Hurricane

Hurricane is about a large hurricane in the gulf of Mexico and several groups of people that get stuck in it. This movie is all about people and not about hurricanes so don't look for a lot of special effects. There were many TV actors from the 60s and 70s in this film and it was nice to see them in early roles. Some were partial casts from very well known TV shoes like Dallas and The Waltons. I'm not really sure why this film is part of the Classic Disaster Movies DVD because it didn't really say much about the disaster. I didn't view this as a disaster film, much less a classic disaster film. Pretty good technically for the era it was made, but again, it was more about people than disasters.

Tacky TV-made disaster flick is loaded with familiar faces as well as laughable stock footage of varying quality (some of which is repeated at least once). A depression in the Southern Gulf of Mexico intensifies into a tropical storm before becoming a full-fledged hurricane with 175 mph winds; the National Guard attempts to evacuate residents of the Central Gulf states while Naval forces and Air Force flyboys work together to patrol the seas. The cajoling dialogue has a little snap, but the characters are mostly stock figures. Frank Sutton, as a drunken psychotic whose apartment lies directly in Hurricane Hilda's path, hardly elicits sympathy, but Will Geer and Michael Learned (reunited from TV's "The Waltons") have a nice rapport as sniping weather experts. Special effects are strictly fifth-rate, but star-watchers might be drawn in by the cast.

I really enjoyed this movie, being the weather geek that I am!!! The cast in the movie was outstanding, I mean Frank Sutton, Michelle Learned, WILL GEER!!! I guess from my standpoint the actual hurricane footage from Camille was just unreal, giving us a glimpse of what a Category 5 situation would be like with winds of 190 MPH. The first time I actually saw it was when I was a kid on TV (weather geek then too!!). I haven't seen it in a few years and would actually like to know if ANYONE would know how to obtain a copy of it. DVD would be preferred if possible but VHS would be fine too. I know Blockbuster actually had it for rent for awhile. Once again, if anyone loves weather I would highly recommend it if they get a chance to see it!!!

This movie really isn't as bad as some might suggest! What's not too like about Frank (Sgt. Carter) partying like there's no tomorrow while an ill wind blows thru town? "Pyle....get me a drink of the good bourbon...it's 15 years old!" Or Martin Milner flying a Coast Guard plane into the thick of things, risking his life and his crew for a wayward boat skippered by Larry Hagman? The special effects are minimal, but the actual footage of one of the worst storms in history, is well worth the price of admission.

When I first saw this film, I was about 8 years old and didn't realize how destructive hurricanes can really be. Despite its tendency to be like other disaster epics that came out around the same time, this was a pretty decent film. One thing I do like about it is that a lot of this film takes its plot from several actual hurricanes, especially hurricane Camille. The party vignette reminded a lot of people about what happened during that event when so many people lost their lives while partying during Camille. Also, it is rather sad because this was one of the last pieces of work that Frank Sutton did as he died shortly after this film was completed. At least he had one good dramatic performance after "Gomer Pyle".