Thoughtfully considered, well-acted made-for-TV drama stars Peter Graves as a family man on an excavation excursion with his kids in the California mountains who survives a radioactive blast followed by an earthquake; slowly, the family comes to realize the astronomical proportions of the accident when they get back to town and find desolate streets. Writers Lewis John Carlino and Sandor Stern do not trivialize the situation with soap opera; the budget may be slim, but the emotional experiences on hand for Graves and his children (and two others they pick up along the way) are harrowing. Cinematographer Michael D. Margulies does terrific work behind the camera, and the direction is solid except for some stiffness at the beginning and a voice-over narration that was unnecessary. Television movies really came into their own in the 1970s, providing capable TV actors with meatier roles than what was otherwise available to them in the form of popular weekly shows. This is certainly the case with Peter Graves, who retains his laconic, low-key persona but who also excels with some hard-hitting scenes (such as a moment of private grief up in his bedroom); Verna Bloom is also terrific as a mother who has seen her entire family decimated, and young Kathleen Quinlan is outstanding as Graves' warm, maternal daughter (this is a very underrated actress giving an early performance worthy of high praise). Worthwhile, unpretentious fare, a precursor to "Damnation Alley", "The Day After", and many others.
76 Reviews
One or Two Unanswered Questions
Uriah4326 July 2013
Four people have gone camping and while three members of a family are inside a cave looking around, a bright light appears outside followed by an earthquake. The other person, "Jim Clancy" (Noble Willingham) just happened to be outside when it happened and not long afterward he gets sick and dies. Totally on their own, the father, "Steven Anders" (Peter Graves) decides to take his teenage son, "David" (George O'Hanlan Jr.) and his daughter, "Deborah" (Kathleen Quinlan) back to Malibu in search of their mother who left the campsite earlier in the day headed for home. On the way back they find that what happened to them wasn't an isolated incident as entire towns are totally deserted and empty. Everybody is gone. Anyway, rather than answer the question of "what happened to everybody" I will leave it to the viewer to see for themselves. I will say however, that even after watching the film in its entirety I still thought there were one or two unanswered questions. Additionally, one particular drawback was the fact that it was narrated in the past tense by one of the family members, which took some of the mystery out of it in my opinion. But even so the film managed to maintain suspense for the most part. I especially liked Peter Graves' calm and collected demeanor throughout the movie as it added a solid character to the film. In short, for a low-budget made-for-television movie this one wasn't too bad and I give it an average rating.
disturbing
diezman12 January 2003
I remember seeing this movie on TV when I was about 7 or 8 years old. This is a movie that will stick with you for life! I wish that I could find it on VHS somewhere. TV movies were something special back then. Maybe it was just my age but movies like Where Have All the People Gone, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Omega Man, Crowhaven Farm, Gargoyles, Bad Ronald and Trilogy of Terror stick out in my mind as the coolest movies ever made!
Still remember this movie!
perri296 August 2001
Judging by the other user comments I'm not the only one who saw this movie only once and still can't forget it. I was probably about five when I saw this and I can still vividly recall scenes from the movie. (It seems like a lot of us who have commented on this movie saw it at an impressionable age; I wonder if that's why it has stayed with us all for so long?)
I would love to find this thing on tape or catch it on television some night. Bring back some of those wonderful willies that so easily came in the 70's thanks to movies like Chill Factor, Trilogy of Terror, Gargoyles and countless others.
I would love to find this thing on tape or catch it on television some night. Bring back some of those wonderful willies that so easily came in the 70's thanks to movies like Chill Factor, Trilogy of Terror, Gargoyles and countless others.
Eerie
Leofwine_draca9 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE is a little-known, low budget, but fairly effective TV movie of 1974 tackling the post-apocalypse genre. The scale is small but the setting of a dusty and deserted California is an effective one and the viewer must remember that this is one of the earliest examples of a now-prolific sub-genre of filmmaking. Peter Graves leads a small family into the unknown after a solar flare turns the majority of mankind into little piles of white dust. I saw a VHS copy of this film on Amazon Prime which, while poor quality, still effectively put across the director's intent. The film's narrative is quite familiar but there's a certain starkness to the events, a certain eerieness in terms of atmosphere, that it becomes a watchable enough effort.
