JAMES A. MICHENER'S "SPACE" {JAMES GARNER} {PART 1} (TV)
Summary
The first part of this miniseries based on the novel of the same name, presenting a dramatization of the United States space program’s history and development. The story begins in October of 1944 in the middle of World War II. American Lawyer Norman Grant acts as commanding officer aboard a battleship fighting in a naval battle off the coast of the island of Leyte; his ship is sunk during the conflict. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., Stanley Mott, a professor of aeronautics, is summoned to the White House to act as part of a secret team of officials for a project commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Elsewhere, John Pope, a high school football player in Norman’s hometown of Clay, wins an important game for his team. At that same instant, the police break into the apartment of Martin Scorcella and arrest him, accusing him of selling test answers to college students and making a huge profit. The dean of the college, Robert Hawkins, is furious, especially since Martin has recently begun sleeping with his daughter. Hawkins threatens legal action against him, but Martin counters that doing so would expose the college to a public scandal, and that releasing the names of those who purchased his answers would incite anger from grant contributors to the university. During all of this Dieter Kolff, a German rocket scientist at the research institute at Peenemunde, is uneasy at the arrest of several of his colleagues by party officials. He, like several of his fellow researchers, view the German missile project as a “military necessity” before achieving their true goal of launching rockets beyond the planet’s atmosphere. Stanley is informed that the Germans are developing the A-4 rocket, which could be more powerful and have longer range than the already-devastating V-2 model. He and other scientists like him are tasked with finding and bringing back German scientists to the United States so as to hamper the rocket project and prevent the Russians from getting to them first; this project comes to be known as “Operation Paperclip.” They hope to destroy Peenemunde without harming the scientists working there. Norman and a few remnants of his crew drift along the ocean in a life raft, all in various states of injury and dishevelment. They find another survivor in the ocean and fend off incoming sharks with their firearms. Norman dives in to help rescue the man himself, but can’t stop a shark from biting his leg, causing him immense pain. Norman tries to comfort the survivor, musing aloud that his experiences have taught him the importance of a single life. Eventually they are found by a passing plane and rescued. John and his girlfriend Penny go stargazing and have sex in a field. She admits that she loves him and he reciprocates her feelings. Stanley travels to London and witnesses the destructive power of the V-2 rocket firsthand in the form of several demolished city blocks. British soldiers discover a partially intact guidance system unit from one of the rockets in the rubble, and Stanley inspects it, admiring its quality. At the R.A.F. signal center in Medmenham, Stanely is brought to the photograph interpretation center and tries to convince the general there not to bomb Peenemunde immediately, working out an arrangement so that he can complete his assignment and rescue the German scientists before the bombing begins. Bombing sirens sound at Peenemunde and Dieter rushes to save his research material. He runs through the base as bombs go off around him and reaches a vault filled with files; he takes one for himself and burns the rest. On February 4th, 1945, the Yalta Conference signals the nearing end of World War II. In San Diego, California, Norman and his men arrive and receive a hero’s welcome, lauded for their harrowing experiences in the Pacific. A press conference is held, and Norman is happy to reunite with his wife and young daughter in attendance. However, constant attention from the press and assembled crowd prevents him from seeing them in private. Later they all return home, and Norman notes that his daughter Marcia seemed to recoil from him, as he has not been present for two years. He tries to get intimate with his wife, Elinor, but she seems distant, frustrated that his dedication to the navy keeps him apart from her for so long. He points out that whatever may happen, they are at least together for one night. In Brooklyn, New York, Martin is targeted by Hawkins’s son, furious at Martin for sleeping with his sister. Martin plans to flee to Florida and his landlady assists him in throwing off his pursuers. In Britain, Stanley is informed that Peenemunde has been completely destroyed, much to his dismay. Dieter and his fellow scientists are put under the jurisdiction of a new colonel, Funkhauser who tries to rush the rebuilding of the Peenemunde facility and suspends their passes back to the mainland. Funkhauser threatens to arrest them for redirecting their research efforts from military science to space travel. Dieter is interrogated about his work specifically, and Funkhauser notes that they discovered the open vault and burned documents inside. Stanley discovers that there are survivors from the bombing on Peenemunde and sets to leave to try to accomplish his mission. Penny talks to John while they hang out around an observatory, uneasy that he might have to leave town to attend