"The American Experience" Radio Bikini (1988)

Director:

Robert Stone

TV Series:

"The American Experience" (1987)

Original Air Date:

10 June 1988 (Season 1, Episode 2)

Genre:

Documentary | History

Plot:

It starts with a live radio broadcast from the Bikini Atoll a few days before it is annihilated by a nuclear test...

Plot Keywords:

Sailor | Bikini Atoll | Radio | Test | Fallout

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Kilon Bauno	...	Himself - Chief of the Bikinians
John Smitherman	...	Himself - Veteran of nuclear weapons tests at Bikini Atoll in 1946
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Warren Austin	...	Himself - US Delegate to UN (archive footage)
Bernard Baruch	...	Himself (archive footage)
W.H.P. Blandy	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Vice Admiral William H.P. Blandy)
Albert Einstein	...	Himself - Concerned About Bikini Test (archive footage)
James Forrestal	...	Himself (archive footage)
Vyacheslav Molotov	...	Himself (archive footage)
Woodrow P. Swancutt	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Woodrow Swancutt)
Harry S. Truman	...	Himself (archive footage)
Harold Urey	...	Himself - Concerned About Bikini Test (archive footage)
William E. Kepner	...	Himself - Delivering Motivation Address (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Stone

Produced by
Kevin Rafferty	....	associate producer
Kevin Rafferty	....	co-producer
Robert Stone	....	producer
Shelby Stone	....	associate producer
Shelby Stone	....	co-producer
Jonathan Weisgall	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Robert Fitzsimons

Cinematography by
John Rayter
Robert Stone

Film Editing by
Robert Stone

Sound Department
Margaret Crimmins	....	sound editor
Margaret Crimmins	....	supervising sound editor
Robert Stone	....	sound recordist
Jim Waters	....	sound

Other crew
Robert Stone	....	film researcher

Thanks
Kilon Bauno	....	very special thanks
John Smitherman	....	very special thanks

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Rocky Collins		multiple episodes
Henry Hampton		creator

Produced by
Rocky Collins	....	producer (multiple episodes)

Sound Department
Doug Madick	....	foley artist (multiple episodes)

Production Companies

• Crossroads
• Robert Stone Productions

Distributors

• New Video Group (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1988) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)

Runtime:

56 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Marshallese | Russian

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:Not Rated

Company:

Crossroads

Movie Connections:

References Gilda (1946)

Soundtrack:

Moon over Manakura

Remake of a much better title.

In 1982, the excellent "The Atomic Cafe" was released. That movie succeeded both as an informative documentary and as an offbeat comedy. The horrible destructiveness of the new atom bomb was balanced by the likable goofiness of the American public at the time, and the result was an entertaining and thoughtful treatment of the subject.

The makers of Radio Bikini evidently felt that Cafe needed to be re-released with all of its entertainment value stripped away and replaced with lots of graphic footage of ugly details and government mistakes. It starts with footage of Americans celebrating the surrender of the Japanese and the end of WWII, but for some reason this sequence is set to a funeral dirge. This dreary, overlong sequence sets the tone for the rest of the film. Pompous political speeches, graphic footage of animals being locked down for blast tests, an interview with a dying man... the only thing that keeps it from being preachy is the muddled presentation of the material.

This movie is a pointless, tedious remake of a much better film. Do yourself a favor and rent "The Atomic Cafe". Don't waste your time on this one.