I also saw this movie when I was in 6th grade
jschliss20 June 2005
I will never forget this movie. I was home by myself and decided to watch this movie on TV. When Peter Graves was siphoning (sp?) gas from a car and there in the car window was a woman who actually had still had a face. It then went to commercial. I was so TERRIFIED I turned off the TV and I think I hid under the covers till my parents came home! The next day I was dying to know what happened, but none of my classmates had seen the movie! For years I always wondered about the end of the movie, and could never leave in the middle of any other movies (even awful ones) without seeing the ending. About 15 years ago I was telling my Aunt the story as a way of explaining why I always stay till the end of movies, and low and behold that night I was reading the TV Guide and the movie was playing on some offbeat channel at 2AM! I taped it and watched it during the daylight, I was in my 20's by then and still was scared, but at least I saw it! I think now that I am in my 40's and married, I am going to track down a copy and see what my husband (who likes scary movies) thinks! However our 10 year old son will NOT watch it!!!!
Haunting Movie from Childhood
EclecticMonkey1 August 2006
I remember seeing this made for TV movie back in the seventies. It stayed with me very intensely although I couldn't recall its name. I had asked a lot of people about it and everyone said "Prophecy" Not even close by the years separating them. Peter Graves was great as the father of the family. He had earned a solid place in my psyche for it. I remember the the kids as being very independent going into the woods, but after the tragedy, they came to rely more on Graves' decisions and intuition in a situation gone awry. The 70's were great for films like this, heavily pessimistic. Even though the film ends on a good note, there still is the fact that they are pretty much the only ones alive.
Good, disturbing TV movie
Caps Fan12 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Another TV movie that has stayed with me ever since I first saw it, aged about 12, resurfaced recently, prompting this review.
Peter Graves, complete with gray hair – I bet he was born with it that color - plays Steve Anders who, as the movie starts, is on vacation with his family in some unspecified California mountains. His daughter (a young Kathleen Quinlan) and son stay with him, along with Clancy (Noble Willingham), a friend, digging for fossils in a cave, while his wife leaves them to return to LA. Not long after, the sun brightens dramatically for a few seconds, which phenomenon is followed by an earthquake.
In short order, Clancy, who was the only one of the four on the surface when the sun flared up and told the others about it, falls ill. The family thinks it is radiation poisoning and he dies as they try to get him back to civilization. When they themselves get there, they find towns that are empty, apart from clothes full of a strange powder, mad dogs, and a very few survivors who tell of a disease that wiped out most of humanity within hours.
There isn't actually much more to it than that, but I found the story oddly absorbing and the whole treatment pleasingly creepy.
Peter Graves turns in a solid performance and the two kids aren't too nauseating, though a little shrill at times. It was also fun to see Noble Willingham, whom I otherwise only know from "The Royale", a better-than-average episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation", in something else.
Camera work and effects are fine considering when the film was made, the music is adequate, and it doesn't go on too long. All in all, then, well worth seeing.
Rating: 7/10.
Peter Graves, complete with gray hair – I bet he was born with it that color - plays Steve Anders who, as the movie starts, is on vacation with his family in some unspecified California mountains. His daughter (a young Kathleen Quinlan) and son stay with him, along with Clancy (Noble Willingham), a friend, digging for fossils in a cave, while his wife leaves them to return to LA. Not long after, the sun brightens dramatically for a few seconds, which phenomenon is followed by an earthquake.
In short order, Clancy, who was the only one of the four on the surface when the sun flared up and told the others about it, falls ill. The family thinks it is radiation poisoning and he dies as they try to get him back to civilization. When they themselves get there, they find towns that are empty, apart from clothes full of a strange powder, mad dogs, and a very few survivors who tell of a disease that wiped out most of humanity within hours.
There isn't actually much more to it than that, but I found the story oddly absorbing and the whole treatment pleasingly creepy.
Peter Graves turns in a solid performance and the two kids aren't too nauseating, though a little shrill at times. It was also fun to see Noble Willingham, whom I otherwise only know from "The Royale", a better-than-average episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation", in something else.
Camera work and effects are fine considering when the film was made, the music is adequate, and it doesn't go on too long. All in all, then, well worth seeing.
Rating: 7/10.