college. They are uncertain about the particulars of their future together. The observatory opens its dome and they speak with the professor inside; John has a keen interest in astronomy and discusses early astronomers with him. John impresses the professor with his knowledge of astronomy and telescopic equipment, and he allows him to peer through the telescope, recommending that he attend his astronomy class in the fall. Stanley, posing as a doctor, manages to infiltrate Peenemunde. Dieter takes the files he secretly stole from the vault and tries to flee. Stanley learns that some of the remaining scientists from Peenemunde fled to Wittenberg and prepares to go there. Dieter reunites with his girlfriend, Liesel, and gives her the file to keep. He hopes to flee with her to the United States, using the file as a “passport” to ensure his acceptance there. Liesl asks Dieter to marry her; he believes it would be too dangerous to do so at the time, but she believes that he is simply afraid. Despite this, they “marry” each other then and there in a brief and improvised ceremony. They finish as the sound of Russian artillery fire reaches their ears. He decides that they must leave immediately if they have any chance of surviving. Norman, now branded a war hero, is utilized by the navy as a spokesman for war bonds, and to shore up morale and support among the public. He is called upon to present a medal to Gawain Butler, the soldier he saved in Leyte. He is happy to see Gawain again, but is again resentful of the media’s constant attention. Martin establishes himself in Florida and has an affair with the wife of a man in charge of approving doctoral candidates. He tries to convince her to influence her husband in the selection of candidates. John attempts to make inroads to improve his chances of attending college, and Penny tells him that she had a pregnancy scare the previous week. John tells her that if she had been pregnant he would have married her, and notes that he still wants to, but Penny wants to wait until they’re ready. Dieter and Liesel reach the border of Wittenberg and hide behind a crashed car to avoid notice by a passing detachment of soldiers, including Funkhauser. Liesel goes on ahead into town to try to find out where the Americans are. They meet later in town and Liesel relays that she discovered that Funkhauser has been reprimanded for letting the scientists escape, and that there are soldiers combing the area looking for Dieter. Stanley reaches Wittenberg and speaks to his contact, a local priest, who tells him that Dieter and his associates should be in the area and are trying to defect to the United States. As 1945 progresses, the United States completes its research into nuclear weapons. Martin finds himself increasingly interested in science after spending a great deal of time helping doctoral students plagiarize their work. He predicts an impending “scientific revolution” in the wake of the German V-2 project and hopes that he can capitalize on the public’s inevitable interest in rocket science and space travel in order to make a profit via diplomas by mail and other such schemes. To lend more dignity to his operation he decides to change his name to “Leopold Strabismus,” and wants to set up shop in Los Angeles. Norman is recalled to duty and Elinor is sad to see him go. They bid each other an emotional farewell, unsure of when they will see each other again. While walking through a field, soldiers fire on Dieter and Liesel and she is injured by a bullet. The soldiers turn out to be very young, and one of them is horrified that he shot a woman. A detachment of American soldiers arrive and Dieter convinces the young soldiers to lay down their arms and surrender, convinced that the war is all-but over. Stanley gets in contact with some American soldiers and is shown to the truck where Dieter, Liesel, and the young soldiers are being kept. He introduces himself to Dieter and explains his mission to him; Dieter believes he can trust Stanley and gives him the file. At that moment, the army receives word that President Roosevelt is dead. With the end of World War II thanks to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and returning American soldiers are treated as heroes. Dieter and his fellow scientists arrive in the United States along with Stanley. Norman arrives home and receives a hero’s welcome from Clay, but Elinor is not as enthused. John and Penny’s efforts to leave Clay one day meet with some setbacks when Senator Armitage refuses John an appointment to college in Annapolis. Stanley calls his wife Rachel, a schoolteacher, to tell her that their reunion will have to be delayed due to his continuing duties to the government. John plans to enlist in the navy in order to get into Annapolis. Elinor’s father, a noted politician, tries to set it up to have Norman run for the United States senate in order to oust Armitage. They hope to utilize Norman’s status as a war hero to help bolster the party, but Elinor is resistant to the idea, not wanting to lose him to politics the way she lost him to the naval service. Leopold sets up his “diploma factory” and puts out advertisements, christening it the “Universal Space Association.” Norman speaks to Elinor about the senatorial position, and is upset that Norman is somewhat receptive to the idea. She believes that their life together will essentially end if he takes up politics, although he argues that he will still be there