'' St. Helens '' , alternatively titled '' St. Helens , Killer Volcano '' , is a 1981 made-for-cable HBO television film directed by Ernest Pintoff and starring David Huffman , Art Carney , Cassie Yates , and Albert Salmi . The film centers on the events leading up to the cataclysmic 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington , with the story beginning on the day volcanic activity started on March 20 , 1980 , and ending on the day of the eruption , May 18 , 1980 . The film premiered on May 18 , 1981 , on the first anniversary of the eruption
1980 eruption
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
St. Helens (film)