ABC SUNDAY NIGHT MOVIE: VOLCANO: FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN (TV)
Summary
This made-for-television production is about a scientist trying to convince residents of a ski resort in the Sierra Nevadas that a nearby volcano is about to erupt. The program begins with two honeymooning skiers going down a blocked trail in Angel Lakes, California. As the mountain begins to rumble, a volcanic hole opens, swallowing the pair. Peter Slater of Menlo Park's California State Geological Survey notices some activity on his computer monitors. Meanwhile, Police Chief Buck Adams has lunch with his very pregnant wife, Beth. She worries about Buck's sister Kelly, a mountain patrol worker who recently broke up with Peter. Meanwhile, up on the mountain, Kelly finds a dead and seemingly poisoned raccoon. Mayor Bob Hart speaks with Buck about the previous night's rumblings as he doesn't want the big tourist weekend ahead ruined. Later, Peter is certain that Angel Summit is about to blow, alerting his superior, Dr. Osborne. However, she dismisses his claims, citing a previous case when Peter made an incorrect prediction. Kelly speaks with Buck about the dead raccoons she keeps finding, wondering about the cause. They also discuss the weekend's tourist festivities.
At the same time, entrepreneur Corben, aided by his wife Maureen, prepares to make a pitch about the resort's future to speculators Bill and Brenda Webb. Meanwhile, Corben and Maureen's son Jason tries to avoid his parents and goes snowboarding. Back up on the mountain, Kelly finds a fallen telemetry station. Then, she comes upon a man who has broken into a patrol station. Once she draws her gun, Kelly realizes that it's Peter, checking the structure's carbon dioxide level. Still angry with Peter over their past, she handcuffs him and says he'll be charged with trespassing. Returning to town, Kelly learns that the missing honeymooners are a priority and has to let Peter go. Then, Peter tells Buck about an "imminent" volcanic eruption. Kelly and her fellow officers head up to the mountain's west side to look for the honeymooners. Gases begin to spew from fissures on the mountain, causing the search party members to pass out. Peter arrives to rescue them. Once Kelly is in the hospital, Peter reveals that the volcano was venting carbon dioxide. Nevertheless, Buck still doesn't believe Peter's tale of impending doom. Meanwhile, Corben, Maureen, Jason, Bill and Brenda dine, with Corben pitching Bill on investing in Angel Lake's development. By morning, Kelly reveals to the mayor how they still haven't found the honeymooners. She thinks the west slope needs to be closed due to the venting, using the dead animals as evidence of the danger. The mayor refuses to listen to her or Peter. A wary Buck tells Beth that he wants her off the mountain.
Afterward, on the way to check some field monitor logs, Peter and Kelly discuss what went wrong with their relationship. As Peter studies the mountain's telemetry readings in a remote patrol station, the ground begins to furiously shake, leading to a full-fledged earthquake. The cabin starts to crumble and catches fire, with Peter and Kelly narrowly escaping. Meanwhile, the town is in chaos as Buck and the mayor try to calm the crowd. The power and phones are out and they are unable to alert Palo Alto about the now-active volcano. Peter needs to get atop the mountain to visually study the volcano's crater. Corben gets into a fight with Maureen and Jason and goes to the bar to drink. Bill and Brenda are soured on the project and want to leave town. Atop the mountain, Peter and Kelly weather another eruption and are catapulted backward. The rumblings increase in intensity and the town is soon pelted with a flurry of rocks and gravel. Peter finds Kelly unconscious. Upon reviving her, they try to assess the damage as the volcano spews more smoke and begins to gurgle lava. Meanwhile, Buck goes searching for the pair as Corben and Brenda find Bill's dead body in the lodge. Peter explains to Kelly in layman's what the volcano may soon wreak on Angel Lakes. Then, Peter kisses Kelly for luck, right before they have to balance atop a downed tree to cross a river of lava. Peter slips and nearly falls into the magma. As the smoke begins to cover the area, Buck and his assistant Stan find themselves unable to get higher up the mountain; a rock slide has made the road unpassable.
