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james_davis_nicollDisney's Television Quest : Network prime-time success still eludes the giant that's enjoyed movie hits and profits at its theme parks
USENET reactions.
[From *Science Books and Films*, probably around 1990]
PLYMOUTH
Science Meets Fiction in a New Disney TV Movie
by Maria Sosa
Will the first settlers on the Moon be the residents of a small logging town in
the Pacific Northwest?
This is the premise of a new two-hour television movie currently in production
by Walt Disney Television for the ABC Television Network. . Billed as a
fact-oriented program, the producers promise to deliver the most factual and
technologically accurate dramatic show about space ever created.
In "Plymouth," a toxic accident renders the small, fictitious town of Plymouth,
Oregon, uninhabitable. The members of the closeknit community are offered the
opportunity to stay together and establish the first settlement and mining
operation on the Moon.
Extensively researched, "Plymouth" promises to be as educational as it is
entertaining. NASA experts in the area of lunar base design and exploration, as
well as the country's foremost experts in space architecture, were consulted to
ensure the accuracy in the construction of "Plymouth's" lunar sets.
For example, the side of the crater Pythagoras was selected as the site for the
lunar settlement because it offered a wide lunalogical range of surfaces to
study and offered the protection of perpetual shadow to mitigate the volatile
and dangerous temperature range on the moon's surface.
The activities of the lunar settlers also reflects current thinking on the
possible benefits of space exploration. "The moon may really hold the key to the
Earth's energy problems," says executive producer, writer, and director Lee
David Zlotoff, "and may provide the Earth with a virtually clean, unlimited
source of energy."
Thus, Zlotoff 's lunar community of Plymouth supports a Helium-3 mining
operation. Helium-3 is an element found in abundance on the moon. On Plymouth,
lunar settlers mine and refine Helium-3 for shipment back to Earth. The
producers of "Plymouth" believe that their program differs from other
fact-oriented productions because it explores both the technology and humanity
of space.
Cindy Pickett stars as the drama's central character. She portrays Addy
Mathewson, Plymouth's town physician and a widow with four children. Dale
Midkiff plays Gil Eaton, the engineer in charge of technical support for the
lunar community. Through these two characters the story of the pioneering
community unfolds.
"I didn't want this drama to be technology-driven," said Zlotoff, "it had to be
about community, about holding things together, about homesteading."
Though billed as fact-based, it is important to remember that the events of the
film are fictionalized and that much of the science upon which it is based is
still at the theoretical stage. This, however, should not impede its usefulness
as a vehicle to pique curiosity and stimulate further research by interested
viewers.
For more information about "Plymouth," contact Walt Disney Television, 500 South
Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521 (818) 560-5151. If "Plymouth" delivers on all
of its promises, it could prove a very valuable vehicle for increasing
public understanding of the possibilities of space settlement and the scientific
endeavors needed to support that space exploration.
Those interested in obtaining information on space science education can write
to one of the following:
[List of space education organizations follows.]
==========================
[From *Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin*, published by the Lunar &
Planetary Institute in Houston, either issue 55 or issue 56:]
Let's Go Visit Plymouth
If you are interested in visiting a lunar colony, be sure to watch your TV news
this fall for the airing on ABC Television of the movie-for-TV Plymouth.
Plymouth is, or rather was, a small Oregon community that becomes uninhabitable
following an industrial accident. The townspeople are transported to the Moon to
become the ftrst lunarians operating a Helium-3 plant. Rather than
concentrating on the technology of such an operation, the movie deals with the
people, their ability to adapt, to learn, to live in a hostile environment, and
their fears of the unknown.
Cindy Pickett stars as the drama's central character, Addy Mathewson, Plymouth's
town physician and a single mother with four children. Dale Midkiff as Gil
Eaton is the bold charismatic engineer in charge of technical support for the
lunar community who becomes romantically involved with Addy. Richard Hamilton is
Wendell MacKenzies, Addy's uncle and the mayor of Plymouth who is anxious to
establish secure and stable leadership for the new "lunarians." Sets have been
created to 1/96 scale and nestled into a model of the lunar crater Pythagorus on
location in nearby Saugus, California. Thirty-two miniatures, including lunar
rovers and miners, have also been created in 1/96, 1/48, and 1/8 scale for use
in special effects setups.
To assure authenticity, NASA experts in the area of lunar base design and
exploration, as well as the country's foremost experts in space architecture,
have lent their knowledge and expertise to the production. Dr. Wendell Mendell
and Dr. Mark Cintala from the NASA/ Johnson Space Center; Larry Bell and
Guillermo Trotti, space architects; Dr. Carl Hodges of Environmental Research
Laboratories in Tucson; and Pat Rawlings, space artist, have all contributed to
the research for this film.
This reality-based drama is the first international coproduction of Walt Disney
Television, RAI-Uno Radiotelevisione Italiana, and Lee David Zlotoff. Mr.
Zlotoff, executive producer, writer, and director, Ralph Winter, executive
producer, producer lan Sander, and production designer Michael Baugh are
striving to create the most technologically accurate show about space ever
developed for television.
If you would like to help ensure that Plymouth becomes a weekly TV series write
to ABC Television to express your support. Letters may be sent to John Barber,
Vice President, Current Series Programs, ABC Television, 2040 Avenue of the
[The article was accompanied by illustrations not available to me. Captions:]
Plymouth's technical crew entering the town corridor through a pressurized air
lock.
"Plymouth" - nestled in perpetual shadow in the crater Pythagorus [sic],
stretching out from the colony's town center, are living and working quarters,
agricultural operations, and tropical forest biome. To the far right is the
colony's construction zone. Solar gatherers ring the rim of the crater and the
Earth rise appears in the background.
