From the Earth to the Moon 

Dramatized portrayal of the Apollo manned space program.

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Nick Searcy, Lane Smith

Top Rated TV #83 | Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 21 wins & 32 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Tom Hanks	...	Himself - 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 | space program | the moon | apollo 8 | apollo 7 | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 April 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

De la Tierra a la Luna

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

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.

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Goofs

As the Apollo 8 spacecraft travels in orbit around the moon, one shot shows the moon's surface visible through a semi-transparent antenna. The 3D rendering of the antenna did not have the opacity set high enough, resulting in this effect.

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Quotes

[During a NASA briefing]
Chris Kraft: Rendezvous: two spacecraft meeting up in orbit. Want to have fun? Come over to my house. You stand in the back yard, I'll stand in the front, you throw a tennis ball over my roof and I'll try to hit it with a rock as it comes sailing over. That's what we're going to have to do.

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Connections

Featured in HBO First Look: Behind the Scenes: Making 'From the Earth to the Moon' (1998)

User Reviews

Obvious labour of love

For those who look for a well produced, faithful, moving telling of

the Apollo program, this series is a masterpiece. Michael Kamen's

poignant music, Tom Hanks' exacting production standards,

outstanding performances from a range of excellent actors and

special effects that leave one wondering what it would have looked

like on a movie screen ---- all make this series a must-see. And for

those concerned that this series might have gross overlap with

other films made about this time period (The Right Stuff, Apollo

13), you will be pleased to see that the series carefully and

deliberately tells the tales not already well told in these two films.

Again, this is a subtle example of Hanks' production values.

But let's say you don't care about all that. Then, get ready to learn.

Get ready to see the complex conundrum that was the Apollo

program unfold in much the way the principal players probably

saw it. Get ready for a balance between humour and intelligence.

Get ready for exposition that does not drag like exposition tends to

do. Get ready to cry at times, and if you're lucky enough to

remember those days, get ready for a wave of nostalgia.

People who rave about this series usually do so not because they

are blinded by their own interest in the subject and are glad

someone did the tale justice. Usually, they marvel at how

someone managed to capture so much and keep the quality so

high. And I believe you will, too.