Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)

Director:

Irwin Allen

Writers:

Paul Gallico (novel)
Nelson Gidding (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 May 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The story is not yet over. Before her fate is sealed by the deep... the superliner Poseidon will reveal one last secret.

Plot:

Adventurers return to the overturned ship, seeking a fortune.

Plot Keywords:

Ocean Liner | Disaster | Sea | Sequel | Ship

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Captain Mike Turner
Sally Field	...	Celeste Whitman
Telly Savalas	...	Captain Stefan Svevo
Peter Boyle	...	Frank Mazzetti
Jack Warden	...	Harold Meredith
Shirley Knight	...	Hannah Meredith
Shirley Jones	...	Nurse Gina Rowe
Karl Malden	...	Wilbur Hubbard
Slim Pickens	...	Dewey 'Tex' Hopkins
Veronica Hamel	...	Suzanne Constantine
Angela Cartwright	...	Theresa Mazzetti
Mark Harmon	...	Larry Simpson
Paul Picerni	...	Kurt
Patrick Culliton	...	Doyle
Dean Raphael Ferrandini	...	Castorp (as Dean Ferrandini)

Directed by
Irwin Allen

Writing credits
Paul Gallico		(novel)
Nelson Gidding		(screenplay)

Produced by
Irwin Allen	....	producer
Al Gail	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Jerry Fielding

Cinematography by
Joseph F. Biroc		(director of photography) (as Joseph Biroc)

Film Editing by
Bill Brame

Casting by
Jack Baur

Production Design by
E. Preston Ames		(as Preston Ames)

Set Decoration by
Stuart A. Reiss

Costume Design by
Paul Zastupnevich

Makeup Department
Chuck Crafts	....	makeup artist
Tom Ellingwood	....	makeup artist
Darby Hoppin	....	hair stylist
Tony Lloyd	....	makeup artist
Lola 'Skip' McNalley	....	hair stylist
Don Schoenfeld	....	makeup artist
Don Sheldon	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Norman A. Cook	....	production manager
George E. Swink	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph A. Ingraffia	....	trainee assistant director (as Joe Ingraffia)
Lindsley Parsons III	....	second assistant director
Mike Salamunovich	....	assistant director

Art Department
Tom Cranham	....	production illustrator
Harold Fuhrman	....	set designer
Sam Moore	....	property master
Nick Moudakis	....	assistant property master
Joseph Musso	....	production illustrator
Scott Ritenour	....	assistant art director
Patrick Salamunovich	....	assistant property master
John Walker	....	lead man
Richard M. Kristy	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Rick Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Richard Alexander)
Al Cavigga	....	dialogue loop editor
Gene Eliot	....	sound editor
Jerry Jacobson	....	sound editor
Marvin I. Kosberg	....	sound editor
Herman Lewis	....	production sound mixer
Andy MacDonald	....	sound re-recording mixer
Vern Poore	....	sound re-recording mixer
Allan R. Potter	....	sound editor
Ed Scheid	....	supervising sound editor
Josef von Stroheim	....	sound editor
Douglas J. Schulman	....	sound utility (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Howard Jensen	....	special effects
Harold E. Wellman	....	special photographic effects
Gary Zink	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Janet Brady	....	stunts
Bob Bralver	....	stunts
Ayn Cavellini	....	stunts
Joe Cirillo	....	stunts
Vince Deadrick Sr.	....	stunts (as Vince Deadrick)
Justin De Rosa	....	stunts
Tony Epper	....	stunts
Pamela Estrom	....	stunts
Marneen Fields	....	stunts
Hubie Kerns Jr.	....	stunts
Sheree Kerns	....	stunts
Kay Kimler	....	stunts
Peter Peterson	....	stunts
Fred Scheiwiller	....	stunts (as Fred Shaw)
Jimmy Stader	....	stunts
Paul Stader	....	stunt coordinator
Paul Stader	....	stunts
Peter Stader	....	stunts
Gary Taraman	....	stunts
George P. Wilbur	....	stunts (as George Wilbur)
Henry Wills	....	stunts
Rick Wilson	....	stunts
Fred Zendar	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Jack Cooperman	....	underwater photographer
Larry Gilhooly	....	gaffer
John Monte	....	still photographer
Kenneth Peach Jr.	....	camera operator
Frederic J. Smith	....	camera operator (as Fred Smith)
Wayne Baker	....	assistant underwater photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dick James	....	wardrobe: men
Kathleen McCandless	....	wardrobe: women

