Where Have All the People Gone

I have been looking for the title of this movie for nearly 30 years! I saw it as a nine year old back when it first aired. I remember being creeped out to no end. In my teen years I got into scifi and somewhere in my head I always remembered watching this movie - perhaps one of the best apocalyptic films ever made, even if it was for TV. I couldn't remember the name, and no one I asked seemed to recall it - so went high school, college, even grad school... no one could help me find the title. Then, the Internet, a late night search on Google, and thanks to TV Tome and IMDb, I have the title. Now to get a copy! People have commented that it reminds them of the Trek episode... nah, this film is far more effective. It reminds me of The Quiet Earth, but the scenes where the clothes are found is eerie and outstretches TQE, imho.

Thank you all! My 30 year quest is over! Yippee!!!!!

I was eight years old when I saw this movie (actually I saw it once again about a year after I first saw it). Anyway, I have NEVER forgotten it. The image of the clothes laying inside a car was one scene that ALWAYS stuck with me. BUT, I never knew the name of the movie. And for years I lived with this movie in my head never knowing it's name. Until about five years ago, a friend and I were talking about weird movies when I happened to mention this one. I told him about the clothes and that it starred Peter Graves. He said very nonchalantly.."oh..'Where Have All the People Gone'". OH-MY-GOD. I couldn't believe he remembered it too. This was one of the eeriest, scariest and realistic movies I've ever seen. The sense of the survivors desolation was palpable. The feeling of dread it instilled in me was incredible. Why don't they put out a whole bunch of these great 70's TV movies out on DVD? There's a huge market for this. Great to see so many people remember it like I did. If you liked the Twilight Zone, you'll like this one.

Four people have gone camping and while three members of a family are inside a cave looking around, a bright light appears outside followed by an earthquake. The other person, "Jim Clancy" (Noble Willingham) just happened to be outside when it happened and not long afterward he gets sick and dies. Totally on their own, the father, "Steven Anders" (Peter Graves) decides to take his teenage son, "David" (George O'Hanlan Jr.) and his daughter, "Deborah" (Kathleen Quinlan) back to Malibu in search of their mother who left the campsite earlier in the day headed for home. On the way back they find that what happened to them wasn't an isolated incident as entire towns are totally deserted and empty. Everybody is gone. Anyway, rather than answer the question of "what happened to everybody" I will leave it to the viewer to see for themselves. I will say however, that even after watching the film in its entirety I still thought there were one or two unanswered questions. Additionally, one particular drawback was the fact that it was narrated in the past tense by one of the family members, which took some of the mystery out of it in my opinion. But even so the film managed to maintain suspense for the most part. I especially liked Peter Graves' calm and collected demeanor throughout the movie as it added a solid character to the film. In short, for a low-budget made-for-television movie this one wasn't too bad and I give it an average rating.

I was 11 years old when I saw "Where Have All The People Gone?" and it really left an impression on me. Other reviewers of this film here on IMDb seem to be sharing the same feeling; we were young and were privileged to see films like this one on TV at a time when they were just a bit more edgy. It's comforting to know there are others out there my age who seemed to appreciate these more cerebral films at such a young age! Other examples that have stayed with me were 1974's "Dying Room Only" with Cloris Leachman, and 1970's "The Neon Ceiling." These were very serious and even frightening scenarios, and even schlock films like 1973's "Horror At 37,000 Feet" and 1974's "Killdozer" were edgy, truly unique, and highly entertaining.

The idea of everyone in the world turning into dust from a bizarre solar flare type incident except a handful of survivors here and there really scared me. Like "Last Man On Earth," and "The Omega Man" before it and even "Night Of The Comet" and "The Quiet Earth" much later, it's a theme that will intrigue and never let go.

Peter Graves was a great choice for this film, and it was nice seeing Kathleen Quinlan too. You could just feel their dread as they went through a city and saw nothing but clothes on the ground where people used to be (particularly seeing a playground with children's clothes scattered about), and having to deal with dogs that seemed to be unaffected by the phenomenon, all running wild in the streets and quite vicious.

They just don't make 'em like this anymore. They can try, and with state of the art digital effects to boot, but it just seems you can't beat these early 1970's TV films that relied more on dramatic content, creativity, and substance rather than flashy effects. It seems many of us are all hoping to find "Where Have All The People Gone?" on home video and it would be a smart idea for whoever controls the rights for it to consider releasing it! It's a piece of nostalgia that still holds up today and just takes me back to a time when I really looked forward to something on TV.

Fondly remembered by all who saw it back in the 70's, this end-of-the-world flick packs a punch. I caught the last forty minutes about a year ago on an independent channel--which temporarily replaced another station that was being primed for a Spanish-language channel takeover. Could this made-for-tv movie have been inspired by the Star Trek episode titled "The Omega Glory"? There are striking similarities: most notably the state of the doomed crews' bodies. In the movie, however, the disease is caused by solar flares. You don't need elaborate and costly effects to convey the desperation and fear in the survivors' milieu. The situation itself is enough. Peter Graves sheds his B-movie threads and delivers a heroic performance as the father who leads by example and care, never loosing sight of their goal to hook up with their loved ones. The director, John Llewellyn Moxey, has deservedly earned his cult status. His television resume is impressive: The Night Stalker, The Last Child, Genesis II, Home for the Holidays, as well as the pilots for Kung Fu and Charlie's Angels.