Avalanche (film)

Avalanche
Year	1978
Directed by	Corey Allen
Produced by	Roger Corman
Written by	Corey Allen Gavin Lambert (as Claude Pola) Frances Doel (story)
Music by	William Kraft
Studio	New World Pictures
Cast	Rock Hudson Mia Farrow Robert Forster Jeanette Nolan Steve Franken
Run time	91 minutes
Riffed in	Experiment #1104

For the MST3K episode, see MST3K 1104 - Avalanche.

“	This morning, some snot-nosed reporter started asking about Maybrook and the clearance of the land, and I don't like it!	”
	- David Shelby

Avalanche is a 1978 disaster movie that was directed and co-written by Corey Allen.

Plot

A land developer invites many notables (including his mother and his ex-wife) to the grand opening of his new mountain chalet to enjoy revelry and winter sports. The fun stops when an avalanche destroys much of the chalet and the surrounding environs. The survivors must then struggle to escape the dangerous aftermath.

Cast

• Rock Hudson as David Shelby
• Mia Farrow as Caroline Brace
• Robert Forster as Nick Thorne
• Jeanette Nolan as Florence Shelby
• Steve Franken as Henry McDade

Notes

• The film is rated PG despite the brief female nudity.
• This is one of only two films for which director Corey Allen received a writing credit. The other film was the 1971 live-action sex comedy Pinocchio (also known as The Erotic Adventures of Pinocchio). That film's tag line ("It's not his nose that grows!") was referenced by Crow in Experiment #405.

MST3K Connections

• Steve Franken also portrayed Henry Maitland in Stranded in Space and Danny McKee in The Time Travelers.
• Producer Roger Corman was director and producer for It Conquered the World, Teenage Cave Man, The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent, Gunslinger, Day the World Ended, and The Undead. He was also executive producer for Attack of the Giant Leeches, High School Big Shot, Night of the Blood Beast, Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell, Wizards of the Lost Kingdom, Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II, Deathstalker II, Lords of the Deep (in which he also portrayed a corporate executive), and Munchie, as well as director for Swamp Diamonds and distribution producer for Starcrash.
• Executive producer and production manager Paul Rapp was also stunt coordinator for Gunslinger (in which he also portrayed a gunfighter) and assistant director for High School Big Shot.
• Production designer Sharon Compton also portrayed the mother in Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II.
• Special effects technician Roger George also did special effects for The Human Duplicators and The Amazing Transparent Man.
• Stuntman Bill Catching was also a stunt double in The Beast of Hollow Mountain.
• Script supervisor Sandy King was also script supervisor for The Incredible Melting Man.

Critical Response

• Received a Dishonorable Mention in the Worst Picture category from the 1978 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards.
• Leonard Maltin wrote: "Two stars ... Stodgy performances almost outweighed by special effects."