Henry Fonda and Ava Gardner in City on Fire (1979)

Along the same lines of last week's post about Disaster on the Coastliner (also from 1979), this film is another bloated star epic, though some of the stars are, or had been decidedly first tier. When a refinery worker, upset because he was passed over for a promotion, sets his refinery on fire, he sets off a chain reaction of disaster in a city that's been compromised by graft and shoddy construction standards. Among the people involved are fire chief Risley (Fonda), heiress Diana Brockhurst-Lautrec (Susan Clark), nurse Andrea Harper (Shelly Winters), inebriated television reporter Maggie Grayson (Gardner) and corrupt mayor William Dudley (Leslie Nielsen).

MoviePosterShop.com

Though set in the midwest, this film was shot in Montreal. It's the usual disaster fare, following the lives of certain key people as they are irrevocably changed by the ensuing events. Look for James Franciscus and Barry Newman in the cast as well.

Though not available on DVD, this film can be found on VHS and is available in full on YouTube. Above is the entire film uploaded by TheGialloGrindhouse.

Obscurity factor: 9 (not on DVD, available on YouTube, barely remembered)

Shelly Winters in Whoever Slew Auntie Roo (1971)

Obscurity factor: 7

With the last two posts (What's the Matter with Helen and Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice) could you doubt that this one was next? Rosie Forrest lives in a big mansion not far from an orphanage. She's something of a benefactress to the orphans, inviting 10 of the best behaved to a Christmas party every year. Unfortunately, she's also a bit off her rocker, keeping and "caring for" the mummified corpse of her daughter in a crib in the attic. When two of the more lively children from the orphanage sneak into the party, Auntie Roo is struck by how closely the girl resembles her dearly departed daughter. She kidnaps her and her mischievous brother become suspicious. When he, too gets kidnapped by Rosie, they begin to discover the depth of Auntie Roo's dementia.

This film was directed by Curtis Harrington, at the request of Winters because of the rapport they had on What's The Matter with Helen. Look for Ralph Richardson playing a faux psychic.

This film is available on DVD in a double feature collection with What Ever Happened to Helen. It can also be seen in full on YouTube, but the uploader has disabled embedding. Click this link to watch. The trailer is above, uploaded by cassandracollins. The poster above is available from MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor: 7 (available on DVD and YouTube, largely unknown outside of cult circles)

Debbie Reynolds & Shelly Winters in What's The Matter with Helen (1971)

Obscurity factor: 7

In the grand tradition of Baby Jane we have this star turn shocker about the mothers of two thrill kill killers. Adelle (Reynolds) and Helen (Winters) are shamed and disgraced by the murder their sons committed, so they pick up and leave Iowa for Hollywood where they open a dancing school for children. All is not well, however. They've been targeted by their son's victim's former boyfriend who has sworn to make them pay for their sons' act. Several odd men start showing up in their lives in Hollywood. Could one of them be their tormentor? Meanwhile Adelle has struck up a romance with one of her student's father, and Helen is acting strangely.

The production values of this film are particularly good with well rendered details in the sets and costumes that were nominated for an Academy Award. Look for Agnes Moorehead's cameo as an evangelist.

This film has been released on DVD as a double bill with another shocker - Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? It's also available in full on YouTube, though the uploader has disabled embedding. You can see it here. The trailer above is uploaded by punkymom76.

Obscurity factor: 7 (has a cult following, available on DVD, largely unknown to the general public)