USENET reactions.
[From *Science Books and Films*, probably around 1990]
PLYMOUTH
Science Meets Fiction in a New Disney TV Movie
by Maria Sosa
Will the first settlers on the Moon be the residents of a small logging town in
the Pacific Northwest?
This is the premise of a new two-hour television movie currently in production
by Walt Disney Television for the ABC Television Network. . Billed as a
fact-oriented program, the producers promise to deliver the most factual and
technologically accurate dramatic show about space ever created.
In "Plymouth," a toxic accident renders the small, fictitious town of Plymouth,
Oregon, uninhabitable. The members of the closeknit community are offered the
opportunity to stay together and establish the first settlement and mining
operation on the Moon.
Extensively researched, "Plymouth" promises to be as educational as it is
entertaining. NASA experts in the area of lunar base design and exploration, as
well as the country's foremost experts in space architecture, were consulted to
ensure the accuracy in the construction of "Plymouth's" lunar sets.
For example, the side of the crater Pythagoras was selected as the site for the
lunar settlement because it offered a wide lunalogical range of surfaces to
study and offered the protection of perpetual shadow to mitigate the volatile
and dangerous temperature range on the moon's surface.
The activities of the lunar settlers also reflects current thinking on the
possible benefits of space exploration. "The moon may really hold the key to the
Earth's energy problems," says executive producer, writer, and director Lee
David Zlotoff, "and may provide the Earth with a virtually clean, unlimited
source of energy."
Thus, Zlotoff 's lunar community of Plymouth supports a Helium-3 mining
operation. Helium-3 is an element found in abundance on the moon. On Plymouth,
lunar settlers mine and refine Helium-3 for shipment back to Earth. The
producers of "Plymouth" believe that their program differs from other
fact-oriented productions because it explores both the technology and humanity
of space.
Cindy Pickett stars as the drama's central character. She portrays Addy
Mathewson, Plymouth's town physician and a widow with four children. Dale
Midkiff plays Gil Eaton, the engineer in charge of technical support for the
lunar community. Through these two characters the story of the pioneering
community unfolds.
"I didn't want this drama to be technology-driven," said Zlotoff, "it had to be
about community, about holding things together, about homesteading."
Though billed as fact-based, it is important to remember that the events of the
film are fictionalized and that much of the science upon which it is based is
still at the theoretical stage. This, however, should not impede its usefulness
as a vehicle to pique curiosity and stimulate further research by interested
viewers.
For more information about "Plymouth," contact Walt Disney Television, 500 South
Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521 (818) 560-5151. If "Plymouth" delivers on all
of its promises, it could prove a very valuable vehicle for increasing
public understanding of the possibilities of space settlement and the scientific
endeavors needed to support that space exploration.
Those interested in obtaining information on space science education can write
to one of the following:
[List of space education organizations follows.]
==========================
[From *Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin*, published by the Lunar &
Planetary Institute in Houston, either issue 55 or issue 56:]
Let's Go Visit Plymouth
If you are interested in visiting a lunar colony, be sure to watch your TV news
this fall for the airing on ABC Television of the movie-for-TV Plymouth.
Plymouth is, or rather was, a small Oregon community that becomes uninhabitable
following an industrial accident. The townspeople are transported to the Moon to
become the ftrst lunarians operating a Helium-3 plant. Rather than
concentrating on the technology of such an operation, the movie deals with the
people, their ability to adapt, to learn, to live in a hostile environment, and
their fears of the unknown.
Cindy Pickett stars as the drama's central character, Addy Mathewson, Plymouth's
town physician and a single mother with four children. Dale Midkiff as Gil
Eaton is the bold charismatic engineer in charge of technical support for the
lunar community who becomes romantically involved with Addy. Richard Hamilton is
Wendell MacKenzies, Addy's uncle and the mayor of Plymouth who is anxious to
establish secure and stable leadership for the new "lunarians." Sets have been
created to 1/96 scale and nestled into a model of the lunar crater Pythagorus on
location in nearby Saugus, California. Thirty-two miniatures, including lunar
rovers and miners, have also been created in 1/96, 1/48, and 1/8 scale for use
in special effects setups.
To assure authenticity, NASA experts in the area of lunar base design and
exploration, as well as the country's foremost experts in space architecture,
have lent their knowledge and expertise to the production. Dr. Wendell Mendell
and Dr. Mark Cintala from the NASA/ Johnson Space Center; Larry Bell and
Guillermo Trotti, space architects; Dr. Carl Hodges of Environmental Research
Laboratories in Tucson; and Pat Rawlings, space artist, have all contributed to
the research for this film.
This reality-based drama is the first international coproduction of Walt Disney
Television, RAI-Uno Radiotelevisione Italiana, and Lee David Zlotoff. Mr.
Zlotoff, executive producer, writer, and director, Ralph Winter, executive
producer, producer lan Sander, and production designer Michael Baugh are
striving to create the most technologically accurate show about space ever
developed for television.
If you would like to help ensure that Plymouth becomes a weekly TV series write
to ABC Television to express your support. Letters may be sent to John Barber,
Vice President, Current Series Programs, ABC Television, 2040 Avenue of the
[The article was accompanied by illustrations not available to me. Captions:]
Plymouth's technical crew entering the town corridor through a pressurized air
lock.
"Plymouth" - nestled in perpetual shadow in the crater Pythagorus [sic],
stretching out from the colony's town center, are living and working quarters,
agricultural operations, and tropical forest biome. To the far right is the
colony's construction zone. Solar gatherers ring the rim of the crater and the
Earth rise appears in the background.
