"Poseidon Adventure" Parody Pt. 3

A cheesy one-man recreation of the capsizing of the SS Poseidon as per the 1972 film. Instead of a tidal wave, a giant wayward handbag slams the ship and flips it over. Why a purse? Why not? This way I could combine both my love for "Poseidon" AND vintage ladies' handbags into one, thus allowing me to rename the piece "The PURSEidon Adventure." The two sequences that precede this, which I posted later, are Part One and Part Two, and others will follow.

Obviously anyone I could draft to "dress bad 70's" for one night and roll around for video is in evidence here, and though I don't try to match the scene shot-for-shot, attention HAS been paid to such things as Ernest Borgnine's dinner jacket, the curious table centerpieces, and of course Stella Stevens' ABSURD silver platform heels, as seen in the real film.

Look for an inordinate number of handbags throughout - Belle Rosen (myself as Shelley Winters, who is afflicted with constant gas) hurls in one, Reverend Scott (myself again as Gene Hackman) lands on one, softening the blow and saving his life when HE somehow ends up falling in the skylight at the climax of this famous scene, and of course all the ladies who LOSE their bags as she ships turns over. Tragedies great and small.

Obsessed with this film since I saw it at age 9 (all those great breaking dishes might suggest my Youtube user name today), I was moved to re-enact the ENTIRE film in the early 90's, playing all the roles of the major actors (Hackman, Borgnine, Shelley Winters, Stella Stevens) and several key extras (The Lady in The Blue Dress, India Lady, Bad Pantsuit Lady, etc.), all of whom are familiar to true Poseidon fans.

This isolated scene is that of the capsize alone, the only portion of my satire where I drafted anyone and everyone I could find to "dress 70's" and fill my garage, which I painted and decorated to resemble the dining room of the ill-fated ship, and "capsize." This was taped and edited in the days of VHS, with VCRs and palmcorders, hence the cruddy quality. We'll just pretend it's a late night re-run from a very worn print...

Look for cameos by 70's "Hardy Boys" actor Parker Stevenson (an actor friend) as Susan Shelby's Love Interest (as opposed to the Reverend), and Tony Bennett (another friend, who gets speared by Poseidon's trident post-capsize to quiet him down). I was lucky enough to feature an actress who was an extra in the actual capsize sequence filmed some 30 years earlier in my chaotic (and tedious!) recreation of same. This sequence alone took months to do, of course, as I had to be everyone and intercut those shots with that of the crowds, as well as create an upside down version of the dining room (again in my garage!) as well as the kitchens, hallways, engine rooms, and more. This was another AllByMyself production, as I had little help, everyone has day jobs! It was a mess, but a blast!