Supertrain

Last updated
Supertrain
Supertrain.jpg
Genre Science fiction/Drama/Adventure
Created by
Starring
Music by Bob Cobert
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes9
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time45–48 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseFebruary 7 (1979-02-07) –
May 5, 1979 (1979-05-05)

Supertrain is an American science fiction adventure drama television series that ran on NBC from February 7 to May 5, 1979. Nine episodes were made, including a two-hour pilot episode.

Contents

Premise

The series takes place on the Supertrain, a nuclear-powered high speed train that is equipped with amenities more appropriate to a cruise ship. It has luxuries such as a swimming pool, shopping centers, a gym, a library, a medical center, and a discotheque. [1] It is so big it has to run on very broad gauge track. Though it had a rated top speed of 250 mph (400 km/h), and cruised at 190 mph (310 km/h), the train took 36 hours to go from New York City to Los Angeles, which would put the train's average speed at around 78 mph (126 km/h), slower than the moderately-paced Amtrak Acela Express and well below the speeds of bullet trains in Europe and Asia; however, the first few episodes establish that Supertrain does not go directly from New York to Los Angeles, stopping in Chicago and Denver as well as an unnamed stop somewhere in Texas.

Much like its contemporary The Love Boat , the plots concerned the passengers' social lives, usually with multiple intertwining storylines. Supertrain was described in a 1979 Variety review, "It's a 'Love Boat' on wheels which has yet to get on track." [2] Most of the cast of a given episode were guest stars. The production was elaborate, with huge sets and two high-tech model trains for outside shots. [1]

Production troubles

Supertrain was the most expensive series ever aired in the United States at the time. The production was beset by problems, including a model train that crashed. NBC paid $10 million for a total of three sets of trains: a full-size train with enormous passenger cars measuring 64 by 26 by 22 feet (19.5 m × 7.9 m × 6.7 m), and two model train sets at 1:9.6 and 1:48 scales for outside shots. [1] While the series was heavily advertised during the 1978-1979 season, it received poor reviews and low ratings. The 2-hour premiere was out-rated by a 2-hour special of ABC's Charlie's Angels , and received a 21.8 rating and 32 share, ranking it 17th for the week. [3] Despite attempts to salvage the show by replacing its producer, reworking the cast and the show's genre to a sitcom-like format, and a timeslot change from Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. to Saturdays at 10:00 p.m., it went off the air after only three months.[ citation needed ] NBC, which had produced the show itself, with help from Dark Shadows producer Dan Curtis, was unable to recoup its losses from the high production costs.[ citation needed ] This, combined with the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics the following season (whose coverage NBC was to have carried, costing the network millions in ad revenue), nearly bankrupted the network. [4] For these reasons, Supertrain has been called one of the greatest television flops. [5] The show finished 69th out of 114 shows during the 1978-79 season, with an average 15.7 rating and 25 share. [6] [7]

Before the show aired in the U.S., NBC sold it directly to the BBC, the first foreign broadcaster to pick up the series. "For two runs, BBC reportedly coughed up more than $25,000 per hour episode, which if not a record series price in this market is close to it." [8] The BBC was planning to air Supertrain in the fall of 1979, after the series premiered in the U.S. in February. By selling the show to international markets, NBC hoped to offset its own development costs. After the failure of the series in the United States, the BBC never aired the show.[ citation needed ]

Reception

In 2002, TV Guide ranked Supertrain number 28 on its "50 Worst TV Shows of All Time" list. [9]

In the May 19, 1979, edition of TV Guide, the show received criticism from Robert MacKenzie. He compared the futuristic train to his traditional ideas of a Pullman locomotive and describes the environment as "bigger, gaudier, and noisier, including the passengers." [10] He described the amenities of the train and the "marvel, cinematically," of the set design and train itself. Mackenzie found fault with the show's reliance on the extravagant train to wow the audience and the lack of character depth or entertaining plot. "When the early ratings proved disappointing, NBC took the series off the air for emergency surgery. The 'All New Supertrain' appeared April 14 looking remarkably like the old Supertrain", which shows NBC's attempts to fix the show's flaws mid-season. [10] He summarized his opinion on the newly changed episodes by stating, "This tale d-r-a-g-g-e-d even more than previous episodes despite the attempt to glamorize it with models in bikinis and Peter Lawford playing his usual shopworn sophisticate." [10] In his annual television special later that year, comedian Alan King commented on the show's ratings failure: "It's a bird! It's a bomb! It's Supertrain!"[ citation needed ]

