Special Bulletin (1983)

A TV reporter and cameraman are taken hostage on a tugboat while covering a workers strike. The demands of the hostage-takers are to collect all the nuclear detonators in the Charleston, SC... See full summary »

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers:

Marshall Herskovitz (teleplay), Edward Zwick (story)

Stars:

Ed Flanders, Kathryn Walker, Roxanne Hart

Won 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ed Flanders	...	John Woodley
Kathryn Walker	...	Susan Myles
Roxanne Hart	...	Megan 'Meg' Barclay
Christopher Allport	...	Steven Levitt
David Clennon	...	Dr. Bruce Lyman
David Rasche	...	Dr. David McKeeson
Rosalind Cash	...	Frieda Barton
Ebbe Roe Smith	...	Jim Seaver
Roberta Maxwell	...	Diane Silverman
Robert Kay	...	George Takashima
J. Wesley Huston	...	Bernard Frost
Frank Dent	...	Dr. Jason Halpern
Charles Lanyer	...	Merritt Cunningham
Mie Hunt	...	Ellen Stevens
Bruce Fields	...	Walter S. Letteau

Storyline

A TV reporter and cameraman are taken hostage on a tugboat while covering a workers strike. The demands of the hostage-takers are to collect all the nuclear detonators in the Charleston, SC area so they may be detonated at sea. They threaten to detonate a nuclear device of their own if their demand isn't met.

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Plot Keywords:

conflagration | nuclear | tv reporter | tugboat | disarmament | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

When this film was first broadcast, the network superimposed the word "dramatization" on the bottom of the screen every few minutes and ran disclaimers after every commercial break, to remind people it was only a movie. That didn't stop some people in Charleston, S.C. from panicking anyway.

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Goofs

The cameraman would not be able to film the explosion. Either the pyroclastic storm or the electromagnetic pulse would render the camera unusable, and at least erase the magnetic tape in the camera.

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Quotes

Susan Myles: Good evening, this is News Watch. Emergency efforts continue in Charleston, South Carolina, where 3 days ago a nuclear explosion destroyed the heart of the city. Estimated at an yield of 23,000 tons of TNT was seen and heard up to 400 miles away and created a firestorm that is still burning in several areas. Due to early evacuations, the number of dead is estimated at less than 2,000, but at last count there were more than 25,000 injured. Many of those are burnt and have been flown to hospitals...

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Crazy Credits

Opens with a commercial advertising shows for the fictional RBS network, followed by the title "Special Bulletin" as the commercial is interrupted. There are no opening credits, making this one of the first TV movies ever produced without some sort of opening credits.

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Alternate Versions

The video release omits the "dramatization" on-screen disclaimer seen throughout the original TV broadcast. The DVD released through the Warner Archive Collection does contain the on-screen disclaimers.

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Connections

Referenced in Under Siege (1986)

User Reviews

Very realistic, believable and convincing.

When I first saw this movie, I thought it was a legitimate news broadcast. This was due to the fact that, on my first viewing, I didn't watch it from the start. The TV station that I first watched it on broke away for commercials, just like a regular TV cable news channel would do. To me, this made it even more convincing. The close attention to detail and accuracy of news journalism format made this movie very powerful and frightening. I highly recommend this movie to Journalism majors and anybody who enjoys strong and powerful drama...

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 March 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Boletín especial

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC), Ohlmeyer Communications Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1