When Time Ran Out

Producer Irwin Allen's fifth disaster film focuses on a volcanic eruption on a resort island. Oil driller Paul Newman, leading the trek to safety, is accompanied by romantic interest Kay Jacqueline Bisset; the owner of the island's plush hotel, William Holden; a native, Edward Albert; an elderly couple, Burgess Meredith and Valentina Cortese; a swindler, Red Buttons; and a detective, Ernest Borgnine. With cheesy special effects (even the volcano isn't convincing, considering the film cost $20 million) and a hole-ridden script, this film offers precious little to like. Though disaster films had proliferated throughout most of the 1970s, the dismal box office showing...