Made for TV movie, check. Made in the 1970s, check. Low budget, check....but worth a watch.
ed-503-46518320 February 2020
If you decide to watch this movie you need to keep all of that in mind. This is not going to rock your socks off with special effects, big budget sets, fast action or even good resolution. It's most certainly NOT my favorite apocalyptic movie.
However, the story is good, as is the acting. So if you can overlook the age of this movie, it's low budget and production value, and the era in which it was made, you might enjoy this one. It can be watched for free on YouTube,
I think the emotional reaction of the actors to their situation seemed authentic, which is why I gave it a 5. This is really what this movie is about. How people would react to finding themselves in the movies extraordinary situation.
I think the movie On the Beach (1959) did a better job, but this movie has a similar theme. Hard science fiction fans won't enjoy it, nor will people who need a lot of intense action.
If however, you like apocalyptic movies this is one you probably haven't seen. The runtime is around 1 hour and 14 minutes, so the ride isn't that long.
However, the story is good, as is the acting. So if you can overlook the age of this movie, it's low budget and production value, and the era in which it was made, you might enjoy this one. It can be watched for free on YouTube,
I think the emotional reaction of the actors to their situation seemed authentic, which is why I gave it a 5. This is really what this movie is about. How people would react to finding themselves in the movies extraordinary situation.
I think the movie On the Beach (1959) did a better job, but this movie has a similar theme. Hard science fiction fans won't enjoy it, nor will people who need a lot of intense action.
If however, you like apocalyptic movies this is one you probably haven't seen. The runtime is around 1 hour and 14 minutes, so the ride isn't that long.
And Unto Dust Thou Shalt Return
bnwfilmbuff29 April 2017
Made-for-TV apocalyptic film following a family that while vacationing in the California mountains their friend that is with them suddenly gets ill, dies, and turns to powder. The remainder of the film follows their struggle to get back home to Malibu where Jay W. MacIntosh, in the role of the mother/wife, has returned. Along the way father Peter Graves queries son Michael James-Wixted, a physics student, to try to determine what has exterminated most of the population and why they haven't been affected. Nothing too out-of the-ordinary happens in this. Kathleen Quinlan in the role of the daughter does some occasional narration which doesn't add much. One interesting aspect is that dogs have become particularly menacing. There is an obvious Biblical theme to this movie that never gets explored and might have made this a bit more interesting. Despite being cliché it's pretty well done for a made-for-TV.
Great start then...
Angel_Peter27 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Technical I think it was a nice movie even though old and no special effects it worked fine.
Plotwise and later in the story I was simply lost as I could not make myself believe it anymore. I know it is a movie and not real life. But the deaths were just too silly.
The start is great and gives a good promise about the rest of the movie. I was exited to see what would happen.
I think they acted realistic hysterical and under pressure in the start of the movie after the big light glimpse. And it gave good excitement the way one of them had something described as radiation sickness. I was at this time exited guessing what could really have happened. And here I soon got my first letdown.
SPOILERS start: But after dying they turned to white powder. Ehh were they delayed incinerated by the flash? No unfortunately even worse. It was a virus that made them white powder. And a virus that hit all over the world at the same time.
Had they just let people be dead bodies, then everything would have worked great. And then let us know the virus had gradually spread instead of appearing worldwide at once, then I would have loved the movie. A bit like the old BBC series Survivors (I think it is).
Plotwise and later in the story I was simply lost as I could not make myself believe it anymore. I know it is a movie and not real life. But the deaths were just too silly.
The start is great and gives a good promise about the rest of the movie. I was exited to see what would happen.
I think they acted realistic hysterical and under pressure in the start of the movie after the big light glimpse. And it gave good excitement the way one of them had something described as radiation sickness. I was at this time exited guessing what could really have happened. And here I soon got my first letdown.
SPOILERS start: But after dying they turned to white powder. Ehh were they delayed incinerated by the flash? No unfortunately even worse. It was a virus that made them white powder. And a virus that hit all over the world at the same time.
Had they just let people be dead bodies, then everything would have worked great. And then let us know the virus had gradually spread instead of appearing worldwide at once, then I would have loved the movie. A bit like the old BBC series Survivors (I think it is).
