LEGACIES OF THE TITANIC

Since the ship went down, there have been numerous television documentaries about the way in which the unsinkable ship of dreams sank. Parallels have been drawn from other disasters like the sinking of the Lusitania to explain what happened.

In 1953 Hollywood endeavoured to address the public's curiosity by producing what they described as "the greatest drama of all time". Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Wagner headed the cast of "Titanic". The film concentrated on the romantic side but was enjoyable.

In 1955 Walter Lord wrote a factually researched book called "A Night To Remember". It reopened the public's imagination; So much so that it was made into a film. Kenneth More starred as Second Officer Lightoller, David McCollum as wireless operator Harold Bride and Alec McCowen as the wireless operator on board the Carpathia. The film was a success.

One thing that strikes the author of this site is that insufficient credit seems to be given to the person in charge of casting. I found that the actors chosen for the film bore a distinct resemblance to most of the actual people they were portraying (Captain Smith and Thomas Andrews especially).

In 1977 Clive Cussler wrote his book "Raise the Titanic". The film rights were bought immediately. Jason Roberts, Richard Jordan and Alec Guinness starred.

There have also been many references to the Titanic in other television series.

The book and the film "A night to remember" was turning point in the public conscienciousness and it opened the floodgates to public interest.

In America, Edward Kamuda formed the Titanic Historical Society (THS) and has over 3,000 members. Over the years, the THS has collected several artefacts including the lifebelt worn by the pregnant Mrs. Madeleine Astor.

Television cameo roles include:

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