The Day After (1983)

A graphic, disturbing film about the effects of a devastating nuclear holocaust on small-town residents of eastern Kansas.

Director:

Nicholas Meyer

Writer:

Edward Hume

Stars:

Jason Robards, JoBeth Williams, Steve Guttenberg

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Robards	...	Dr. Russell Oakes
JoBeth Williams	...	Nurse Nancy Bauer
Steve Guttenberg	...	Stephen Klein (as Steven Guttenberg)
John Cullum	...	Jim Dahlberg
John Lithgow	...	Joe Huxley
Bibi Besch	...	Eve Dahlberg
Lori Lethin	...	Denise Dahlberg
Amy Madigan	...	Alison Ransom
Jeff East	...	Bruce Gallatin
Georgann Johnson	...	Helen Oakes
William Allen Young	...	Airman Billy McCoy
Calvin Jung	...	Dr. Sam Hachiya
Lin McCarthy	...	Dr. Austin
Dennis Lipscomb	...	Reverend Walker
Clayton Day	...	Dennis Hendry

Storyline

The frightening story of the weeks leading up to and following a nuclear strike on the United States. The bulk of the activity centers around the town of Lawrence, Kansas.

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Plot Keywords:

kansas | missouri | lawrence kansas | fallout | hospital | 

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Taglines:

Beyond Imagining...

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 November 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Tag danach

Filming Locations:

De Soto, Kansas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

ABC Circle Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min 120 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

With the full support and encouragement of the city of Lawrence, Kansas, the filmmakers from ABC successfully transformed Lawrence into a nuclear wasteland for a few weeks, knocking out windows in storefronts downtown, placing burnt and overturned cars painted with clouds of black spray throughout the streets, covering the streets and sidewalks with rubble and bricks, and setting up giant "tent cities" and shantytowns down on the banks of the Kansas River, where the teeming homeless set up camp after the attack. Over 2,000 Lawrence residents, including many University of Kansas students, were used as extras, and were paid $50 to shave their heads bald and act as if they were dying of radiation sickness. They were asked not to bathe during the aftermath scenes to add authenticity to the movie.

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Goofs

In the opening scenes where Billy McCoy and his counterparts are discussing their upcoming plans while riding a helicopter to the base, the helicopter's shadow can be seen on the trees below. The shadow is that of a Bell 206 Jet Ranger, but when the camera cuts to an outside shot of the helicopter, it is actually a Bell UH-1N Huey.

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Quotes

Denise Dahlberg: Do you know Bruce Gallatin? He... he's a senior.
Stephen Klein: No.
Denise Dahlberg: But... but you're from Lawrence, so maybe Bruce is all right.
Stephen Klein: Well... I don't know what happened to Lawrence. I was close to Harrisonville when it started. There must have been five or six of them to the north, and... a whole string of them to the south.
Jim Dahlberg: They must have hit every missile silo from Sedalia to Eldorado Springs.

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Connections

Referenced in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

User Reviews

Too late to duck and cover

When I watched this TV movie in 1983, I was 34 years old. I thought this really could happen. I remembered when I was 13 years old during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I tried not to feel the seriousness of that scenario, but all the adults around me, I can actually remember seeing the fear in their faces. My teacher at school was unbelievable. She stood in front of class and put her face in her hands and said it doesn't look good. She said she didn't think anybody would survive another week. In 1983, I was working as a administrative assistant. My boss was a retired staff sergeant from the USAF. The day after watching the movie, I went to work and talked briefly with my boss about the movie. I looked at him and said something like this cannot happen, someone or some people need to keep this from happening. He looked at me and said maybe so, but we're ready. I was expecting something a little more compassionate. I'll never forget that.