BOY IN THE PLASTIC BUBBLE, THE (TV)
Summary
This made-for-television production, inspired by true events, is about a young man with a faulty immune system who struggles to live a full life. The program begins in 1959 as Dr. Ernest Gunther tells Mickey Lubitch that she's pregnant. Mickey confides to husband Johnny that she's frightened by the prospect of losing another child, like their son who died from having no immune system. Months later, Johnny and the doctor watch from a special observation room as a Caesarean section is performed on Mickey. She gives birth to a boy, Tod, who also has a compromised immune system. As a result, the baby must remain in a protected environment at the hospital. Four years later, Mickey is angry that Tod is still living in a plastic tent at the hospital. Finally, Tod is brought home as reporters crowd around the family, as does next-door neighbor, four-year-old Gina Biggs. Johnny and Mickey diligently set up Tod's room to meet his health requirements, with the boy continuing to be encased in a plastic bubble. The next day, Gina and her parents visit Tod and the children try to play -- despite the plastic sheet between them. Twelve years later, Tod spends his time in his now-expanded, germ-free room, where he watches television, plays with his pet mouse, and spies on Gina as she grooms her horse. Via closed-circuit television, Tod agrees to monitor Gina's school classes. Later, Gina stops by Tod's room and invites him to a July Fourth party. He shows up at the bash in his plastic bubble. There, Gina flirts with him, though Tod doesn't realize that she's doing it to win a bet. He's crushed when she tells him the truth. Tod asks to return to the hospital, where he gets a roommate: Roy Slater, a young man with a tumor. The two become friends, after which astronaut Buzz Aldrin comes to the hospital to meet Tod. When the new school year begins, Tod again monitors classes, and a repentant Gina offers to help him. At Gina's suggestion, Tod starts grooming himself. When Gina tells Tod that she's flunking, he tutors her and raises her grades. At Tod's request, Mickey and Johnny hire a nurse to monitor him while they go on vacation. During an outing with Rachel, the two kiss through a plastic sheet. When his parents return, Tod suggests that he attend school by wearing a spaceman-like outfit to protect him from germs. At school, Tod struggles to be accepted. Slowly, Gina realizes that she's becoming attracted to Tod, particularly after he professes his love. Soon, Johnny and Mickey watch with pride as Tod -- wearing a cap and gown atop his astronaut-like uniform -- graduates high school with his class. However, he's taken aback to hear that Gina will attend college in New York City. Tod then asks Ernest when he can be free of the bubble. Ernest admits that Tod's body has been building up immunites, but a simple cold or flu could kill him. That night, Tod steps out of his germ-free environment and goes outside to truly experience the world. He embraces Gina before the two ride on her horse through the woods, unsure of what lies ahead. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: November 12, 1976 Friday 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:36:57
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:12971
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Biography; Immune system; Health
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV, 1976
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Aaron Spelling … Executive Producer
- Leonard Goldberg … Executive Producer
- Joel Thurm … Producer
- Cindy Dunne … Producer
- Shelley Hull … Associate Producer
- Randal Kleiser … Director
- Joe Morgenstern … Writer
- Douglas Day Stewart … Writer
- Mark Snow … Music by
- Paul Williams … Music by
- John Travolta … Cast, Tod Lubitch
- Glynnis O'Connor … Cast, Gina Biggs
- Robert Reed … Cast, Johnny Lubitch
- Diana Hyland … Cast, Mickey Lubitch
- Karen Morrow … Cast, Martha Biggs
- Howard Platt … Cast, Pete Biggs
- Buzz Aldrin … Cast, Himself
- Ralph Bellamy … Cast, Dr. Ernest Gunther
- John Friedrich … Cast, Roy Slater
- Kelly Ward … Cast, Tom Shuster
- Skip Lowell … Cast, Bruce Shuster
- John Megna … Cast, Smith
- Vernee Watson … Cast, Gwen
- Darryl Zwerling … Cast, Mr. Brister
- P.J. Soles … Cast, Deborah
- Timothy Himes … Cast, Obnoxious Reporter
- Victor Brandt … Cast, TV Installer
- Hilda Haynes … Cast, Nurse
- Jack McLaughlin … Cast, Principal
- Erna Foxworth … Cast, Neighbor
- Karri Kirsch … Cast, Gina at 3
- Kimberly Kirsch … Cast, Gina at 3
- Seth Wagerman … Cast, Tod at 3
- Anne Ramsey … Cast, Rachel