WOW! Others remember this movie! I'm SO happy!
jester-3015 April 2005
I have been looking for the title of this movie for nearly 30 years! I saw it as a nine year old back when it first aired. I remember being creeped out to no end. In my teen years I got into scifi and somewhere in my head I always remembered watching this movie - perhaps one of the best apocalyptic films ever made, even if it was for TV. I couldn't remember the name, and no one I asked seemed to recall it - so went high school, college, even grad school... no one could help me find the title. Then, the Internet, a late night search on Google, and thanks to TV Tome and IMDb, I have the title. Now to get a copy! People have commented that it reminds them of the Trek episode... nah, this film is far more effective. It reminds me of The Quiet Earth, but the scenes where the clothes are found is eerie and outstretches TQE, imho.
Thank you all! My 30 year quest is over! Yippee!!!!!
Thank you all! My 30 year quest is over! Yippee!!!!!
When human (over)population is reduced naturally
Wuchakk26 November 2022
A father, son & daughter (Peter Graves, George O'Hanlon Jr. And Kathleen Quinlan) are camping out in the high country of SoCal when something strange happens in the sky and they are forced to walk down to the nearest town to find out what happened. Yet the village is eerily silent and all the people are... gone. Verna Bloom plays a traumatized woman they find alive.
While debuting on television, "Where Have All the People Gone?" (1974) succeeds in making the viewer feel as if it's an end of the world scenario. It's thoroughly mundane, but dramatic and realistic. Don't expect aliens or zombies to appear (rolling my eyes).
Future movies that cover similar terrain with a bigger budget include "Carriers" (2009), "The Road" (2009), "Vanishing on 7th Street" (2010) and "Monsters" (2010). It's not as thrilling as "Carriers" or as good as "Monsters," but I prefer it to the listless and overrated "The Road." (I've never seen "Vanishing on 7th Street," so I can't compare it). "Monsters," as the title suggests, throws in post-apocalyptic monsters, but not until the last act.
Naturally these kinds of downbeat flicks address grim questions like: Do you forsake all sense of morality in an attempt to survive - lie, steal, forsake and murder - or do you hold on to your moral compass, come what may? Is life worth living if you must become an immoral, wicked savage to survive? Isn't it better to live with dignity at all costs - fight with nobility and die with dignity when and if you must?
Human carcasses reduced to white elements was done previously in the original Star Trek episode "The Omega Glory" while the desolate post-apocalyptic scenario recalls "Miri."
The movie runs 1 hour, 14 minutes, and was shot in the greater Los Angeles area as follows: Lake of the Woods (town of Rainbow), which is about an hour's drive northwest of Hollywood; Agoura (grocery store), which is ten miles north of Malibu in the high country; Malibu Canyon Road in the Santa Monica Mountains; and Malibu (the house by the shore and beach scene).
GRADE: B-
While debuting on television, "Where Have All the People Gone?" (1974) succeeds in making the viewer feel as if it's an end of the world scenario. It's thoroughly mundane, but dramatic and realistic. Don't expect aliens or zombies to appear (rolling my eyes).
Future movies that cover similar terrain with a bigger budget include "Carriers" (2009), "The Road" (2009), "Vanishing on 7th Street" (2010) and "Monsters" (2010). It's not as thrilling as "Carriers" or as good as "Monsters," but I prefer it to the listless and overrated "The Road." (I've never seen "Vanishing on 7th Street," so I can't compare it). "Monsters," as the title suggests, throws in post-apocalyptic monsters, but not until the last act.
Naturally these kinds of downbeat flicks address grim questions like: Do you forsake all sense of morality in an attempt to survive - lie, steal, forsake and murder - or do you hold on to your moral compass, come what may? Is life worth living if you must become an immoral, wicked savage to survive? Isn't it better to live with dignity at all costs - fight with nobility and die with dignity when and if you must?
Human carcasses reduced to white elements was done previously in the original Star Trek episode "The Omega Glory" while the desolate post-apocalyptic scenario recalls "Miri."
The movie runs 1 hour, 14 minutes, and was shot in the greater Los Angeles area as follows: Lake of the Woods (town of Rainbow), which is about an hour's drive northwest of Hollywood; Agoura (grocery store), which is ten miles north of Malibu in the high country; Malibu Canyon Road in the Santa Monica Mountains; and Malibu (the house by the shore and beach scene).
