Special Bulletin

Last updated
Special Bulletin
Specbull flanders.jpg
Ed Flanders as RBS anchor John Woodley.
Genre
Teleplay by Marshall Herskovitz
Story by
Directed byEdward Zwick
Starring
Music byFerdinand Jay Smith (promo and news music)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producer Don Ohlmeyer
Producers
  • Marshall Herskovitz
  • Edward Zwick
EditorArden Rynew
Running time105 minutes
Production companyOhlmeyer Communications Company
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseMarch 20, 1983 (1983-03-20)

Special Bulletin is a 1983 American drama television film directed by Edward Zwick and written by Marshall Herskovitz, based on a story by both. It was an early collaboration between the two, who would later produce such series as thirtysomething and My So-Called Life . The film was first broadcast March 20, 1983 on NBC as part of NBC Sunday Night at the Movies . [1] [2]

Contents

In the film, a terrorist group brings a homemade atomic bomb aboard a tugboat in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina in order to blackmail the U.S. government into disabling its nuclear weapons, and the incident is caught live on television. It simulates a series of live news broadcasts on the fictional RBS Network. [1] [2]

Synopsis

The entirety of the film is portrayed through the perspective of an news broadcast from RBS News on the fictional RBS television network. It begins with promotional scenes from other RBS network shows. One is cut off by the announcement "We interrupt our regular programming to bring you this Special Bulletin from RBS News."

In Charleston, South Carolina, a skirmish is fought between Coast Guard personnel and a group of terrorists aboard a docked tugboat called Liberty May in Charleston Harbor. Caught in the battle while reporting an unrelated story, RBS reporter Steve Levitt and his cameraman George Takashima are taken hostage aboard the boat. As part of a deal to release the surrendered Coast Guardsmen, the terrorists - Doctors Bruce Lyman and David McKeeson, political activist Frieda Barton, social worker Diane Silverman, and mentally unstable ex-convict Jim Seaver - ask to broadcast their demands to the U.S. Government. Dr. Lyman demands the triggers for all 968 nuclear devices in the area (Charleston Naval Shipyard and the Polaris Missile Facility, Atlantic (POMFLANT) at the nearby Naval Weapons Station being an important staging ground for U.S. nuclear submarines) delivered to them, intending to destroy them by dropping them in the Atlantic Ocean. Dr. Lyman states that failure to oblige to the demand or any deviation from the plan will result in the group detonating their own improvised nuclear device stowed aboard the ship.

Subsequent investigations into Lyman and McKeeson reveal their backgrounds in nuclear weaponry and technology. Dr. Lyman himself was noted as being instrumental in the construction of the neutron bomb before he became a radical anti-nuclear demonstrator. Dr. McKeeson shows the reporters covering the story the terrorists' bomb, explaining that not only is he the man who built it, but he has fitted several fail-safes and anti-tamper devices to the bomb, revealing that he is the only person who can disarm it. Eventually, the Department of Defense agrees to the terrorists' demands and a van arrives outside the tugboat, supposedly carrying the nuclear triggers.

Moments before the handover, a power failure occurs in Charleston – all televisions including one on the tugboat go off the air. This proves to be deliberate, as a Delta Force commando team storms the boat, killing all but one of the terrorists, including Dr. Lyman. Dr. McKeeson is cornered, but commits suicide to escape capture. Steve and George are safely taken off the ship, but they continue to broadcast on the dock while the NEST Team boards the boat to disarm the device. A camera aboard the boat records the team working, when they accidentally trigger one of McKeeson's safeguards. As the team frantically try to stabilize the device, the feed is suddenly interrupted by static, at which point the broadcast returns to the RBS Studio, the hosts clearly shaken by what they have just witnessed. The broadcast shifts to another reporter, Meg Barclay, who was aboard USS Yorktown (CV-10) two miles away. Footage reveals that the device exploded, resulting in a 23-kiloton nuclear blast that has caused a firestorm, destroying the city of Charleston.