Supertrain was critiqued by the Telefilm Review in the February 9, 1979, edition of Variety. The article begins, "NBC's highly-promoted new Supertrain series features a slick new train of tomorrow, with a script from yesterday...it seeks to overwhelm, but underwhelms instead." [2] By emphasizing the train as the main character, the character plots and stories of each episode seem like more of a second thought. Telefilm predicted the show's failure in its review: "Without better scripts, the train's trek may well end in 13 weeks. More emphasis on characters, less on the train, is in order." [2] The show lasted just over 12 weeks. The choices of the producer, Dan Curtis, were harshly criticized, saying he was "neglecting characterizations for the sake of camera angles, and his contribution is a sorrowful one." [2]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Express to Terror" Dan Curtis Earl W. Wallace,
Donald E. Westlake 		February 7, 1979 (1979-02-07)

Mike Post (Steve Lawrence), a passenger with a large gambling debt, finds himself the target of an unknown assassin on the train. A woman travels with her abusive boyfriend, who is hiding a dangerous past. Social director David Noonan (Patrick Collins) tries to stay clear of the amorous granddaughter of Supertrain's chairman and creator.

Main Cast: Edward Andrews as Harry Flood, Patrick Collins as Dave Noonan, Harrison Page as George Boone, Robert Alda as Dr. Dan Lewis, Nita Talbot as Rose Casey, Aarika Wells as Gilda, Bill Nuckols as Wally (credited as William Nuckols), Michael DeLano as Lou Atkins (credited as Michael Delano), and Charlie Brill as Robert.

Guest Stars: Steve Lawrence as Mike Post, Char Fontane as Cindy Chappel, Don Stroud as Jack Fisk, Keenan Wynn as Winfield Root, Deborah Benson as Barbara Root, Ron Masak as Fred, Don Meredith as Rick Prince, Vicki Lawrence as Karen Prince (credited as Vickie Lawrence), George Hamilton as David Belnik, Stella Stevens as Lucy, and Fred Williamson as Al Roberts.

Other Guests: John Karlen as Quinn, Frank Christi as Tony Packoe (credited as Frank R. Christi), H.M. Wynant as Fairmont, Anthony Palmer as T. C. Baker, Howard Honig as Sam Howard, Allen Williams as Riley, Parley Baer as Heaton, Sid Conrad as Whittington, Robert Karnes as Martin, Cameron Young as Fenner, Sylvester Words as Porter, Orin Cannon as Stationmaster, Chuck Mitchell as Big Ed, and Bert Conway as Workman.

Note: The pilot episode was a two-hour special.

In the opening credits, Winfield Root, the chairman of the fictitious company Trans Allied Corporation, mentions they will create an "atom-powered steam turbine machine capable of crossing this country in 36 hours." The maiden voyage left Grand Central Terminal in New York City 22 months later en route to Los Angeles. The Supertrain stops a few times, including somewhere in Texas, before arriving in Los Angeles at the end of the show.
2"And a Cup of Kindness, Too" Rod Amateau Shimon Wincelberg February 14, 1979 (1979-02-14)

A man (Larry Linville) frantically tries to catch Supertrain, where a professed hitman (Dick Van Dyke) is targeting his soon-to-be late wife (Barbara Rhoades). Meanwhile, the spoiled great-grandchildren of Supertrain's chairman of the board make life miserable for the crew by playing practical jokes.

The Supertrain stops in Chicago at the end of the show.
3"The Queen and the Improbable Knight" Charles S. Dubin Brad RadnitzFebruary 21, 1979 (1979-02-21)

A young travel reporter falls for a mysterious young woman riding on Supertrain, but both are unaware that she is the heir to a throne and the target of a kidnapping plot.

The Supertrain stops in Denver at the end of the show.

Guest Stars: Paul Sand as Barney Sweet, Mary Louise Weller as Ali (Alexandra Peters, future Queen of Montenegro), Michael V. Gazzo as Menkton, Nehemiah Persoff as Max (Ali's uncle), Steve Franken as Fleck (credited as Steven Franken), Fred Sadoff as unknown, and Kenneth Mars as Turley.