for her. Rachel moves out to For Bliss in El Paso, Texas in order to be with Stanley, who is working there for the government on a classified project. John enlists in the navy and bids Penny farewell, hoping to see her again soon when he’s stationed in Chicago. Norman decides to run for office, but finds himself far behind in the polls. Penny works for his campaign and introduces herself to him, explaining her personal reasons for trying to ensure Armitage’s loss in the election. Norman also wants to win, but feels uncomfortable with exploiting his war hero status to his own advantage. In November 1945, Stanley arrives in El Paso and shares an emotional reunion with Rachel. The German scientists arrive as well, assembling for what would be the genesis of the American space program. Penny meets with Finnerty, Norman’s campaign manager, and threatens him when he tries to make a pass at her. He apologizes profusely and they discuss Norman’s campaign strategy; Norman refuses to attack Armitage on a personal level, but both Penny and Finnerty believe that this is necessary in order to achieve victory. They get the idea to focus more on Norman’s naval background, including bringing in Gawain as an assistant, owing to his friendship with Norman and skill as a public speaker. Dieter and the other German scientists have difficulty adjusting to their new lives in El Paso, and are uncertain of what they will be working on. Rachel works on the base teaching the Germans the English language, but she still thinks of them as “the enemy” and is having difficulty trusting them. Dieter visits Stanley and tells him that an American sergeant accompanying himself and another scientist while out in El Paso was accosted by a crowd of people accusing him of being in league with Nazis. He asks Stanley to keep his distance for a time, fearing for his safety; his fears seem to come true when a brick is thrown through Stanley’s window at that moment. Norman continues his campaign and Finnerty orchestrates the testimonies of Norman’s associates, just as he planned with Penny. Gawain’s impassioned speech in particular proves to be remarkably effective with the crowd. Elinor is disgusted by the proceedings and tells Penny as much, although Penny firmly believes in what she did. The Russians, with the aid of their own group of scientists captured at Peenemunde, begin their own space program, spurring the United States to step up its own development. Dieter oversees the testing of recovered A-4 rockets in White Sands, New Mexico, and it initially proves to be promising. Stanley is given the task of obtaining legal immigration papers for the German scientists and keeping their presence in El Paso a secret. He recommends better treatment for the scientists, including bringing their wives over from an airbase outside of Munich. Stanley makes arrangements for the German scientists which eventually lead to their immigration papers. Elinor speaks to her father about her reservations about Norman’s political career; he believes that Norman has great potential, but she is distressed about how drastically her life is changing. The German scientists’ wives are brought to the United States and they all reunite in El Paso. However, Dieter is crushed to discover that Liesel is not among them. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: 1985/04/xx
- RUNNING TIME: 2:29:24
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:56957
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV miniseries, 1985
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV – Commercials – AllerAct allergy medicine
- TV – Commercials – Alpo dog food
- TV – Commercials – Crisco shortening
- TV – Commercials – Ford automobiles
- TV – Promos – “James A. Michener’s Space”
CREDITS
- Dick Berg … Executive Producer
- Robert Birnbaum … Coordinating Producer
- Jack Clements … Coordinating Producer
- Martin Manulis … Producer
- Allan J. Marcil … Co-Producer
- Neal Nordlinger … Associate Producer
- Lee Philips … Director
- Joseph Sargent … Director
- Stirling Silliphant … Writer
- James A. Michener … Based on the novel "Space" by
- Miles Goodman … Music by
- Tony Berg … Music by
- Laurence Luckinbill … Narrator
- James Garner … Cast, Norman Grant
- Susan Anspach … Cast, Elinor Grant
- Beau Bridges … Cast, Randy Claggett
- Blair Brown … Cast, Penny Hardesty
- Bruce Dern … Cast, Stanley Mott
- Melinda Dillon … Cast, Rachel Mott
- David Dukes … Cast, Martin Scorcella/Leopold Strabismus
- Harry Hamlin … Cast, John Pope
- Barbara Sukowa … Cast, Liesel Kolff
- Michael York … Cast, Dieter Kolff
- Martin Balsam … Cast, Senator Glancey
- James Sutorius … Cast, Finnerty
- Stephanie Faracy … Cast, Debbie Dee Claggett
- G.D. Spradlin … Cast, Tucker Thomas
- Wolf Kahler … Cast, Funkhauser
- Ralph Bellamy … Cast, Paul Stidham
- Maggie Han … Cast, Cindy Rhee
- Dick Anthony Williams … Cast, Gawain Butler
- Christina Pickles … Cast, Mrs. McKellar
- Gerald Hiken … Cast, Professor Anderssen
- Les Lannom … Cast, Larry Penzoss
- Murphy Dunn … Cast, Lt. Wiles
- Michael Talbott … Cast, Tom Savage
- Michael Cochrane … Cast, Commander Blount
- Stephen Jenn … Cast, Brenner
- Gary F. Kasper … Cast, Brother
- Bill Morey … Cast, NYU Dean
- Shane Rimmer … Cast, U.S. General Quigley
- Sheila Ruskin … Cast, Constance Hall-Tipping
- Mary Jackson … Cast, Frankie
- Richard Delmonte … Cast, Ramirez
- Walter Mathews … Cast, Jennings
- Nancy Abramson … Cast, School Secretary
- Franklin D. Roosevelt