Three days later, RBS broadcasts the aftermath of the detonation. Thanks to an earlier ordered evacuation, only 2,000 citizens perished in the detonation. However, thousands more have been left injured, traumatized or homeless, and the surrounding area will be uninhabitable for decades to come. The film ends as the news bulletin reports on other stories across the world.

Cast

Reception and legacy

Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide rated Special Bulletin "way above average." [3]

The Washington Post described it as "A shrewd, keen, wise, hip, occasionally lacerating and sometimes gravely funny dark parody of network TV news coverage." Also, "At times, the unfolding story in Special Bulletin comes across as ludicrous, but then one has to think, how much more ludicrous is it than some of the actual news events of the past 15 years or so, and the way television has honed its way of covering them? It's a process that deserves scrutiny not just in poker-faced journals and ivory tower think tanks but on television. Praiseworthy trailblazers like the ABC News late night Viewpoint broadcasts have done this one way. Special Bulletin does it in another way-not a better one, perhaps, but in one more accessible to greater numbers of viewers." [2]

The New York Times stated that 2,200 calls from alarmed viewers were received in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington and Cleveland. NBC's flagship station, WNBC-TV in New York, received 731 calls, 44 of them critical, and 43 asking if the program was real. The station manager of WCIV, Celia Shaw, said, "In retrospect, maybe it would have been better with a theoretical city, rather than Charleston, with its large number of military installations." [4]

Impact

The first of the carefully worded disclaimers. Specbull disclaimer.jpg
The first of the carefully worded disclaimers.

Several factors enhanced Special Bulletin's resemblance to an actual live news broadcast. It was shot on videotape rather than film, which gave the presentation the visual appearance of being "live". Other small touches, such as actors hesitating or stumbling over dialogue (as if being spoken extemporaneously) and small technical glitches (as would often be experienced in a live broadcast), contributed to the realism. With the exception of RBS network and news jingles, there is also no musical score used. The end credits are accompanied by the sound of a teletype. [1] [2]

In addition, some specific references made the movie especially realistic to residents of Charleston. The call letters of the fictional Charleston RBS affiliate, WPIV, were close to those of NBC's then-affiliate in Charleston, WCIV. Also, a key plot element mentions "a power failure at a transmitter in North Charleston"; the TV transmitter sites are actually in Awendaw. [1] [2]

The filmmakers were required to include on-screen disclaimers at the beginning and end of every commercial break in order to assure viewers that the events were a dramatization. The word "dramatization" also appeared on the screen during key moments of the original broadcast. Additionally, WCIV placed the word "Fiction" on screen at all times during its showing of the movie. The film also made use of "accelerated time"—events said to take place hours apart instead are shown only minutes apart. In addition, NBC sent releases to the various military commands in the Charleston area of the movie's airing, so they could inform their attached servicemembers to be prepared for the possibility of nervous phone calls from home, and could reassure their relatives and friends back home that what was airing was in fact a fictional dramatization, and not a real news story. Nonetheless, there were still news reports of isolated panic in Charleston. Much as with the famous 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds , it was entirely possible for viewers to tune in between disclaimers and make a snap judgment about what they were seeing, although in both cases a quick flip of the dial would reveal that no other stations were covering this supposedly major news event. When the program was rebroadcast in 1984, the only disclaimers were made at the commercial breaks; there were none on the screen while the action was taking place. [5] [6]

WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was the only NBC affiliate which refused to air the film out of concern that, as station president Mike McCormick stated, "people will be deceived into believing it's an actual telecast." [7] However, some other NBC affiliates preempted the broadcast because they had previously scheduled local programming for the evening, before the film was placed by the network into that timeslot at the last minute. [8]

Accolades

Special Bulletin was nominated for six Emmy awards and won four, including Outstanding Drama Special. [9] It also won Directors Guild of America and Writers Guild of America prizes for Zwick and Herskovitz, as well as the Humanitas Prize, the latter award which irked former NBC president Reuven Frank. In his book on TV news, Out of Thin Air, Frank called Special Bulletin "junk" and claimed he wanted to return his own Humanitas Prize in protest, "but I couldn't find it." [10] [11]

