Yesterday I watched an old movie that’s haunted me since I was a child. “The Final Voyage” chronicles the last days of an aging ocean liner. When the boiler explodes it traps a woman (played by actress Dorothy Malone) under tons of steel and maroons her child in the corner of a room that no longer has a floor.

The little girl’s father (Robert Stack) must rescue her. He tries several methods before hitting on the only one that he thinks will work. The young girl must crawl across a flimsy board with a makeshift harness around her chest. If she falls it means certain death. The minute I saw this scene I knew it was the one I’d remembered. Apparently, a real ship was sunk to make the movie, which accounts for the immediacy of the drama.

I’m not sure how I ended up watching this film, nightmare material for sure. But viewing it again as an adult — the search for an acetylene torch to free Malone, the bravery exhibited by some of the characters, the cowardice of others — well, it wasn’t “Titanic” but it held my interest.

(Photo courtesy IMBd)