Who doesn't love Leslie Neilsen?? released in 1977, it's a period piece as they flash all the way back to 1974, when the scientists were warning about what we now call global warming. in the wording rolling up at the very beginning, they specifically single out aerosol spray cans, which we have mostly phased out at this point. Professor MacGregor (Richard Jaeckel) takes a group of city slickers up the chopper for a vacation in the mountains, far out of town. co-stars Nielsen, Chris George, and Lynda Day are the featured players in this one. George and Day were actually married to each other, but when George died quite young of a heart attack at age 52, Day only did a few guest bits on shows after that. George HAD made FOUR films with John Wayne. pretty impressive. and Leslie Nielsen would go on to make comedies Airplane and Naked Gun. in this story, the animals have all gone crazy from the changed atmosphere; they start attacking the humans in bizarre ways. it wants to be a serious drama, but to be sure, it's a bit campy. filmed in the hills just west of Yosemite National Park. directed by Bill Girdler. story by Ed Montoro. it's kind of a throwback to the days when people were starting to talk about what we could do to save the planet from all the chemicals humans were putting in it. director Girdler also died quite young at age thirty, in a helicopter crash, less than a year after this film (and Manitou) were released. it's okay. it's all filmed in very dark light, so sometimes its hard to see what's going on. but it is fun to see Nielsen in an early film role. he had done mostly tv series and made-for-tv movies up to this point.
Review of Day of the Animals