Home video

Lorimar Home Video issued Special Bulletin on VHS and Betamax, and Warner Home Video would later reissue it; these releases omit the on-screen "dramatization" overlay. Starting in January 2010, Warner Bros. made the film available on DVD for one year as part of its Warner Archive Collection. [12] Warner's rights have since reverted to the production company and the DVD is currently out of print.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Day After</i> 1983 American television film by Nicholas Meyer

The Day After is an American television film that first aired on November 20, 1983, on the ABC television network. The film postulates a fictional war between the NATO forces and the Warsaw Pact over Germany that rapidly escalates into a full-scale nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union. The action itself focuses on the residents of Lawrence, Kansas, Kansas City, Missouri, and several family farms near American missile silos. The cast includes JoBeth Williams, Steve Guttenberg, John Cullum, Jason Robards, and John Lithgow. The film was written by Edward Hume, produced by Robert Papazian, and directed by Nicholas Meyer.

A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for initial showing in movie theaters, and direct-to-video films made for initial release on home video formats. In certain cases, such films may also be referred to and shown as a miniseries, which typically indicates a film that has been divided into multiple parts or a series that contains a predetermined, limited number of episodes.

The year 1968 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Television news in the United States</span> Aspect of news broadcasting

Television news in the United States has evolved over many years. It has gone from a simple 10- to 15-minute format in the evenings, to a variety of programs and channels. Today, viewers can watch local, regional and national news programming, in many different ways, any time of the day.

Monk is an American police procedural comedy drama detective mystery television series that originally ran on the USA Network from July 12, 2002, to December 4, 2009, with 125 episodes broadcast over eight seasons. It follows Adrian Monk, a private detective with obsessive–compulsive disorder and multiple phobias, and his assistants Sharona Fleming and Natalie Teeger. Monk works with the San Francisco Police Department in solving unconventional cases while investigating his wife's unsolved murder. The show also explores the main characters' personal lives and struggles.

E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable television network. It is owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The channel focuses primarily on pop culture, celebrity based reality shows and movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGWG</span> MeTV affiliate in Charleston, South Carolina

WGWG is a television station in Charleston, South Carolina, United States, affiliated with the multicast network MeTV. The station is owned by Howard Stirk Holdings. WGWG's transmitter is located near Awendaw, South Carolina.

<i>Without Warning</i> (1994 film) 1994 American television film

Without Warning is an American television film directed by Robert Iscove. It follows a duo of real-life reporters covering breaking news about three meteor fragments crashing into the Northern Hemisphere. It aired on CBS on October 30, 1994, and is presented as if it were an actual breaking news event, complete with remote reports from reporters. The executive producer was David L. Wolper, who produced a number of mockumentary-style films since the 1960s. The movie was heavily influenced by Orson Welles' 1938 The War of the Worlds radio broadcast, but just like said broadcast, Without Warning caused a nationwide panic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCSC-TV</span> TV station in Charleston, South Carolina

WCSC-TV is a television station in Charleston, South Carolina, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Gray Television. The station's studios are located in the West Ashley section of Charleston, and its transmitter is located in Awendaw, South Carolina. Both the studio and road are named for long-time WCSC personalities: Bill Sharpe, a news anchor from 1973 until his retirement in 2021, and Charlie Hall, the station's original personality who died just months before its relocation to the current facilities in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCIV</span> Television station in South Carolina, United States

WCIV is a television station in Charleston, South Carolina, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV and ABC. The station is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, and maintains studios on Allbritton Boulevard along US 17/701 in Mount Pleasant and a transmitter in Awendaw, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCBD-TV</span> TV station in Charleston, South Carolina

WCBD-TV is a television station in Charleston, South Carolina, United States, affiliated with NBC. Its second digital subchannel serves as an owned-and-operated station of The CW. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, WCBD-TV has studios on West Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant, and its transmitter is located in Awendaw, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTAT-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Charleston, South Carolina

