When I previously talked about the paramount decision and the downfall of the studios, I glossed over (if addressed at all) the large factor that television played in their downfall. I do believe that the Paramount decision was the nail on the coffin, but television was the dirt to cover that coffin. Desilu purchased RKO’s lot. Desilu was a major television production house. 
Desi for Desi Arnaz and lu for Lucille Ball. Some other studios turned to television as well including Disney and Columbia. Disney’s series Disneyland was a huge success as was Columbia’s subsidiary company of Screen Gems. Some studios, like RKO, sold old movies to syndication companies for airing on TV, which help move the production of the telefilm series. Telefilm is nothing more than a made for TV movie. By the 1960’s the tv networks were turning to Hollywood to show their movies during primetime. Even with this seemingly nice partnership between tv and the Hollywood studios, the studios were still struggling. Foreign film imports and international productions further slipped the studios into disaster.
Enter baby boomers, destruction of the Production Code, new film making talent with new ideas and a new wave was born. The New American Cinema as some called it. Directors called the shots and the shots were aimed at the youth with classic Hollywood way going just that “away”. We were introduced to such famous films like The Godfather, Bonnie and Clyde, Rosemary’s Baby, Deliverance, and The Exorcist. These movies scored with the youth and main stream movie goers. A new wave and new owners. Many of the studios changed ownership (5 of 7) and the new owners had new ideas and new ways of doing things, unfortunately but no real interest in media entertainment.
Enter a movie like Jaws. Jaws was the beginning of what is known as a blockbuster. A high-cost, high speed, saturation media campaign, along with a large network tv ad campaign. Jaws became a blockbuster hit in the theaters, then after with merchandising. Not everyone has seen Jaws, but everyone knows the Jaws theme…duunnn duuunnn and the iconic shark jaw coming up to eat the naked swimmer. Heck think of the theme song and poster image as the blockbuster hit history. Shark (hit movie) slowly approaches it prey, attacks, and the blood (merchandising) in the water disburses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV8i-pSVMaQ LOL, I know it might be corny but that is how I remember why Jaws is so important in the movie history.
Now, I want to talk briefly about The Poseidon Adventure. I say briefly because I could talk for days about all the symbolisms and undertones in the movie. Yes, it is a disaster movie, where lots of people died. But it is the sort of movie that you are horrified by the destruction and dead bodies, then laughing at Mr. Rogo (Ernest Borgnine) making comments under his breath about the preacher, Reverend Scott (Gene Hackman). And we can’t forget about the pure innocent statements made by Robyn Shelby (Eric Shea) that infuriated Mr. Rogo. The love shared between Mr. Rogo and Mrs. Rogo (Stella Stevens). I mean we learn right from the beginning that Linda Rogo is a former prostitute, that her husband arrested 6 times. “Well I had to figure out some way to keep you off the streets until you married me!” That line is both comical and heartwarming. This disaster movie is really a movie about survival and “Having the guts to fight for yourself.” As Reverend Scott says. And Mr. Rogo was always protecting more than his wife. He was consistently trying his best to keep everyone safe. Look at the way his arms are in this scene.
Beyond the fact that there were many famous people in this movie, this movie opened a whole new genre….Disaster movies. I love the disaster movies of the 70s and very early eighties. I think I like them because they are a little (just a little mind you) more believable than current disaster movies. And the disaster movies of the 70s and 80s showed struggles, trial and tribulations that were eventually overcome. Some disasters in the movies, like Poseidon Adventure, are caused by human greed. (I know what you’re thinking, how can a tidal wave be caused by human greed. The ship did indeed flip due to the tidal wave, but if the business man (Mr. Linarcos) had not forced the Captain to go full ahead instead of taking the time to fill the tanks and repair the boilers, they would not have been where they were. And maybe they would have seen it in time to turn into it instead of being flipped by it.) There just is something satisfying about seeing that the greedy man doesn’t make it and the innocent ones do….or at least some of them.
History of the Motion Picture 
It may be corny,but that is spot on way to describe Jaws. It is such an iconic movie with even more icon music. Every child has sang or joked about the noise of an approaching threat to that music. It send chills and anticipation to those who hear and are watching. If the film didn’t get the point across of its importance then the merchandise should, in 2019 you can still to to Walmart and other retailers and pick up products that have images or references to this film. That’s how big it was.
I don’t know if you can call this one more believable than others, but I guess it is close. To me, one 90 foot wave just seems kinda silly. Like an under ground earthquake causes one wave and not any others. I guess that is the draw of these movies. I guess I get that there are under tones of different ideas that can be drawn from it, but at the end of the day it is about surviving. I do have so many questions about what happened to the others who went to the front. Like did the rescue crew go to the front after being told or is it just too late. With so many people on a ship like that, there could have been a lot more survivors. I could believe that after leaving the main dinning area the preacher could just shut the doors without saying another word or a quick prayer.
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