Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It.

1970
R
1h 18m

IMDb RATING

4.2/10

1.7K

YOUR RATING

Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)

A gas is let loose upon the world that kills anyone over 25 years old.

Play trailer3:15

1 Video

22 Photos

Satire Comedy Drama Sci-Fi

A gas is let loose upon the world that kills anyone over 25 years old.A gas is let loose upon the world that kills anyone over 25 years old.A gas is let loose upon the world that kills anyone over 25 years old.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

4.2/10

1.7K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Coel
(as Robert Corff)

Elaine Giftos

Cilla

Bud Cort

Hooper

Talia Shire

Coralee
(as Tally Coppola)

Ben Vereen

Carlos

Cindy Williams

Marissa

Alex Wilson

Jason

Lou Procopio

Marshal McLuhan

Phil Borneo

Quant

Alan H. Braunstein

Dr. Drake
(as Alan Braunstein)

Jackie Farley

Ginny

David Osterhout

Texas Ranger

Juretta Taylor

Michael D. Castle

Burroughs
(as Mike Castle)

Alan DeWitt

Dr. Murder

Bruce Karcher

Edgar Allen

Stephen White

Sergeant Sentry Collar

Raye Birk

Mort Catafalque
(as Ray Birk)

Director
- Roger Corman
Writer
- George Armitage
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The film's subtitle comes from an alleged statement of a U.S. Army Major (name unknown) during the Vietnam War who was said to have defended the complete and total destruction of both a Vietnamese town and everyone and everything in it at the hands of Army soldiers who were acting on his orders by supposedly saying "It became necessary to destroy the town to save it."

Goofs
After breaking through a roadblock, the main character's car has three out of its four front headlights broken as a result. Later, all four of them are suddenly intact when it does not seem probable that the three broken ones could have been repaired that quickly.

Quotes
Dr. Murder: Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of any organization which advocates the violent overthrow of the government of the United States of America?
Marissa: Yes.
Dr. Murder: Which one?
Marissa: The Paul Revere and the Raiders Fan Club.

Connections
Featured in Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film (2009)

Soundtracks
Victory March
(University of Notre Dame fight song)
[played by a marching band]

User reviews40

Featured review

4/10

Rather Weak

A gas is let loose upon the world that kills anyone over twenty-five years old.

Coming from Roger Corman, I wanted to like this, but it never seemed coherent and I think not enough thought was put into a plot or story arc. There are things I enjoyed, such as the permit guy with the whip and how this was an alternate version of "Logan's Run" (this film came out after the novel but before the film, so whether or not there was an influence, I have no idea).

There was a problem in that almost no one was under 18. This seemed to be teenagers and young adults cutting loose, but who was watching all the infants?