GRADE: B-
I was five when I saw this...
cmmayo-117 November 2010
And it was an effective TV movie, because I remember it 36 years later. I wonder if it's available on DVD somewhere. I wonder if it would stand up. What worked was the creepiness of a killer sun, especially to a small child. Also what worked was the idea of finding bodies lying around, though I won't spoil what the condition of the bodies were. Also, while I can't remember the acting, exactly, I see the quality of the lead female and the solidness on TV of Peter Graves. I don't know why this movie stuck with me, but I think 80% of it is the fact that I was 5 years old and the title sounds like a line from the child rhyme, "Here's the church and here's the steeple...."
Make sure your out camping and protected by a cave when the end comes.
lemon9937 June 2004
Fondly remembered by all who saw it back in the 70's, this end-of-the-world flick packs a punch. I caught the last forty minutes about a year ago on an independent channel--which temporarily replaced another station that was being primed for a Spanish-language channel takeover. Could this made-for-tv movie have been inspired by the Star Trek episode titled "The Omega Glory"? There are striking similarities: most notably the state of the doomed crews' bodies. In the movie, however, the disease is caused by solar flares. You don't need elaborate and costly effects to convey the desperation and fear in the survivors' milieu. The situation itself is enough. Peter Graves sheds his B-movie threads and delivers a heroic performance as the father who leads by example and care, never loosing sight of their goal to hook up with their loved ones. The director, John Llewellyn Moxey, has deservedly earned his cult status. His television resume is impressive: The Night Stalker, The Last Child, Genesis II, Home for the Holidays, as well as the pilots for Kung Fu and Charlie's Angels.
The Omega Glory!
mhorg20185 March 2019
Yes, I'm referencing a Star Trek episode where the entire crew of the Enterprise's sister ship gets turned into crystals! (A similar even, from a comet happens in Night of the Comet). The science is sketchy (a dominant gene would save the survivors, not a recessive), there are no mutants, but there is trouble - other survivors, feral dogs and a moronic daughter who simply won't listen. Well done, I remember watching this first run on NBC. A decent little SF thriller.
Impressive TVM
Theo Robertson18 July 2013
Palentologist Steve Anders is with his son and daughter in a cave in California when they feel earth tremors . Fearing an earthquake they run to the surface find their guide ill and the radios unable to work . Their worries escalate as they speculate a catastrophe may have hit planet Earth
I saw this many years ago and despite being an American TVM made on a very limited budget it did stick in my mind and judging from the comments on this page it did make a big impression on everyone who saw it . Okay granted it doesn't push back the boundaries of the post apocalyptic genre but does what it does very well and it's nice for a change tro watch this type of story in 2013 without zombies making an appearance along the line somewhere
Veteran TVM director John Llewellen Moxey manages to build up an air of suspense and mystery and it's a TVM that has ambitions to be cinematic and the scene where the Anders wander through a deserted town does have an eerie atmosphere little seen in American post apocalyptic fiction of this type . Moxey also makes impressive use of ironic sound effects as the Anders travel through a deserted city and past an empty school
If there's a major problem to WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE ? it's the unsatisfying ending . You can the TV network having one eye on a continuing series and worried that if this TVM is self contained then that won't happen therefore we get an ending that doesn't work as being either open ended or conclusive which is a bit of a shame and ends on an unsatisfactorily flat note
I saw this many years ago and despite being an American TVM made on a very limited budget it did stick in my mind and judging from the comments on this page it did make a big impression on everyone who saw it . Okay granted it doesn't push back the boundaries of the post apocalyptic genre but does what it does very well and it's nice for a change tro watch this type of story in 2013 without zombies making an appearance along the line somewhere
Veteran TVM director John Llewellen Moxey manages to build up an air of suspense and mystery and it's a TVM that has ambitions to be cinematic and the scene where the Anders wander through a deserted town does have an eerie atmosphere little seen in American post apocalyptic fiction of this type . Moxey also makes impressive use of ironic sound effects as the Anders travel through a deserted city and past an empty school
If there's a major problem to WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE ? it's the unsatisfying ending . You can the TV network having one eye on a continuing series and worried that if this TVM is self contained then that won't happen therefore we get an ending that doesn't work as being either open ended or conclusive which is a bit of a shame and ends on an unsatisfactorily flat note
35 year old mystery solved!!
surge656 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this movie on television about a month before my 9th birthday in 1974, and until a few months ago I was still trying to remember the name of it. For a long time I remembered the scenes where the people have turned to dust and, for some reason, confused it with the Andromeda Strain. Then I saw that movie one weekend in the early 80s and realized that wasn't it, so my quest continued. Finally, last fall I was looking through the guide one night and saw Where Have All the People Gone listed, and the description sounded interesting so I Tivo'd it. It wasn't until weeks later when I started watching it that I realized it was the movie I had been trying to find for all those years! Seems to be a common thread... lots of us saw this as a kid, and then spent years trying to remember the title and find the movie again.
