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You're Already Inside. You Might As Well Watch The '70s Disaster Film 'Heatwave!'
(Photo by Robert Couse-Baker/Flickr CC)
We know you're not going outside today, so how about a '70s disaster flick about deadly L.A. heat to keep you company?
Meet Heatwave! It's an ABC "Movie of the Week" that aired in 1974 and the basic synopsis is: When a devastating heat wave grips the Los Angeles region, the residents of an small mountain town must band together to survive. The tagline mentions 122 degree temperatures, rivers drying up, and no power.
In an era of disaster films that featured massive earthquakes, alien viruses, doomed cruises and infernos that towered, "it's really hot out here" doesn't seem like the most gripping tale. But extreme heat often causes more deaths each year than other natural disasters combined. So, it may actually be the scariest disaster movie you'll ever see.
Someone uploaded the whole movie to YouTube in 2013, so it's just waiting there for you. Fun fact: The film stars Bonnie Bedelia, who went on to play Holly McClane -- John McClane's wife in the 1988 Christmas classic Die Hard (and its first sequel). Props to the makeup team, who kept all the actors looking miserably hot and glistening:
But, if you dont feel like committing an hour and 11 minutes of your day to the above pursuit, please enjoy a different heatwave:
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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