Meanwhile, Beth is trapped in her vehicle and forced to fend for herself. Now dark out, Jason finds his mother pinned under a steel beam in their house. He goes for help and runs into Beth, who says she's about to give birth. Jason drives them both to the nearby visitor's center. Elsewhere, Peter and Kelly try to find their way back to the lodge, stopping at a seemingly empty house along the way. Soon, they find Maureen trapped in a back room and devise a plan to pull the beam off her. Meanwhile, Jason helps delivers Beth's baby, a girl. After radioing Buck, he sprints to the center and is able to see his new daughter. Peter and Kelly take Maureen toward safety on a travois until a medical crew finds them. Soon, Jason is reunited with his mother, who thanks him for having been a part in saving two lives that night. Corben subsequently sees Maureen and Jason, both of whom say they're done with him. Peter tells Buck that a secondary, larger eruption of the volcano could come at any time. Though a massive evacuation is required, the roads remain impassable. Peter states that "a burning avalanche" is about to befall the town, giving them twenty minutes to escape. Kelly thinks a properly timed series of dynamite explosions could cause an avalanche from the other side of the mountain and block the lava flow. Peter is leery but follows Kelly's lead. They both go to the top of the mountain to set the explosives and then "ski like hell." Amazingly, Kelly's idea works and the avalanche staves off the lava. The town and most of its people are saved as the avalanche only grazes the lodge. However, Corben's attempt to escape on a snowmobile brings him directly into the cascading snow's path. When Kelly finally gets back to the lodge, she tells Buck that Peter was cut off by the avalanche. She tearfully blames herself, until Peter safely appears minutes later for an embrace. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: February 23, 1997 Sunday 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:54:40
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:48107
- GENRE: Drama, action/adventure
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, action/adventure; Science/Nature; Volcanoes
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV, 1997
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "Boston Market" restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Advil pain relief
- TV - Commercials - Allstate insurance
- TV - Commercials - Campbell's soups
- TV - Commercials - Centrum multi-vitamins
- TV - Commercials - Children's Advil fever relief
- TV - Commercials - Children's Motrin fever relief
- TV - Commercials - Children's Tylenol fever relief
- TV - Commercials - Clairol Herbal Essences shampoo
- TV - Commercials - Coldwell Banker realtors
- TV - Commercials - Colgate toothpaste
- TV - Commercials - Cream of Wheat Banana Nut Bread hot cereal
- TV - Commercials - Dove soap
- TV - Commercials - Dreyfus investment management resource
- TV - Commercials - Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve
- TV - Commercials - Ford automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Foster's beer
- TV - Commercials - Jack in the Box restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Jeep automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Keebler Fudge Shoppe cookies
- TV - Commercials - Kraft Singles cheese
- TV - Commercials - Little Caesars pizza
- TV - Commercials - Little Debbie snack cakes
- TV - Commercials - McDonald's restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Mentadent toothbrushes
- TV - Commercials - Microsoft software
- TV - Commercials - Mitsubishi automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Nissan automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Participate in the Lives of America's Youth volunteers
- TV - Commercials - Pepsi soft drinks
- TV - Commercials - Red Lobster restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Robitussin cough syrup
- TV - Commercials - Scotch-Brite scrub sponges
- TV - Commercials - Shedd's Country Crock butter substitute
- TV - Commercials - Soft & Dri anti-perspirant
- TV - Commercials - Sprint calling plans
- TV - Commercials - TheraFlu flu relief
- TV - Commercials - Transitions lenses
- TV - Commercials - US Satellite Broadcasting
- TV - Commercials - Van de Kamp's frozen fish
- TV - Commercials - Yoplait yogurt
- TV - Promos - "Arsenio"
- TV - Promos - "Coach"
- TV - Promos - "Ellen"
- TV - Promos - "Eyewitness News"
- TV - Promos - "Freeloaders with John Stossel"
- TV - Promos - "Good Morning America"
- TV - Promos - "Grace Under Fire"
- TV - Promos - "Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life"
- TV - Promos - "Home Improvement"
- TV - Promos - "NYPD Blue"
- TV - Promos - "Primetime Live"
- TV - Promos - "Robert Ludlum's The Apocalypse Watch"
- TV - Promos - "Roseanne"
- TV - Promos - "Spin City"
- TV - Promos - "Spy Game"
- TV - Promos - "The Drew Carey Show"
- TV - Promos - "The Practice"
- TV - Promos - "Vital Signs"
- TV - Promos - "Viva Las Vegas" comedy lineup
- TV - Promos - "Walt Disney World 25th Anniversary Party"
- TV - Promos - "World News Tonight With Peter Jennings"
CREDITS
- John Davis … Executive Producer
- Merrill Karpf … Executive Producer, Writer
- Donna Ebbs … Supervising Producer, Writer
- David Roessell … Producer
- George Horie … Producer
- Sam Nicholson … Visual Effects Producer
- Graeme Campbell … Director
- Craig Spector … Writer
- Steve Womack … Writer
- Scott Weinstein … Writer
- David Michael Frank … Music by
- Dan Cortese … Cast, Peter Slater
- Cynthia Gibb … Cast, Kelly Adams
- Don Davis … Cast, Mayor Bob Hart
- Lynda Boyd … Cast, Maureen
- Colin Cunningham … Cast, Stan Sinclair
- Micah Gardener … Cast, Jason
- John Novak … Cast, Corben
- Kendall Cross … Cast, Beth Adams
- Brian Kerwin … Cast, Buck Adams
- de Vry, Will … Cast, David
- Kerry McPherson … Cast, Sheryn
- Jano Frandsen … Cast, Bill Webb
- April Telek … Cast, Brenda Webb
- Tasha Simms … Cast, Dr. Osborne
- D. Neil Mark … Cast, Jake
- Jonathan Walker … Cast, Steve Stalwell
- Lorena Gale … Cast, Eve
- Cyrus Theideke … Cast, Doug
- Trevor Roald … Cast, Kevin
- Lillian Carlson … Cast, Helen
- Tim Karabilgin … Cast, Mark
- Bill Finck … Cast, Police Station Man
- Rondel Reynoldson … Cast, Police Station Woman
- Craig Brunanski … Cast, Col. Danforth
- Richard Leacock … Cast, Soldier #1
- John McConnach … Cast, Soldier #2