Review of Panic in Year Zero! (1962) by Brian R — 14 Mar 2010

An ambitious story surely inspired by the "Red Scare", this is one of the first ventures to address life after nuclear war. It is mediocre in many ways, but still manages to be entertaining. The passage of time, however, has added a hue of campiness that director and star Ray Milland could not have intended.

The key characters are the four members of the Baldwin family, played by Milland as the father, Jean Hagen as the mother, and Frankie Avalon and Mary Mitchel as the children. Avalon, just 23 years old during filming, was at the end of his recording career but just getting started in Hollywood.

The Baldwin family and most of the surviving population of Southern California is headed for the hills after what we assume is a nuclear attack on Los Angeles. It's every man for himself, and the paternal leader of this clan is taking no chances. Son understands the situation, but Mrs. Baldwin doesn't like what she sees in her husband. The family is torn between their compassionate nature and their leader's staunch position that safety and suspicion of all others is paramount. It is this tension created within the family that drives the action and keeps us watching.

This is sort of an odd movie, with some overacting and dialog that might make you cringe a tad. Milland seems to have a point he is trying to make about family, society, and survival. But if you don't get lost in that, and can handle a less-than-stellar production, you'll find this to be a little bit of fun.