earthquake Kate, is a former staff seismologist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, where she monitored Southern California's earthquake activity for 37 years.
Black Scorpion II: Aftershock, also known as Black Scorpion II: Ground Zero, is a 1997 American superhero comedy television film directed by Jonathan Winfrey, written by Craig J. Nevius, and produced by Roger Corman. It is the sequel to Black Scorpion (1995), and stars Joan Severance, reprising her role as the titular crime-fighting superhero. It aired on Showtime on May 13, 1997.
Lucile M. Jones is an American seismologist and public voice for earthquake science and earthquake safety in California. One of the foremost and trusted public authorities on earthquakes, Jones is viewed by many in Southern California as "the Beyoncé of earthquakes" who is frequently called upon to provide information on recent earthquakes.
The Accused is a 1949 American melodrama film starring Loretta Young and Robert Cummings. It was directed by William Dieterle, produced by Hal Wallis, and written by Ketti Frings, based on Be Still, My Love, a 1947 novel written by June Truesdell. Wendell Corey appears in principal support.
Patricia Blair was an American television and film actress, primarily on 1950s and 1960s television. She is best known as portraying famed American frontier pioneer woman Rebecca Boone (1739-1813), real-life wife of famous Kentucky frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820), in all six seasons of the 18th century colonial era Western TV series Daniel Boone (1964-1970). She also appeared in 22 episodes of the later seasons of The Rifleman (1962-1963).
The 2008 Chino Hills earthquake occurred at 11:42:15 am PDT on July 29 in Southern California. The epicenter of the magnitude 5.4 earthquake was in Chino Hills, c. 28 miles (45 km) east-southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Movement on an oblique-slip fault resulted in a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). Though there were no deaths, eight people were injured, and it caused considerable damage in numerous structures throughout the area and caused some amusement park facilities to shut down their rides. The earthquake led to increased discussion regarding the possibility of a stronger earthquake in the future.
The 2011 Oklahoma earthquake was a 5.7 magnitude intraplate earthquake which occurred near Prague, Oklahoma on November 5 at 10:53 p.m. CDT in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the vicinity of several active wastewater injection wells. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), it was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Oklahoma until the 2016 Oklahoma earthquake. The previous record was a 5.5 magnitude earthquake that struck near the town of El Reno in 1952. The quake's epicenter was approximately 44 miles (71 km) east-northeast of Oklahoma City, near the town of Sparks and was felt in the neighboring states of Texas, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri and even as far away as Tennessee and Wisconsin. The quake followed several minor quakes earlier in the day, including a 4.7 magnitude foreshock. The quake had a maximum perceived intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale in the area closest to the epicenter. Numerous aftershocks were detected after the main quake, with a few registering at 4.0 magnitude.
The 1932 Jalisco earthquakes began on June 3 at 10:36 UTC with a megathrust event that registered 8.1 on the moment magnitude scale. With a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale, at least 400 deaths were caused in Mexico and neighboring Guatemala. It was the first of a series of seismic events that affected parts of western Mexico during the month of June 1932, all reaching magnitude 7 or greater.
Spider-Man Strikes Back is a 1978 American superhero film that had a theatrical release abroad, a composite of the two-parter episode "Deadly Dust" of the contemporary television show The Amazing Spider-Man, released on 8 May 1978. It was directed by Ron Satlof, written by Robert Janes and stars Nicholas Hammond as the titular character, Robert Alda, Robert F. Simon, Joanna Cameron, and Michael Pataki. The film was preceded by Spider-Man and followed by Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge.
San Andreas is a 2015 American disaster thriller film directed by Brad Peyton and written by Carlton Cuse, with Andre Fabrizio and Jeremy Passmore receiving story credit. The film stars Dwayne Johnson in the lead role, with Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Ioan Gruffudd, Archie Panjabi and Paul Giamatti. Its plot centers on a massive earthquake caused by the San Andreas Fault that devastates the West Coast of the United States.
The 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes of July 4 and 5 occurred north and northeast of the town of Ridgecrest, California located in Kern County and west of Searles Valley. They included three initial main shocks of Mw magnitudes 6.4, 5.4, and 7.1, and many perceptible aftershocks, mainly within the area of the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. Eleven months later, a Mw 5.5 aftershock took place to the east of Ridgecrest. The first main shock occurred on Thursday, July 4 at 10:33 a.m. PDT, approximately 18 km (11.2 mi) ENE of Ridgecrest, and 13 km (8.1 mi) WSW of Trona, on a previously unnoticed NE-SW trending fault where it intersects the NW-SE trending Little Lake Fault Zone. This quake was preceded by several smaller earthquakes, and was followed by more than 1,400 detected aftershocks. The M 5.4 and M 7.1 quakes struck on Friday, July 5 at 4:08 a.m. and 8:19 p.m. PDT approximately 10 km (6 miles) to the northwest. The latter, now considered the mainshock, was the most powerful earthquake to occur in the state in 20 years. Subsequent aftershocks extended approximately 50 km (~30 miles) along the Little Lake Fault Zone.