WTAT-TV is a television station in Charleston, South Carolina, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. The station is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting, a partner company of the Sinclair Broadcast Group. However, although Sinclair effectively owns WTAT-TV, making it an effective sister to dual MyNetworkTV/ABC affiliate WCIV, WTAT-TV is operated outright by Cunningham, and is one of only two Cunningham stations not operated by Sinclair. WTAT-TV's studios are located on Arco Lane in North Charleston, and its transmitter is located in Awendaw, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fredricka Whitfield</span> American journalist and news anchor

Fredricka Whitfield is an American journalist and news anchor. She anchors the weekend edition of CNN Newsroom from CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, and she is also a fill-in and substitute anchor for CNN's At This Hour With Kate Bolduan.

Mary Alice Williams is a pioneering journalist and broadcast executive who broke gender barriers by becoming the first female Prime Time anchor of a network news division and first woman to hold the rank of Vice President of a news division. Her work and visibility put her in the vanguard, whether at the birth of CNN or later at the dawn of the revolution in information technology. In addition to CNN, she has also served as anchor at many prominent networks, including PBS, Discovery, and NBC.

Edward Chalmers Hume was an American film and television writer, best known for creating and developing several TV series in the 1970s, and for writing the 1983 TV movie The Day After.

<i>American Assassin</i> 2017 film by Michael Cuesta

American Assassin is a 2017 American action thriller film directed by Michael Cuesta and starring Dylan O'Brien, Michael Keaton, Sanaa Lathan, Shiva Negar, and Taylor Kitsch. Written by Stephen Schiff, Michael Finch, Edward Zwick, and Marshall Herskovitz, the film was based on Vince Flynn's 2010 novel of the same name. The story is centered on young CIA black ops recruit Mitch Rapp, who helps a Cold War veteran try to stop the detonation of a rogue nuclear weapon.

America Alive! is an American television talk-variety program created by Woody Fraser. The show had a brief run on NBC, which aired it as part of its weekday daytime programming schedule from July 24, 1978, until January 4, 1979.

The United Nations television film series was a series of American television films planned and developed in the 1960s for the purpose of promoting the United Nations (UN) and educating television viewers about its work. Although six films were originally planned only four were broadcast, all by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) network between December 1964 and April 1966.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Rogers, Chris (September 11, 2012). "Thousand Words: "We interrupt this programme..." Reality television: Special Bulletin (Edward Zwick, 1983)". The Big Picture.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Shales, Tom (March 20, 1983). "Bulletin! The Show That Shook NBC". The Washington Post.
  3. ↑ Klein, Andy (November 5, 1998). "Final Jeopardy". Miami New Times.
  4. ↑ Bedell, Sally (March 22, 1983). "NBC Nuclear-Terror Show Criticized". The New York Times.
  5. ↑ Stracener, William (April 30, 1984). "The repeat showing of the television movie 'Special Bulletin'". United Press International.
  6. ↑ El-Miskin, Tijani (March 1989). "Special Bulletin-Transfictional disavowal". Jump Cut. 34: 72–76.
  7. ↑ Jory, Tom. "NBC's 'Special Bulletin' might be too realistic", Associated Press, via Park City Daily News , March 18, 1983, page 4-B. Retrieved from Newspapers.com on November 15, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Suncoast missed out on an explosive 'Special Bulletin'", Tampa Bay Times Sunday Floridian, March 21, 1983, page 1-D. Retrieved from Newspapers.com on November 15, 2023.
  9. ↑ SPECIAL BULLETIN Wins Outstanding Miniseries or Movie|Emmys Archive (1983) - Television Academy on YouTube
  10. ↑ "Special Bulletin - Awards & Nominations". Television Academy. 2020.
  11. ↑ Frank, Reuven (1991). Out of Thin Air: The Brief Wonderful Life of Network News. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN   0-671-67758-6. OCLC   23461999.
  12. ↑ DVD Talk
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.