Anyway, this is no great cinema, but it is definitely an enjoyable flick and it has held up well over the years. So often I have watched something as an adult that I remember fondly from childhood and will be disappointed that it doesn't live up to the memory, but this movie certainly stands the test of time. As remake crazy as Hollywood is these days, I am really surprised that this hasn't been given a new treatment. Done right, an updated version of this movie could be very good.
Anyway, this is no great cinema, but it is definitely an enjoyable flick and it has held up well over the years. So often I have watched something as an adult that I remember fondly from childhood and will be disappointed that it doesn't live up to the memory, but this movie certainly stands the test of time. As remake crazy as Hollywood is these days, I am really surprised that this hasn't been given a new treatment. Done right, an updated version of this movie could be very good.
Also a fond memory
ezbngreen20 January 2002
This is also one of the first movies I can recall seeing (with the exception of The Wizard of Oz and What's Up Doc). I'm not sure why, and I don't completely recall the movie, but it had quite an impression on me.
This is one of those movies I'd like to see again, just for nostalgia's sake. Although I might find I'm disappointed in the quality of the actual film and story. Maybe I should let sleeping memories lie, but I would watch this again if it were available.
This is one of those movies I'd like to see again, just for nostalgia's sake. Although I might find I'm disappointed in the quality of the actual film and story. Maybe I should let sleeping memories lie, but I would watch this again if it were available.
Wasted Potential Bad Camera Work
5eriously13 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
So lets start by saying yes I saw this movie in the 1970's back then it was good to young eyes.
On re visiting it as an Adult and looking at it through what we have in 2022, I'm going to say sure the story is interesting, however implausible, the camera work is terrible even for the time not being set up on tracks for following shots, the camera was being hand held most of the time and not stabilized so you get the idea.
The acting is just hamming it up in front of the camera, I give you George O'Hanlon his character absolutely terrible.
The story line of continually asking the advise of an 18 year old as they'll know everything drives me nuts. Unless they are gifted generally there is no way a young person would know or have enough life experience to be of any major help in a crisis I'm talking critical analysis not heavy lifting.
Back to the story, carting someone down a mountain in any year, is stupid, 2 people should stay with the injured person. Wouldn't you think a young an fit 18 year old can hike down a mountain faster for help than anyone else.
They mentioned is was a 2 day hike I'd assume this is without a stretcher containing a person on it, so how long would that take? With all the rest stops and 1 bottle of water for 5 people!!!!!
After getting off the mountain, and finding transport of which they soon discover the internal electrics of the vehicles no longer work, did anyone say EMP here? They he finally worked out that vehicles that were not running at the time of the EMP were ok. Although by 1974 perhaps 100% of vehicles were running alternators not generators to power the electrics, (continuity error there!)
They even find a Geiger counter and they realize there has not been an ongoing radiation contamination of the food and water, lucky break.
Going forward not everyone was effected, i.e. Turned to dust, they might have included the dust in the clothing that was being filmed (cheap bastards) so if 90% of the population was affected that would still leave a couple of million people in California running around, plus I'd suggest government officials, police and the national guard. Infrastructure was not blown up and fixable. So this is where the story line needed help, to flesh out the background.
At any rate, taking this one to series probably failed due to the 1974 Planet of the Apes TV series failing at the time, so the TV execs just cut their losses and we have a TV movie.
It is what it is, it hasn't dated very well and the story has now been done to death. If you have a lazy hour and 10 mins, then give it a watch its free to see on You Tube.
On re visiting it as an Adult and looking at it through what we have in 2022, I'm going to say sure the story is interesting, however implausible, the camera work is terrible even for the time not being set up on tracks for following shots, the camera was being hand held most of the time and not stabilized so you get the idea.
