From the Earth to the Moon 

Dramatized portrayal of the Apollo manned space program.

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Nick Searcy, Lane Smith

Top Rated TV #202 | Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 21 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Tom Hanks	...	Self - Host / ... 12 episodes, 1998
Nick Searcy	...	Deke Slayton 10 episodes, 1998
Lane Smith	...	Emmett Seaborn 6 episodes, 1998
David Andrews	...	Frank Borman 5 episodes, 1998
Daniel Hugh Kelly	...	Gene Cernan 5 episodes, 1998
Stephen Root	...	Chris Kraft 5 episodes, 1998

Storyline

The twelve episodes follow the Apollo space program from a variety of viewpoints: (1) "Can We Do This?" maps the origins of Apollo and its Mercury and Gemini roots; (2) "Apollo 1" tells of the tragic fire and the subsequent finger-pointing; (3) "We Have Cleared the Tower" portrays the intense preparation for Apollo 7; (4) "1968" puts Apollo 8 into its historical context against events of the era; (5) "Spider" shows the engineering POV through the design, building, and testing of the LEMs with Apollos 9 and 10, (6) "Mare Tranquilitatis" shows the deeper considerations behind the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing; (7) "That's All There Is" portrays the camaraderie of the Apollo 12 crew; (8) "We Interrupt This Program" shows a by-now-indifferent media galvanized by the events of Apollo 13; (9) "For Miles and Miles" tells of Alan Shepherd's return to the manned program with Apollo 14 after being grounded between Mercury and Gemini; (10) "Galileo Was Right" show the non-piloting demands on ...

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Plot Keywords:

neil armstrong character | astronomical object in title | space program | the moon | apollo 8 | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lane Smith plays a news anchor who is being forced out by an industry preferring younger, shallower and ratings-driven stories. Smith also appeared in Network (1976), based on a similar plot. In this miniseries his character, along with his television network, were created as a story device, serving to provide information to the viewers to fill in the gaps and move the story along.

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Goofs

In the "1968" chapter, we see a TV reporter broadcasting with a massive picture-window view of the Saturn 5, and then feeling the shock wave from engine ignition just before the window falls in. The view is from 1/4 mile SE of pad 39A, a dangerously close point for anyone. The press site is 3.1 miles west of the pad. Also, the incident happened to Walter Cronkite at the Apollo 4 launch, Nov. 9, 1967. The launch depicted here (coinciding with the King assassination) is Apollo 6 on Apr. 4, 1968.

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Quotes

[During a spacewalk]
Ed White: I feel very thankful to have the experience to be doing this.

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Alternate Versions

For the DVD release, the series was cropped slightly at the top and bottom of the frame. This was done to create a presentation that would be enhanced for viewing on widescreen television sets.

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Connections

Edited into The Extraordinary Voyage (2011)

User Reviews

Amazing

This series is simply amazing. It is well acted, well written, and you can't beat the subject matter. I have never seen a better show. Everyone in this series is wonderful and the dialog is so crisp. It is a great tribute to an important era in American history. I recommend it for everyone.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 April 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

From the Earth to the Moon

Filming Locations:

DeLand, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$68,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clavius Base, Go Flight Inc., Imagine Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (12 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1