Directed by: Mark Robson
Starring: Charlton Heston, George Kennedy, Ava Gardner, Lorne Greene
Revealing mistake: In the office tower after the quake there is a panic and workers rush down the stairs only to find them fallen away. After two women fall to their death a man is left hanging on a girder, but falls onto a giant piece of glass. Look at the top of the frame and you will see the airbag shooting our from under it.
Revealing mistake: When the airplane is coming in for a landing, we see an exterior shot of the plane shaking violently well before it has touched down. Clearly the "earthquake" effect is achieved by merely shaking the camera.
Other mistake: During the quake, we see the furniture, wall panels, ceiling tile, windowpanes, vertical blinds, etc., in the office fall, shake, or crack. Yet the leaves of a large potted plant do not move at all.
Trivia: Walter Matthau plays the drunk who sits at the bar wearing a loud shirt and pimp hat. However, for the end credits his name is listed as "Walter Matuschanskayasky"
Trivia: Even though Lorne Greene plays Ava Gardner's father in the movie, he was only seven years older than Gardner.
Sam Royce: Barbara, take off your pantyhose, damnit! You too, c'mon, take off your pantyhose.
Sgt. Lew Slade: Earthquakes bring out the worst in some people.
Question: What was the point of the crazy soldier who shoots the black thieves and later gets shot dead by George Kennedy? Why was he so nutty, and quite frankly what purpose did he even serve in the film?
Chosen answer: Before he put the uniform on, he was a complete nobody, having the respect of no-one. Now that he's in uniform, he demands that people should respect him, and coupled with the powers of Martial Law (where looters can be shot on sight), takes the lack of respect too far and shoots them.
Question: What happened to Miles? He stops his motorcycle to look back at the flood and - nothing else.
Answer: That has been a question of debate for years. Some say he died, others say he lived. The only real answer I can give is, there were talks of making a sequel. In it, Lou and Maria were living in San Francisco, while Miles and his partner were headlining his motorcycle act in Las Vegas, when another, stronger earthquake hits.
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Answer: There are two versions of the film. A 'film' version which does not include this scene (and others) and a 'TV Miniseries' version. The miniseries version was made to run over two nights and extra scenes were shot to extend the running time.
jle