The acting is just hamming it up in front of the camera, I give you George O'Hanlon his character absolutely terrible.
The story line of continually asking the advise of an 18 year old as they'll know everything drives me nuts. Unless they are gifted generally there is no way a young person would know or have enough life experience to be of any major help in a crisis I'm talking critical analysis not heavy lifting.
Back to the story, carting someone down a mountain in any year, is stupid, 2 people should stay with the injured person. Wouldn't you think a young an fit 18 year old can hike down a mountain faster for help than anyone else.
They mentioned is was a 2 day hike I'd assume this is without a stretcher containing a person on it, so how long would that take? With all the rest stops and 1 bottle of water for 5 people!!!!!
After getting off the mountain, and finding transport of which they soon discover the internal electrics of the vehicles no longer work, did anyone say EMP here? They he finally worked out that vehicles that were not running at the time of the EMP were ok. Although by 1974 perhaps 100% of vehicles were running alternators not generators to power the electrics, (continuity error there!)
They even find a Geiger counter and they realize there has not been an ongoing radiation contamination of the food and water, lucky break.
Going forward not everyone was effected, i.e. Turned to dust, they might have included the dust in the clothing that was being filmed (cheap bastards) so if 90% of the population was affected that would still leave a couple of million people in California running around, plus I'd suggest government officials, police and the national guard. Infrastructure was not blown up and fixable. So this is where the story line needed help, to flesh out the background.
At any rate, taking this one to series probably failed due to the 1974 Planet of the Apes TV series failing at the time, so the TV execs just cut their losses and we have a TV movie.
It is what it is, it hasn't dated very well and the story has now been done to death. If you have a lazy hour and 10 mins, then give it a watch its free to see on You Tube.
Average small Sci-Fi TV picture, technically inconsistent!!!
elo-equipamentos9 December 2023
Aside "Where Have All the People Gone?" has a cult status for some, the producers and writers Lewis John Carlino and Sandor Stern allowed a weak explanation over a sudden solar flare that reach the earth atmosphere decimating a large amount of living people in small white powder in a matter of hours only, some survivors aftermaths discover that have something at DNA that somehow become impervious of this decay, well it's really is science fiction, therefore everything can be accept without any source database? Surely not whatsoever, all must pass the scrutiny of reasonableness above all.
Starting this premise the offer already falls apart, also the tight budge strengthen this odd concept, so remains to the audience swallow the phony mindset or going ahead anyhow, for less demanding it may works out, for me is far away to be regarded at least acceptable, the casting has the veteran actor Peter Graves, a fine Kathleen Quinlan, also Verna Bloom and Noble Willingham in a small role, the screenplay deserves respect, indeed, the final outcome is predicable, quite sure this small sci-fi notably seems be a strong nostalgic feeling for those like myself that watched it at release time on TV, won't be missed, maybe not came out officially on physical media.
Thanks for reading
Resume:
First watch: 1986 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 6.25.
Starting this premise the offer already falls apart, also the tight budge strengthen this odd concept, so remains to the audience swallow the phony mindset or going ahead anyhow, for less demanding it may works out, for me is far away to be regarded at least acceptable, the casting has the veteran actor Peter Graves, a fine Kathleen Quinlan, also Verna Bloom and Noble Willingham in a small role, the screenplay deserves respect, indeed, the final outcome is predicable, quite sure this small sci-fi notably seems be a strong nostalgic feeling for those like myself that watched it at release time on TV, won't be missed, maybe not came out officially on physical media.
Thanks for reading
Resume:
First watch: 1986 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 6.25.
Decent acting but so predictable
oldvinyl17 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
At the opening of the story we're in the mountains enjoying a woodsy holiday with the family. Then something happens that kills most people and just leaves a few alive. It would be difficult to write a spoiler for the plot, because there isn't any plot. And this leaves us with not a lot more than thinking, "Would I do that? Is that guy dumb or what?" For instance, the guy loses his car by playing the good Samaritan to a motorist armed with a pistol and they then all have to trudge to the next town. Now, this being the USA we can imagine there must be at least one gun store in town and probably even Walmart has shotguns and rifles and plenty of ammo. The first thing I would have done would be to arm myself and everyone with me to the teeth. But no, is he stupid or what? He doesn't. The acting is decent and the editing OK but the premise, frankly, is rather unbelievable and the plot, well, the less said the better.
