# The Posidon Adventure \[Film, 1972\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 28, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847 "2015-11-28T17:55:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2015, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/21 "2015-11-28T22:10:43Z")
With Leslie Nielsen as the ultra-serious captain, before he became known for comic roles. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2015, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/22 "2015-11-28T22:49:38Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I’m confused. Which Steve McQueen was in that one? 😃 The original. I think Steve McQueen II was still a toddler when that movie came out. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/23 "2015-11-28T22:53:04Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > With Leslie Nielsen as the ultra-serious captain, before he became known for comic roles. And a sober Shelley Winters ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/24 "2015-11-28T22:54:28Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > With Leslie Nielsen as the ultra-serious captain, before he became known for comic roles. Surely you’re not ultra-serious? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2015, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/25 "2015-11-28T23:01:04Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Surely you’re not ultra-serious? Please call me Shirley ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2015, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/26 "2015-11-28T23:02:53Z")
Its not over till the former award winning swimmer drowns. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/27 "2015-11-28T23:17:29Z")
I also watched it this afternoon. What an annoying, whiny bunch of survivors. “Sober Shelley Winters” was probably the most sympathetic character. By the end I was rooting for MORE of them to die. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/28 "2015-11-28T23:29:18Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > I also watched it this afternoon. What an annoying, whiny bunch of survivors. “Sober Shelley Winters” was probably the most sympathetic character. By the end I was rooting for MORE of them to die. Check out the maybe not so sober Shelley Winters on the Tonight Show with Oliver Reed ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2015, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/29 "2015-11-28T23:39:40Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Check out the maybe not so sober Shelley Winters on the Tonight Show with Oliver Reed Anybody in proximity to Oliver Reed can get drunk by osmosis. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/30 "2015-11-28T23:41:23Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Do they have massive tidal waves in the Mediterranean? Yes. One was even witnessed by Pliny the Younger. [ > [@Wiki](#): > > Most of the tsunamis that have occurred within Europe have happened in the Mediterranean Sea because in the Mediterranean Sea there are earthquakes, submarine landslide and volcanoes. ]([List of tsunamis in Europe - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tsunamis_in_Europe)) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/31 "2015-11-29T00:22:49Z")
If anyone is interested, [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=725226&highlight=Poseidon) I started last year details 15-30 seconds of the movie being excised after the initial run. I’m still working on an answer; think Unca Cecil might take a crack at it? ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/32 "2015-11-29T06:33:47Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > With Leslie Nielsen as the ultra-serious captain, before he became known for comic roles. When they see the tidal wave, the way he reads the line, _“Oh my god”_ is so affect-less and completely flat he simply becomes Frank Drebbin in a sailor hat\*!\* ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/33 "2015-11-29T11:06:37Z")
Going to the top (bottom) of the ship when they know they’ll be facing an unbroken sheet of one half inch steel? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/34 "2015-11-29T15:27:35Z")
^ Worse; they kept making a big deal about the hull only being _one inch_ thick\* and they would cut their way out–I suppose using Jesus-approved tin snips. \*Rogo: Listen, kid, do you know how thick one inch of steel is? Scott: It’s one inch less than two inches. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/35 "2015-11-29T16:18:14Z")
Wasn’t there also a line about how any rescue attempt would have to come through the hull, and if they can’t get to us maybe we can get to them? I don’t know that they were planning to cut their own way out of the ship, just to get to where the rescuers could, and to stay alive long enough. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/36 "2015-11-29T16:24:27Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > …\*Rogo: Listen, kid, do you know how thick one inch of steel is? > > Scott: It’s one inch less than two inches. Even in a life-threatening crisis, Scott’s grasp of higher mathematics was as keen as ever. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/37 "2015-11-29T16:50:30Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Wasn’t there also a line about how any rescue attempt would have to come through the hull, and if they can’t get to us maybe we can get to them? I don’t know that they were planning to cut their own way out of the ship, just to get to where the rescuers could, and to stay alive long enough. Yep. Recall that they met another group of survivors who were headed for the bow-but IIRC Hackman’s character tried to point out that the steel in the bow is going to be quite a bit thicker than at the stern. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/38 "2015-11-29T17:10:16Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Even in a life-threatening crisis, Scott’s grasp of higher mathematics was as keen as ever. IIRC, Scott even performed a classroom demonstration: he held his thumb and index 2" apart, then closed them to 1". Dazzling display. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Wasn’t there also a line about how any rescue attempt would have to come through the hull, and if they can’t get to us maybe we can get to them? I don’t know that they were planning to cut their own way out of the ship, just to get to where the rescuers could, and to stay alive long enough. Just before the riot when the Xmas tree falls over, Scott shouts **We may even go under before we cut our way out.** (I think there might be a word or two missing, the [dialogue transcript](http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/p/poseidon-adventure-script-transcript-hackman.html) has gaps.) ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/39 "2015-11-29T18:39:52Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Yep. Recall that they met another group of survivors who were headed for the bow-but IIRC Hackman’s character tried to point out that the steel in the bow is going to be quite a bit thicker than at the stern. It was the kid, who had been given a tour, that pointed out the hull was weaker near the stern. I think the overall goal was to survive as long as possible in hope of rescue. But there was still a “now what” moment when they reached the end. Not only did the party get wet, they swam underwater for a bit. Someone didn’t make it. The fire was the dumbest part to me. There was a large, constant fire. Didn’t consume much O2 and didn’t produce much choking smoke during the adventure. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847/40 "2015-11-29T19:38:53Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Yep. Recall that they met another group of survivors who were headed for the bow-but IIRC Hackman’s character tried to point out that the steel in the bow is going to be quite a bit thicker than at the stern. Also, the tilt. The bow goers werre going down slope. Bow under water already perhaps. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847.md?page=3)