Episode · Stuff You Should Know · 2025-04-17
Books mentioned on What Makes Disaster Films Great
Disaster films are surprisingly tough to define. What makes them different from an action movie or a monster movie?
Josh Clark discussed The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton, Airport by Arthur Hailey, and Hotel by Arthur Hailey.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Andromeda Strain
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton is a sci-fi thriller about a deadly extraterrestrial microorganism brought back to Earth by a space probe and the frantic efforts of scientists to contain it.
Discussed“with all manner of disaster movies from things like the Andromeda Strain in 1971 you know a Michael Kiteon novel.”
Where to get it
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Airport
Airport by Arthur Hailey is a 1968 classic bestselling novel that chronicles the intense drama unfolding at a major metropolitan airport during a severe winter blizzard, most notably featuring the efforts of manager Mel Bakersfield to keep operations running.
Discussed“...what they were following airport was based on a novel by Arthur Haley and he had written hotel.”
Where to get it
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Hotel
Discussed“...what they were following airport was based on a novel by Arthur Haley and he had written hotel.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Passing The Andromeda Strain
“...things like the Andromeda Strain in 1971 uh you know a Michael Kiteon novel.”