A lasting impression from a time of edgy TV movies
hippiedj20 February 2002
I was 11 years old when I saw "Where Have All The People Gone?" and it really left an impression on me. Other reviewers of this film here on IMDb seem to be sharing the same feeling; we were young and were privileged to see films like this one on TV at a time when they were just a bit more edgy. It's comforting to know there are others out there my age who seemed to appreciate these more cerebral films at such a young age! Other examples that have stayed with me were 1974's "Dying Room Only" with Cloris Leachman, and 1970's "The Neon Ceiling." These were very serious and even frightening scenarios, and even schlock films like 1973's "Horror At 37,000 Feet" and 1974's "Killdozer" were edgy, truly unique, and highly entertaining.
The idea of everyone in the world turning into dust from a bizarre solar flare type incident except a handful of survivors here and there really scared me. Like "Last Man On Earth," and "The Omega Man" before it and even "Night Of The Comet" and "The Quiet Earth" much later, it's a theme that will intrigue and never let go.
Peter Graves was a great choice for this film, and it was nice seeing Kathleen Quinlan too. You could just feel their dread as they went through a city and saw nothing but clothes on the ground where people used to be (particularly seeing a playground with children's clothes scattered about), and having to deal with dogs that seemed to be unaffected by the phenomenon, all running wild in the streets and quite vicious.
They just don't make 'em like this anymore. They can try, and with state of the art digital effects to boot, but it just seems you can't beat these early 1970's TV films that relied more on dramatic content, creativity, and substance rather than flashy effects. It seems many of us are all hoping to find "Where Have All The People Gone?" on home video and it would be a smart idea for whoever controls the rights for it to consider releasing it! It's a piece of nostalgia that still holds up today and just takes me back to a time when I really looked forward to something on TV.
The idea of everyone in the world turning into dust from a bizarre solar flare type incident except a handful of survivors here and there really scared me. Like "Last Man On Earth," and "The Omega Man" before it and even "Night Of The Comet" and "The Quiet Earth" much later, it's a theme that will intrigue and never let go.
Peter Graves was a great choice for this film, and it was nice seeing Kathleen Quinlan too. You could just feel their dread as they went through a city and saw nothing but clothes on the ground where people used to be (particularly seeing a playground with children's clothes scattered about), and having to deal with dogs that seemed to be unaffected by the phenomenon, all running wild in the streets and quite vicious.
They just don't make 'em like this anymore. They can try, and with state of the art digital effects to boot, but it just seems you can't beat these early 1970's TV films that relied more on dramatic content, creativity, and substance rather than flashy effects. It seems many of us are all hoping to find "Where Have All The People Gone?" on home video and it would be a smart idea for whoever controls the rights for it to consider releasing it! It's a piece of nostalgia that still holds up today and just takes me back to a time when I really looked forward to something on TV.
Good try at doomsday movie
wekirch14 April 2020
Low budget TV movie that manages to engage because of good writing and solid acting. A solar flare knocks out all electric power, an earthquake releases something that kills at least 99% of humankind. The movie follows a few survivors who travel back to their home. It takes them a while to realise what's happened. The ending is very Hollywood, as is the psychology, with far too easy healing from the grief and shock, and implausibly minor physical effects on infrastructure. Still, worth watching as an early attempt to imagine a world-transforming catastrophe. **
Almost worth watching!..... low budget made-for-TV movie
Pavolini22 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I cannot agree with most of the other reviewers of this flick. It was only slightly amusing. It looks like it was hastily made with a tiny budget. The plot device of using empty clothes with piles of some white powder to represent victims of some radiation or disease was cheap.
Peter Graves and the rest of the cast did a workman-like job.
The plot is illogical- There's a bright flash of light and an earthquake and then everybody, well almost everybody, dies.
The feel-good ending was cloying.
To bad the flick wasn't directed by Roger Corman.
This movie is available to suffer through for free on YouTube.
Peter Graves and the rest of the cast did a workman-like job.
The plot is illogical- There's a bright flash of light and an earthquake and then everybody, well almost everybody, dies.
The feel-good ending was cloying.
To bad the flick wasn't directed by Roger Corman.
This movie is available to suffer through for free on YouTube.
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