When Havoc Struck

wonderful nostalgic thoughts are rekindled when I think of this series and the "World at War" Series. I was about ten when I Saw this show during the seventies. I particularly remember the one about blimp disasters and the crew who were whisked away trying to dock a U.S Navy blimp during a gust. I think I saw it on a channel after the news and before prime time. I remember it had a kind of European flair and seemed to have some heavy orchestral music in the introduction with the Mobil fuel presentation. I thought David Niven narrated it but I see that it was Glenn Ford. Anyway, I really enjoyed this show and would love to see it again. does anyone know where it plays?

I only saw a handful of the "When Havok Struck" series, but it left quite an impression on me. The first episode I saw was the one about airplane disasters. I remember the show featuring the Canary Islands disaster when a jet crashed into another jet on the runway with still pictures of the carnage. The episode aired while I was sick as a dog with the flu for a full week in early 1978. The creepy soundtrack music and downright morbid content of the show was enhanced by my "altered" mental status due to the influenza at the time. I did manage to watch 2 or 3 more episodes, but they weren't quite as powerful as the air disaster episode. The chances of these shows being released on video one day are probably slim to none, but I sure would enjoy seeing them again.

I would like to see this series again. I remember it being shown on Saturday teatime in the UK (BBC must have needed a suitably frightening substitute for Doctor Who! - unless it was the independent competition) under the title "Havoc". I was amazed at the footage they showed at the time, particularly the man falling from the airship, and the motor racing episode. Some horrendous carnage.

I can completely verify the comment above about the 'sting', it is still with me 30 years later.

Anyway, I missed the last episode, I think about earthquakes, and have been looking out for it ever since, but has never been repeated.

Were there 10 episodes in total?

I believe this show was sponsored by Mobile Fuel Company. They called it The Mobile Showcase. "When Havoc Struck" was like "In Search Of..." (Leonard Nimoy), hosted by Glenn Ford, a 30 minute program about world disasters. I remember the opening having the "O" in Mobile with filled with gasoline swishing back and forth. Some of the programs were kind of depressing to me but, I watched them anyway. I was about 13 years old. One of the shows I remember well was about the Coconut Grove nightclub fire in Boston. What a sad incident it was. I wonder where these films got to? I'd like to see it again on TV. Does anyone have any information this program?

I am surprised by how much I remember about this short-lived TV show. It was a half-hour series that dissected several different disasters, and not just the really famous ones (Titanic, Hindenburg). There were some bridge disasters examined as well, and I believe an entire episode on the Johnstown, PA flood. With the current reality TV craze, that features people eating bull testicles to win money, a show like this could not compete on the airwaves (how our tastes have plummeted since the '70s!) But I for one would like to see this on DVD-a sure fire purchase for me.