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Debra Gail	....	assistant editor
Barrett Taylor	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Donald Harris	....	music editor
Eugene Marks	....	music editor
Lennie Niehaus	....	orchestrator (as Leonard Niehaus)
Dan Wallin	....	music scoring mixer (as Danny Wallin)

Transportation Department
Pat Desmond	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Nancy Claycomb	....	production secretary
Gene Fioramonti	....	location manager
Alan Greedy	....	script supervisor
Tony Habeeb	....	publicist
Jane Koltvet	....	executive secretary to Irwin Allen
Steven Marlo	....	dialogue coach
Peter Peterson	....	boat master (as Pete Peterson)
Art Volpert	....	executive assistant to producer

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1981) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (UK) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Cinema Research  opticals
• Pacific Title  titles

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 (original rating) | UK:12 (re-rating) (2006) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1987) (uncut) | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The movie was filmed based on the ending of the movie The Poseidon Adventure (1972) when the ship still remains afloat. The original script called for the ship to sink after the survivors take off in a helicopter, but when it did not turn out right, it was therefore decided to keep the ship afloat.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Only 50 metres (approximately) of the hull of the Poseidon remains above water when boarded by the salvage/medical team because the front of the ship is sinking lower and lower into the water. Yet all the decks inside the ship are horizontal. For the decks to be horizontal, the ship would have to be sitting level in the water.

Quotes:

Celeste Whitman: That prayer you did up there... what religion would that be?
Captain Stefan Svevo: Greek Orthodox.
Celeste Whitman: No kidding? I'm Greek Orthodox... suddenly!

Movie Connections:

Edited from The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Every Single Cast Member Is Outstanding!

Every Single Cast Member Is Outstanding. How often can one say that about a Disaster movie, or any movie?

The original Poseidon Adventure and Beyond/Poseidon are both four star movies that both just miss out on being five star movies because of one little problem. The original pushed The Church too much and Beyond/Poseidon has a feeling of being just a bit pointless.

I have watched the 1979 film about 25 times on video. The way the characters/actors react to each other and the very memorable lines they come out with are all wonderful. Sally Field brings incredible humour to simple every day terms like, "Oh brother", or "are you going to kiss me now?", and despite her public comments on how much she hated the movie and disliked Irwin Allen, this stands out as the best of Sally Field, to me.

Michael Caine recently said on a British talk show that, "Irwin Allen's The Swarm was the worst movie I have done". So I guess Beyond/Poseidon is not too high on his list. I don't care. The way his character takes command of this disaster movie and his encounters with Telly Savalas (this was also my favourite Savalas show) and Sally Field are nothing short of great entertainment.

You can tell that Irwin Allen directed this film, why? The endless explosions. Since the 1965-1966 TV season of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Irwin has made it clear to his staff that explosions are needed in his shows. The Poseidon explosions, both inside and outside the ship, look great on film, as always. When Irwin told the media about this film he said "it is time to go back to the sea", maybe this film was another Voyage/Sea to Irwin?

I could do another 20 quotes from the other players. This movie had an okay musical score which picked up as the end credits started. Those end credits were important to me. After this movie, Irwin Allen produced some very average television, but this was the last great Irwin Allen feature film (When Time Ran Out was average), so that closing music was almost saying Goodbye to Irwin. Irwin left this world in 1991 but his work lives on.