Irwin Allen

Although originally a journalist by trade, Allen had always loved films and had always wished to be a part of them. He became one of the biggest names in show business during the 1970s in the process, both producing and directing some of its most popular films. After working in magazines and advertising, he produced the documentary film The Sea Around Us (1953). This excellent film won an Academy Award for Best Documentary and he decided to branch out into commercial film. His parody film of human history, The Story of Mankind (1957), was a critical and commercial disaster, but he scored box office success with the films The Big Circus (1959), The Lost World (1960), a remake of the 1925 classic silent film of the same name, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961). As the 1960s began, he became interested in science fiction and scored considerable success. The TV spin-off of his film Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964), struck a chord with TV audiences, and so did the TV series Lost in Space (1965), The Time Tunnel (1966) and Land of the Giants (1968). However, it was during the 1970s that Allen truly became became a household name. Noting the massive box office success of the film Airport (1970), he immediately branched out into disaster films and was able to obtain star-studded casts. The film The Poseidon Adventure (1972), about passengers abroad a capsized cruise ship, was one of the biggest box office hits of the year and its theme song, "The Morning After" by Maureen McGovern, won an Academy Award for Best Song. He followed up that triumph by producing and co-directing the smash hit film The Towering Inferno (1974), about a group of people trapped in a burning skyscraper, which also drew huge audiences and profits. In his personal life, at that time he fell in love with actress Sheila Allen (Sheila Matthews), whom he married in 1974. He briefly returned to TV with the TV series Swiss Family Robinson (1975), but the familiar story only lasted two seasons. It was then that his popularity was at its peak, and he had become known as "The Master of Disaster". He then produced and directed the killer bee film The Swarm (1978). In spite of a big budget and star-studded cast, its poor special effects and poor dialogue made it a complete box office bomb. The following year he made, produced and co-directed the sequel and conclusion to his previous film [link=tt0069113, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979), which audiences found dull and implausible. In 1980, he attempted to make a comeback with the film When Time Ran Out... (1980), about tourists and Native Americans both struggling to escape the eruption of a a volcano. The lavishly financed film did draw attention when Mount St. Helens in Washington State erupted during its release, but it was also a box office bomb. After making three expensive disaster films that lost huge amounts of money, Allen was never again able to make films on such a grand scale. He did remain active in the entertainment industry during the 1980s, however. He designed a special effects ride at Universal Studios Hollywood and also produced some TV miniseries. He died of a heart attack in 1991 and Sheila, his widow, helps run an official website that is dedicated to his memory.