Starring
Ralph Byrd, George Barbier, Kay Sutton, Frank Jenks, Marc Lawrence,
Dorothy Lee, Oscar O'Shea. Directed by John H. Auer. (1939, 62 min).
This
obscure little low budget oddity has probably been forgotten by just about
everybody, but in one aspect, may be more timely now than ever.
It's
a strange film, to say the least. Despite the title and promotional
artwork, S.O.S. Tidal Wave is not a disaster movie. The film
is mostly about Jeff Shannon (Ralph Byrd), a popular TV newsman whose
journalistic integrity is tested when he tries to remain neutral
during a mayoral election. One of the candidates, Clifford Farrow, is
a criminal with a campaign manager who's a high ranking mobster (Marc
Lawrence). Uncle Dan Carter (George Barbier) is a political commentator
who presents his editorials with a ventriloquist dummy (!) and tries
to expose Farrow with evidence of his shady past.
After he's murdered - Jeff finally takes sides and uses the evidence
prevent the mob from winning the election. All the while, Shannon's
sidekick, Peaches (Frank Jenks), hangs around to provide comic
relief, perpetually mugging for the camera like an overgrown Bowery
Boy.
 |
| How to traumatize dozens of children at once. |
Here's
where the tidal wave we're promised fits in: When election day
arrives, the bad guys want to make sure their man wins, so they
decide to scare the city into thinking a massive tidal wave is
heading toward New York. If they're too busy fleeing the city to
vote, Farrow is a shoo-in. To accomplish this, they air movie footage
to convince the public that disaster is imminent. Sure enough, the
entire city goes into panic mode. This happens during the last ten
minutes, and all of the destruction footage is lifted from the 1933 apocalyptic film,
Deluge. The rest of the film is a low-budget patchwork of half-baked ideas and insane plot developments with questionable performances
by a no-name cast (the minute Jeff's "cute" little son opens his mouth,
you'll be wishing the mob had put a contract out on him).
One
might also be tempted to doubt the plausibility of an entire populace stupid and
gullible enough to fall for this tidal wave hoax, or that an obvious
career criminal could have a snowball's chance in hell of running for
mayor, to say nothing of getting a majority of votes. And a few years
ago, I would've concurred. But if the last few years have taught us
nothing else, it's that there are still legions
dim-witted dumbasses who blindly swallow
whatever a public figure tells them, no matter how wrong-headed,
refutable, offensive, ludicrous or insane. After all, we're living in
an age when some still actually believe the Earth is flat.
 |
| Where's Charlton Heston when you need him? |
The
more things change, the more they stay the same. Viewed in that
context, S.O.S. Tidal Wave becomes morbidly fascinating, as is
its depiction of one-sided journalism and America's obsession with
the media. The internet may not have been around back then, but
television is strikingly prominent throughout the entire film, with
crowds gathered around them, collectively transfixed. And
remember, back in 1939, TV was still a relatively new medium, yet
this film accurately predates its cultural proliferation, our growing
dependence on it as our primary information source and, most
ominously, how easily we can be manipulated by what we're watching.
Of
course, it's doubtful anyone involved with the film had such
ambitious intentions. S.O.S. Tidal Wave is a cheaply-produced
potboiler, obviously made to turn a quick buck. Still, the basic
story is engaging enough, and with a running time of just over an
hour, the film doesn't overstay its welcome. Even though all the
scenes of destruction are lifted from an earlier - and better - film,
they are pretty impressive for their age and fun to watch. Speaking of age, this
Blu-Ray from Olive Films sports a surprisingly decent picture.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
None
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD...LIKE CAT CHOW
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