Earthquake is the title of a blockbuster 1974 film that was among several successful so-called disaster movies of the 1970s that places an all-star cast in life and death situations. The basic plot concerns the reactions and stuggles for survival after a catastophic earthquake registering 9.9 on the Richter Scale hits the city of Los Angeles, California. 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... A disaster movie is a movie that has an impending disaster (e. ... Global earthquake epicenters, 1963–1998 An earthquake is a trembling or a shaking movement of the Earths surface. ... The Richter magnitude test scale (or more correctly local magnitude ML scale) assigns a single number to quantify the size of an earthquake. ... Griffith Observatory and the Downtown Los Angeles skyline. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ...

Full of large-scale destruction and violence, "Earthquake" was one of the most successful films of 1974, grossing over $80,000,000. 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

Directed by Mark Robson and with a screenplay by George Fox and Mario Puzo, it stars Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, Lorne Greene, George Kennedy, Genevieve Bujold, Richard Roundtree, Marjoe Gortner, Barry Sullivan, Lloyd Nolan, Victoria Principal and Walter Matthau (credited as "Walter Matuschanskayasky".) Mark Robson (December 4, 1913 – June 20, 1978) was a Canadian-born film editor, film director and producer in Hollywood. ... A screenplay or script is a blueprint for producing a motion picture. ... Mario Puzo Mario Puzo (October 15, 1920 - July 2, 1999) was an author who is famous for his fictional books about the Mafia. ... Charlton Heston (born October 4, 1924), born John Charles Carter, is an American film actor noted for heroic roles. ... Ava Gardner Ava Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. ... Lorne Greene (February 12, 1915–September 11, 1987) was a Canadian actor best known for two iconic roles on American television. ... George Kennedy (born February 18, 1925 in New York City) is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 film and television productions. ... Geneviève Bujold (born July 1, 1942 in Montréal, Quebec) is a Canadian actress. ... Richard Roundtree (born July 9, 1942 in New York) is an African American actor famous for portraying John Shaft in the movie Shaft (1971) and in its two sequels: Shafts Big Score in 1972, and Shaft in Africa in 1973. ... Born on January 14, 1944 in Long Beach, California to evangelist parents, Marjoe Gortner quickly became the youngest ordained minister in the United States at age 4, at which point he could already preach an entire sermon and quote scripture. ... Llyod Nolan (August 11, 1902-September 27, 1985) was an American film and television actor. ... Victoria Principal, in a still from Dallas. ... Walter Matthau (October 1, 1920 - July 1, 2000) Matthau and Sophia Loren in Grumpier Old Men Walter Matthau (October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American comedy actor possibly best known for his role as the gruff and less tidy member of The Odd Couple. ... Walter Matthau (October 1, 1920 - July 1, 2000) Matthau and Sophia Loren in Grumpier Old Men Walter Matthau (October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American comedy actor possibly best known for his role as the gruff and less tidy member of The Odd Couple. ...

Awards

Earthquake won an Academy Award for Best Sound, as well as a Special Achievement Award for visual effects. The film introduced a widely publicised gimmick called "Sensurround." The marketing of the film made full use of this gimmick, and provided a novelty factor to help entice people into the cinemas. It was used again for the films Midway (1976), Rollercoaster (1977) and Battlestar Galactica but had limited use and was dispensed with after this. Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Sensurround is an audio technique developed in the 1970s for the presentation of theatrical movies. ... Midway is a war film released in 1976. ... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Rollercoaster is a film, released on June 10, 1977, directed by James Gladstone with a runtime of 119 minutes. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction movie and television series, produced in 1978 by Glen Larson and starring Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict. ...

External Links

• "Earthquake" Movie Fan Site (http://members.aol.com/earthquakemovie/)