Other Guests: Alba Francesca as "Alexandra Peters", Paul Tuerpe (credited as Paul Tuerpé), Shauna Sullivan, Annie Starr as Theresa, and David Wiley.
4"Hail to the Chief" Barry Crane Robert I. HoltFebruary 28, 1979 (1979-02-28)
A man knocks out and takes the place of his twin brother, a leading presidential candidate, on the eve of the election. But his deception becomes even more difficult when his campaign manager invites his estranged wife to help during the final campaign swing on Supertrain.
5"Superstar"David MoessingerLarry AlexanderMarch 14, 1979 (1979-03-14)
A has-been Hollywood producer sneaks onto Supertrain to convince his ex-wife, a famous actress, to star in his comeback film. At the same time, he has to avoid two hit-men searching for him on the train, sent by the underworld figure who bankrolled the movie. Only an elderly woman is willing to believe and help him.
6"Pirouette"Barry CraneJeff WilhelmApril 7, 1979 (1979-04-07)
A bashful doctor finds himself rooming with an heiress who is hiding from kidnappers. Guest stars: Bernie Kopell, Joyce DeWitt, Isabel Sanford, Mako Iwamatsu and Tony Danza.
7"A Very Formal Heist"Barry CraneJeff Wilhelm,
Brad Radnitz,
Robert Stambler		April 14, 1979 (1979-04-14)
Supertrain's newest crew members, Wayne Randall (Joey Aresco) and Penny Whitaker (Ilene Graff), attempt to track down a jewel thief who has stolen a socialite's necklace.
8"The Green Girl" Cliff Bole Stephen Kandel April 28, 1979 (1979-04-28)
A participant in a poker tournament aboard Supertrain buys in with counterfeit money.
9"Where Have You Been Billy Boy"Barry CraneBrad Radnitz,
Max Hodge,
Bill Taub		May 5, 1979 (1979-05-05)
Barry Gordon and Rue McClanahan guest star in a bizarre comedy of errors about a weak-willed young man who holds some Supertrain passengers hostage while trying to plan his escape from the police.

Home media

The pilot was released on VHS, as Express to Terror in the US, [11] and Super-Train in the UK. It was also released in Norway. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Full House</i> American television sitcom (1987–1995)

Full House is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend Joey Gladstone to help raise his three daughters, eldest Donna Jo Margaret, middle child Stephanie and youngest Michelle in his San Francisco home. It originally aired from September 22, 1987 to May 23, 1995, with a total of eight seasons consisting of 192 episodes.

ER is an American medical drama television series created by Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994, to April 2, 2009, with a total of 331 episodes spanning 15 seasons. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Television, in association with Warner Bros. Television. ER follows the inner life of the emergency room (ER) of Cook County General Hospital in Chicago, and various critical issues faced by the department's physicians and staff.

<i>Bonanza</i> American western television series

Bonanza is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, Bonanza is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on U.S. network television, and one of the longest-running, live-action American series. The show continues to air in syndication. The show is set in the 1860s and centers on the wealthy Cartwright family, who live in the vicinity of Virginia City, Nevada, bordering Lake Tahoe. The series initially starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon and later featured Guy Williams, David Canary, Mitch Vogel and Tim Matheson. The show is known for presenting pressing moral dilemmas.

Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast television shows and radio programs to multiple television stations and radio stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in the United States where broadcast programming is scheduled by television networks with local independent affiliates. Syndication is less widespread in the rest of the world, as most countries have centralized networks or television stations without local affiliates. Shows can be syndicated internationally, although this is less common.

<i>The Facts of Life</i> (TV series) American sitcom

The Facts of Life is an American television sitcom created by Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon and a spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes that originally aired on NBC from August 24, 1979, to May 7, 1988, making it one of the longest-running sitcoms of the 1980s. The series focuses on Edna Garrett, as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, an all-girls boarding school in Peekskill, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney anthology television series</span> Anthology television series

The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, The Wonderful World of Disney, was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 onward. The program moved among the Big Three television networks in its first four decades, but has aired on ABC since 1997 and Disney+ since 2020.

<i>The Love Boat</i> American romantic comedy/drama television series

The Love Boat is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977 to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series premiered and four specials and a TV movie aired after the series ends. The series was set on the cruise ship MS Pacific Princess, and revolved around the ship's captain Merrill Stubing and a handful of his crew, with passengers played by guest actors for each episode, having romantic, dramatic and humorous adventures.

The NBC Mystery Movie is an American television anthology series produced by Universal Pictures, that NBC broadcast from 1971 to 1977. Devoted to a rotating series of mystery episodes, it was sometimes split into two subsets broadcast on different nights of the week: The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie and The NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie.

<i>The Carol Burnett Show</i> American variety/sketch comedy television show (1967–1978)

The Carol Burnett Show is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner. In 1975, frequent guest star Tim Conway became a regular cast member after Waggoner left the series. In 1977, Dick Van Dyke replaced Korman but it was agreed that he was not a match and he left after 10 episodes.

