Where Have All the People Gone (1974)

It was a night. After dealing with so many issues of ineptitude and working on this mechanism for a 1949 alligator toy last night, I was unable to motivate myself into working on any type of listing for the shop. It sucks, as I was making such good progress on everything. I guess I will have to do double tonight. As background noise, I put on the 1974 post-apocalyptic made for television flick Where Have All the People Gone.

Plot/ Earth encounters a massive solar flare that decimates almost all life on Earth. Only people who were underground during the solar event are unharmed while the rest are dead or dying. A band of survivor’s cross country to seek others in a world laid waste.

I must admit, the premise of this story even though it is one that has been used quite a bit intrigues me. Ever since I was a kid and watched Night of the Comet for the first time, the whole idea is fascinating. While this one lacks the excitement and action factors of some of the more modern incarnations, it pulls off the story in a thought-provoking way with solid performances and a heavy and tense atmosphere. As usual, Peter Graves was superb and an outstanding choice for the lead in this more dramatic attempt at an apocalypse scenario. It is hard to believe that this was made for TV as compared to the schlock that populates many of the movies today. Yes, some of it may feel dated and the pacing somewhat slow, but those flaws are easily overshadowed by the content of the film. In the end, this entry is much better than the modern CGI infested films that are more mindless and background noise than quality. Check this one out, it would be worth your time.