Disaster Night at the Oscars!

No, I don't mean the night somebody won who ought not to have (that would be too much for even me to write about!) I'm referring to the 70th annual ceremony (1998) in which the Academy revealed "Oscar's Family Album," a collection of seventy past Oscar-winning actors and actresses all on stage together. It was the largest gathering of winners to have been herded together since the 50th ceremony in 1978. Since so many of my beloved disaster movies of the 1970s happened to feature Oscar-winners in a bid to validate them artistically, this assortment contained many of the stars I adore (and who belong to that imaginary Disaster Movie Club of mine, a fraternity of players who worked in the genre.) All of this plays into my love of actors being introduced one-by-one and being placed in arrangements like statues. LOL (I apologize in advance for the sub-par picture quality.) Here is a recap of who was in attendance!

Miss Anne Bancroft

...as Countess Ursula von Reugen in The Hindenburg (1975.)

Mr. Ernest Borgnine

...as Mike Rogo in The Poseidon Adventure (1972), but also of The Neptune Factor (1973), Fire! (1977) and When Time Ran Out... (1980.)

Mr. Red Buttons

...as James Martin in The Poseidon Adventure (1972.) Also of When Time Ran Out... (1980.)

Mr. Michael Caine

...as Brad Crane in The Swarm (1978.) Also of Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979.)

Mr. Sean Connery

...as Paul Bradley in Meteor (1979.)

Miss Faye Dunaway

...as Susan Franklin in The Towering Inferno (1974.)

Miss Lee Grant

...As Karen Wallace in Airport '77 (1977.) Also of The Swarm (1978.)

Mr. Charlton Heston

...as Alan Murdock in Airport 1975 (1974.) Also of Skyjacked (1972), Earthquake (1974), Two-Minute Warning (1976) and Gray Lady Down (1978.)

Miss Jennifer Jones

...as Lisolette Mueller in The Towering Inferno (1974.)

Miss Shirley Jones

...as Nurse Gina Rowe in Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979.)

Mr. George Kennedy

...as Joe Patroni in Airport 1975 (1974.) Also of Airport (1970), Earthquake (1974), Airport '77 (1977) and The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979.)

Mr. Martin Landau

...as General Adlon in Meteor (1979.) Also of The Death of Ocean View Park (1979.)

Mr. Jack Lemmon

...as Don Gallagher in Airport '77 (1977.)

Mr. Karl Malden

...as Wilbur Hubbard in Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979.) Also of Meteor (1979.)

Mr. Walter Matthau

...as Drunk in Earthquake (1974) - billed under what he jokingly claimed was his real name "Walter Matuschanskayasky."

Miss Mercedes McCambridge

...as Nelli in The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979.)

Miss Shelley Winters

...as Belle Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure (1972.) Also of City on Fire (1979.)

It was so fun to have seventeen of my disaster movie celebrities all gathered together on stage. Interesting, too, but probably only to me, that Borgnine and Buttons were seated together alphabetically after having co-starred in two of these films together. And behind Jennifer Jones (in taupe silk) was her Towering co-star Faye Dunaway. But there were also a couple of what I refer to as "Honorary Disaster Movie Club" members:

Miss Teresa Wright

...as Alice Cutler in Flood! (1976.) As this was a TV-movie, the sweet Ms. Wright has to remain at Honorary status. LOL

Miss Claire Trevor

...as May Holst in The High and the Mighty (1954.) Ms. Trevor was looking smashing in her late-eighties. This movie was one of the granddaddies of all-star airplane in peril flicks.

Mr. Maximilian Schell

...as Captain Hanson in Krakatoa: East of Java (1968.) Released in 1969, only that fact keeps his flick, which is filled with natural disaster, from being part of the club proper. But I couldn't leave Max out, who is one of THE hunkiest leading men to ever headline a disaster flick!

Not even every star who was there can be seen in this composite. It was a great assemblage of celebrities that comes close to rivaling those wonderful old studio portraits with all the contract players gathered together.

BONUS!

Five years later for the 75th annual ceremony in 2003, they were back at it again, but this time only 59 people showed up and many of my favorites were either absent or deceased. But nonetheless, a few of the Disaster Movie Club were on site. They may still do this, but since most of "my" stars are no longer able or willing to be there, I don't take much interest in it. On hand this time:

Best of all was the presence of Miss Olivia de Havilland!

...as Emily Livingston in Airport '77 (1977.) Also of The Swarm (1978.)

Then eighty-seven, Ms. de Havilland introduced the family album with a typically genteel and meaningful speech and was afforded a warm standing ovation.  Still alive today (fingers crossed! Every time I write about someone, they seem to depart thereafter!), she will be one-hundred-three on July 1st, 2019!! Eighty years ago - EIGHTY YEARS AGO - she costarred in the cinematic landmark Gone with the Wind (1939.) And that closes this glimpse at Oscar's Family Album.