Blossom is an American sitcom that aired for five seasons on NBC. Debuting as a pilot preview on July 5, 1990, it premiered as a mid-season replacement on January 3, 1991, and aired until May 22, 1995. Don Reo created the series, which starred Mayim Bialik as Blossom Russo, a teenager who lived with her father and two elder brothers. It was produced by Reo's Impact Zone Productions and Witt/Thomas Productions in association with Touchstone Television.

<i>Fear Factor</i> Game show

Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled Now or Neverland.

<i>The Bionic Woman</i> American television series (1976)

The Bionic Woman is an American science fiction action-adventure television series created by Kenneth Johnson based on the 1972 novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin and starring Lindsay Wagner, that aired from January 14, 1976, to May 13, 1978. The Bionic Woman series features Jaime Sommers, who takes on special high-risk government missions using her superhuman bionic powers. The Bionic Woman series is a spin-off from the 1970s Six Million Dollar Man television science fiction action series.

<i>The Richard Pryor Show</i> American television series

The Richard Pryor Show is an American comedy variety show starring and created by Richard Pryor. It premiered on NBC on Tuesday, September 13, 1977, at 8 p.m. opposite ABC's Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days.

<i>Weakest Link</i> (American game show) American television game show

Weakest Link is an American television game show that made its debut in 2001. It is an adaptation of the British television series of the same name.

<i>The D.A.</i> (1971 TV series) American TV series or program

The D.A. is an American half-hour legal drama that aired Fridays at 8:00-8:30 pm on NBC for the 1971-72 season. It ran from September 17, 1971 to January 7, 1972 and was replaced by Sanford and Son the following week. The show was packaged by Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited for Universal Television and is not to be confused with a show Webb produced in 1959 with a similar name, The D.A.'s Man, which starred John Compton in the lead role.

<i>Co-Ed Fever</i> American sitcom

Co-Ed Fever is an American sitcom that aired on CBS in 1979. The series attempted to capitalize on the success of the motion picture National Lampoon's Animal House. It was the third of three "frat house" comedy series to air in early 1979. After CBS aired the first episode of Co-Ed Fever as a "special preview" on February 4, 1979, the airing's low ratings and viewer complaints caused the network to cancel it before it ever aired in its planned Monday-night time slot.

<i>Private Secretary</i> (TV series) American TV series or program

Private Secretary is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from February 1, 1953, to March 17, 1957. Created by Ned Marin, the series stars Ann Sothern as Susan Camille "Susie" MacNamara, devoted secretary to handsome talent agent Peter Sands, played by Don Porter.

<i>Donny & Marie</i> (1976 TV series) Television series

Donny & Marie is an American variety show that aired on ABC from January 1976 to May 1979. The show starred brother-and-sister pop duo Donny and Marie Osmond. Donny had first become popular singing in a music group with his brothers, The Osmonds, and Marie was one of the youngest singers to reach No. 1 on the Billboard country music charts.

<i>Flying High</i> (TV series) American TV series or program

Flying High is an American comedy-drama television series, created by Dawn Aldredge and Martin Cohan, starring Kathryn Witt, Connie Sellecca, Pat Klous, and Howard Platt. The series aired on CBS from August 28, 1978, to January 23, 1979.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Supertoy". TV Guide. 17 March 1979. p. 2+. Archived from the original on 2021-08-30. Retrieved 30 April 2019. Closed Access logo transparent.svg
  2. 1 2 3 4 Telefilm Review: Supertrain. (1979). Variety, (46), p.18.
  3. ↑ Weekly Rating Scorecard. (1979, February 14). Variety, 294(2), 68.
  4. ↑ "Heavily promoted shows that turned out to be huge flops | KiwiReport". KiwiReport. 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  5. ↑ "7 Of The Most Expensive Flops In Television History: 1. Supertrain." www.businesspundit.com, January 31, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  6. ↑ J. Clawson (July 19, 2017). "1978-79 Ratings History -- ABC Enjoys a Hattrick in 1st Place". Archived from the original on 2018-01-18.
  7. ↑ "Rounding up the ratings for 'the season'" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 18, 1989. p. 56. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-05-13.
  8. ↑ 'Supertrain' Sold to BCC Directly by NBC. (1979, January 31). Variety, 293(13), 39.
  9. ↑ TV Guide Book of Lists . Running Press. 2007. pp.  181. ISBN   978-0-7624-3007-9.
  10. 1 2 3 MacKenzie, Robert. "Supertrain." TV Guide, 19 May 1979, p. 1. Fine Arts and Music Collection, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A1282359/PPFA?u=uga&sid=PPFA&xid=91d89e0b . Accessed 29 Apr. 2019.
  11. ↑ "Home Video". nbc_supertrain.tripod.com. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Panikk i super-expressen (Super train)_800x582". 26 May 2013.
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.