Special Bulletin (1983)
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25% want to see it
(19 ratings)
Advertised as "a realistic depiction of fictional events," the harrowing speculative drama Special Bulletin was shot on videotape and staged as an actual late-breaking news event. The story concerns a group of anti-nuclear activists who take over the waterfront of Charleston, South… More Advertised as "a realistic depiction of fictional events," the harrowing speculative drama Special Bulletin was shot on videotape and staged as an actual late-breaking news event. The story concerns a group of anti-nuclear activists who take over the waterfront of Charleston, South Carolina. The group wants the 968 nuclear warheads located in the Charleston area to be disarmed immediately; if this demand is not met, the activists will detonate their own nuclear device. Written by Marshall Herskovitz and directed by Ed Zwick (who would later collaborate on the TV series thirtysomething), the Emmy-winning Special Bulletin first aired on March 20, 1983. This initial broadcast was accompanied by repeated disclaimers, assuring the audience that what was transpiring on their TV screens was not really happening. Even so, the production was so authentic-looking (right down to the fabricated previews of upcoming network dramatic programs) that thousands of panicky viewers called in to NBC, demanding further information on the siege of Charleston. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Marshall Herskovitz, Edward Zwick
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Drama
Unrated,
- Studio
- Warner Bros.
Critic Reviews
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Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is
keeps you staring at the screen
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MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher
[A]as much a lampoon on the media as it is an expression of cultural anxieties about nuclear weapons...
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Cast
- Christopher Allport
- Bernard Behrens
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Rosalind Cash
as Frieda Barton
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David Clennon
as Dr. Bruce Lyman
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Frank Dent
as Dr. Jason Halpern
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Ed Flanders
as John Woodley
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Roxanne Hart
as Megan Barclay
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Peter Hobbs
as Jonathan E. Herman
- Michael Madsen
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Roberta Maxwell
as Diane Silverman
- George Morfogen
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David Rasche
as Dr. David McKeeson
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Ebbe Roe Smith
as Jim Seaver
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Lane Smith
as Morton Sanders
- Jack Thompson
- Kenneth Tigar
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Kathryn Walker
as Susan Myles
- Ronald C. Frazier
- Joe Mays
- Bill Saito
