CRACK IN THE WORLD (1965)

[The Burgomaster]

I just bought this DVD and watched it over the weekend.  I remember watching it on TV many times when I was a kid.

Dana Andrews plays a scientist who wants to detonate a nuclear bomb deep below the surface of the earth in order to release magma and use it as a new power source.  Kieron Moore thinks he's crazy and will end up causing massive destruction if he detonates the bomb.

Andrews gets permission from world leaders to go ahead with his plan and, as predicted, it opens up a fissure in the earth that spreads uncontrollably, threatening to destroy the planet.  And in the midst of all this mayhem, Andrews finds out his radiation treatments didn't work and he has terminal cancer!

Overall, this has lots of scientific talk and the usual love triangle, but probably not enough action and special effects to keep most people happy.  But I think it's a good movie and I'm glad I bought it.