Apocalypse Television: How The Day After Helped End the Cold War
On November 20, 1983, a three-hour made-for-TV movie, The Day After, premiered on ABC. Set in the heartland of Lawrence, Kansas, the film depicted the events before, during, and after a Soviet nuclear attack with vivid scenes of the post-apocalyptic hellscape that would follow. The film was viewed by over 100 million Americans and remains the highest rated TV movie in history.



The path to primetime for The Day After proved nearly as treacherous as the film's narrative. Battles ensued behind the scenes at the network, between the network and the filmmakers. But these skirmishes pale in comparison to the culture wars triggered by the film in the press, alongside a growing Nuclear Freeze movement, and from a united, pro-nuclear Right. Once efforts to alter the script failed, the White House conducted a full-throttled propaganda campaign to hijack the film's message.



Apocalypse Television features a dramatic insider's account of the making of and backlash against The Day After. No other book has told this story in similar fashion, venturing behind-the-scenes of the programming and news divisions at ABC, the backlash from the conservative movement and Religious Right, the challenges encountered by the film's production team, and the experiences of the citizens of Lawrence, Kansas, where the film was set and shot.
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Apocalypse Television: How The Day After Helped End the Cold War
On November 20, 1983, a three-hour made-for-TV movie, The Day After, premiered on ABC. Set in the heartland of Lawrence, Kansas, the film depicted the events before, during, and after a Soviet nuclear attack with vivid scenes of the post-apocalyptic hellscape that would follow. The film was viewed by over 100 million Americans and remains the highest rated TV movie in history.



The path to primetime for The Day After proved nearly as treacherous as the film's narrative. Battles ensued behind the scenes at the network, between the network and the filmmakers. But these skirmishes pale in comparison to the culture wars triggered by the film in the press, alongside a growing Nuclear Freeze movement, and from a united, pro-nuclear Right. Once efforts to alter the script failed, the White House conducted a full-throttled propaganda campaign to hijack the film's message.



Apocalypse Television features a dramatic insider's account of the making of and backlash against The Day After. No other book has told this story in similar fashion, venturing behind-the-scenes of the programming and news divisions at ABC, the backlash from the conservative movement and Religious Right, the challenges encountered by the film's production team, and the experiences of the citizens of Lawrence, Kansas, where the film was set and shot.
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Apocalypse Television: How The Day After Helped End the Cold War

Apocalypse Television: How The Day After Helped End the Cold War

by David Craig, Robert Iger

Narrated by Kim Niemi

Unabridged — 8 hours, 54 minutes

Apocalypse Television: How The Day After Helped End the Cold War

Apocalypse Television: How The Day After Helped End the Cold War

by David Craig, Robert Iger

Narrated by Kim Niemi

Unabridged — 8 hours, 54 minutes

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Overview

On November 20, 1983, a three-hour made-for-TV movie, The Day After, premiered on ABC. Set in the heartland of Lawrence, Kansas, the film depicted the events before, during, and after a Soviet nuclear attack with vivid scenes of the post-apocalyptic hellscape that would follow. The film was viewed by over 100 million Americans and remains the highest rated TV movie in history.



The path to primetime for The Day After proved nearly as treacherous as the film's narrative. Battles ensued behind the scenes at the network, between the network and the filmmakers. But these skirmishes pale in comparison to the culture wars triggered by the film in the press, alongside a growing Nuclear Freeze movement, and from a united, pro-nuclear Right. Once efforts to alter the script failed, the White House conducted a full-throttled propaganda campaign to hijack the film's message.



Apocalypse Television features a dramatic insider's account of the making of and backlash against The Day After. No other book has told this story in similar fashion, venturing behind-the-scenes of the programming and news divisions at ABC, the backlash from the conservative movement and Religious Right, the challenges encountered by the film's production team, and the experiences of the citizens of Lawrence, Kansas, where the film was set and shot.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Makes the case for the cultural influence of television in altering attitudes toward war, albeit at a fortunate time in history before the dispersive effects of cable television."—Library Journal

Library Journal

11/01/2023

Former TV producer Craig (communications, Univ. of Southern California) uses his Hollywood experience to interpret behind-the-scenes planning for the 1983 three-hour ABC movie The Day After. Many baby boomers recall this mass-mediated experience that depicted the would-be effect on their lives in the aftermath of a nuclear war. With 100 million viewers, it's still the most-viewed TV movie in history, causing the political right and left, Reagan White House, and Gorbachev-era Soviet Union to all take part in an international discussion. Craig gives ABC's movie division head at the time, Brandon Stoddard, requisite credit for getting the film made and aired, and Ted Koppel kudos for refereeing the discussion that immediately followed. This book joins previous works—Ronald Reagan and His Quest To Abolish Nuclear Weapons by Paul Lettow and Reagan's Secret War by Martin and Annelise Anderson—correcting a misinformed image and amplifying a more accurate assessment of the president as committed to arms reduction, beyond mere control. VERDICT This study for both general and academic readers makes the case for the cultural influence of television in altering attitudes toward war, albeit at a fortunate time in history before the dispersive effects of cable television.—Frederick J. Augustyn Jr.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940191588797
Publisher: HighBridge Company
Publication date: 04/09/2024
Edition description: Unabridged
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