The Swarm (1978)

THE SWARM  (1978)  ¢ ¢ 1/2
    D: Irwin Allen
    Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark,
    Henry Fonda, Bradford Dillman, Richard Chamberlain,
    Olivia De Havilland, Fred MacMurray, Ben Johnson,
    Slim Pickens, Patty Duke Astin, Lee Grant, Jose Ferrer
Killer bees invade Texas, and only a top-flight cast of slumming movie stars can stop them. I mean, look, if General Richard Widmark, Doctor Henry Fonda, Captain Katharine Ross and entomologist Michael Caine can't get the job done, who can? Plus, you've got Fred MacMurray and Ben Johnson both making a play for Olivia De Havilland, Patty Duke going into labor, Slim Pickens threatening to cut off the county's water supply, and Jose Ferrer running the local nuclear power plant. If this movie wasn't such an awful piece of junk, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun. The costume design actually got an Oscar nomination, though the stylish red suede outfit Ben Johnson strolls around town in could make you wonder about that. Ben Johnson in bell bottoms? Only in hell or the 1970s.