Regarding David Savage's report earlier today on our web site about tomorrow's New York City screening of The Poseidon Adventure hosted by drag queen Hedda Lettuce, comes Retro columnist Tom Lisanti's perspective:

Drag legend Hedda Lettuce hosts a tribute screening to the granddaddy of all disaster movies The Poseidon Adventure (1972) this  Saturday night, January 24, 10 P.M. at Clearview Chelsea Theatres on 23rd Street and 8th Avenue in New York. Forget the atrocious remakes, this is the one to see!

 

As everyone knows by now it is New Year's Eve on the SS Poseidon when just after the stroke of midnight a huge tidal wave causes the ship to go topsy turvy and a small band of survivors must climb, crawl, swim their way to the bottom now the top of the ship.  Hip preacher Gene Hackman leads to safety a ragtag band of stereotypes including tough talking cop Ernest Borgnine and his foul-mouthed ex-prostitute panties-wearing only wife Stella Stevens; an old Jewish couple Shelley Winters and Jack Albertson; helpless hippie singer Carol Lynley; lonely bachelor Red Buttons; injured steward Roddy McDowall; and two kids Pamela Sue Martin and Eric Shea. The fun of course is that most don't make it.

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I saw this movie at the Westbury Drive-in on Long Island for my 12th birthday on May 11, 1973.  The movie was such a hit that it was still playing theatres 5 months after it opened in December 1972.  I was totally mesmerized by this movie.  What stayed with me for days that turned to weeks that turned to years was the scene of the ship turning upside down and the lovely Carol Lynley bedecked in hot pants and go-go boots as Nonnie.  For some reason I identified with her most because of all the survivors she couldn't swim (I am a weak swimmer myself) and showed the most fear as I imagined I would in such a situation. 

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I interviewed Carol Lynley about the movie and it seems her on screen fear was not all acting: 

“The only way to describe working on The Poseidon Adventure is hellish.  I spent close to four months dripping wet wearing the same dirty clothes.  To make matters even worse, I have a tremendous fear of heights.  I had it all my life.  I usually get very dizzy and throw up.  Not attractive.  I even went to Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio to try to conquer it.  Usually a stunt double is used but in The Poseidon Adventure I had to do all my stunts myself.  We would shoot the scenes high up on the catwalks or ladders and when the director would yell ‘cut’ all the other actors would climb down except me.  Gene Hackman’s brother was working on the film as a stunt coordinator and he would have to climb up and help me down!” 

Visit Tom's Web site: www.sixtiescinema.com

Are you going to do special features on any of the following films ?

1. Dr Phibes and Dr Phibes Rises Again
2. Theatre of Blood
3. The Wicker Man
4. Straw Dogs

Thanks,

Bill Kelly

Retro responds: All good suggestions, Bill - but we're ahead of you. Issue #2 features an article by Caroline Munro on the making of the Dr. Phibes films starring Vincent Price. Issue #3 features an 18 page tribute to Sam Peckinpah (though it primarily focused on The Wild Bunch and Major Dundee). However, issue #10 has an insightful article called The Unseen Peckinpah which covers scenes from Straw Dogs that did not end up in the final cut. We hope to get to Theatre of Blood and The Wicker Man in due course. In fact, our columnist John Exshaw recently met with Christopher Lee in London and conducted what is probably the most in-depth interview about his films and career. As Christopher puts The Wicker Man near the top of his personal favorites, it's certain we'll be doing a feature on that film at some point in the future. Thanks for bringing up the film, Bill, as it gives us an excuse to recycle this gratuitous photo of Britt Ekland from the movie.

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By David Savage

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If the phrase Barbara, please! means something special to you and you live in New York, most likely you’ve attended at least once the weekly Clearview Classics series at Chelsea’s Clearview Cinemas, hosted by New York’s own, reigning “Queen of Green,” drag performer and comic chanteuse Hedda Lettuce. If not, you have no excuse. Mark your calendars now. Screening twice on Thursday nights and once on Saturdays, and attended by a congregation of fanatical members who can recite every word of Mommie Dearest, Torch Song, Airport ’75, Earthquake, or Xanadu at will, Clearview Classics has been the main home of “Lettuce” for eight years now. Every week she packs in a crowd for her hilarious pre-movie show in which she warms up the crowd (not that they need it) with songs (which she sings herself), key scene re-enactments with audience members, special guests and, if you should be so unfortunate, identification of “virgins” – mousy first-timers who have never seen Valley of the Dolls or its ilk and are dragged mercilessly into the spotlight. 

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For the current schedule of Clearview Classics, its address and directions, go to: www.clearviewcinemas.com/classics. 

For more on Hedda Lettuce, visit The Queen of Green’s website at: www.heddalettuce.com