Supertrain
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| German title | Super express |
| Original title | Supertrain |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| year | 1979 |
| Production company |
Dan Curtis Productions |
| length | 45 minutes |
| Episodes | 9 in 1 season ( list ) |
| genre | Drama , adventure |
| idea |
Donald E. Westlake , Earl W. Wallace |
| production |
Robert Stambler , Anthony Spinner , Rod Amateau |
| music | Rob Cobert |
| First broadcast | February 7, 1979 (USA) on NBC |
| occupation | |
| |
Supertrain is an American television series , the nine episodes of which aired on NBC between February 7 and May 5, 1979 .
action
The plot of the series takes place on the so-called Supertrain , a nuclear-powered express train that is equipped with the amenities of a cruise ship , such as a swimming pool, shopping center and a nightclub . Due to the size of the train, it runs on a special wide gauge of three meters. With top speeds of 402 km / h and a cruising speed of 305 km / h, it is supposed to cover a fictitious route from New York City to Los Angeles in 36 hours.
As in The Love Boat series produced at the same time, the stories revolve around the lives of the passengers, usually with several intertwined storylines. A large part of the cast of each episode were guest appearances. The production, which was very elaborate for the time, worked with large studio sets and a technically demanding model train for outdoor shots.
background
At that time, Supertrain was the most expensive television series produced in the United States. The filming was plagued by problems such as model trains crashed and although the series was heavily promoted during the 1978-1979 television season, it earned poor reviews and low audience numbers. Despite a cast reorganization, NBC discontinued the series after just three months. Due to the high costs and the US boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics , NBC narrowly escaped bankruptcy. This is why Supertrain was remembered as one of the greatest television flops in history.
Episode list
| No. ( total ) |
No. ( St. ) |
Original title | First broadcast in the USA | Director | script |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Express to terror | 7th February 1979 | Dan Curtis | Earl. W. Wallace , Donald E. Westlake |
| 2 | 1 | And a Cup of Kindness, Too | February 14, 1979 | Rod Amateau | Shimon Wincelberg |
| 3 | 1 | The Queen and the Improbable Knight | February 21, 1979 | Charles S. Dubin | Brad Radnitz |
| 4th | 1 | Hail to the chief | February 28, 1979 | Barry Crane | Robert I. Holt |
| 5 | 1 | Superstar | March 14, 1979 | David Moessinger | Larry Alexander |
| 6th | 1 | pirouette | April 7, 1979 | Barry Crane | Jeff Wilhelm |
| 7th | 1 | A very formal heist | April 14, 1979 | Barry Crane | Jeff Wilhelm, Brad Radnitz, Robert Stambler |
| 8th | 1 | The Green Girl | April 28, 1979 | Cliff Bole | Stephen Kandel |
| 9 | 1 | Where Have You Been Billy Boy | May 5th 1979 | Barry Crane | Brad Radnitz, Max Hodge , Bill Taub |
criticism
In 2002, the US television magazine TV Guide voted Supertrain 28th of the “50 Worst TV Series of All Time”.
See also
- Broad-gauge railway (National Socialism) - a broad-gauge railway planned by the Deutsche Reichsbahn during World War II with a gauge of 3000 millimeters
- Snowpiercer - a 2013 science fiction film about a similar train equipped with an aquarium and swimming pool that traveled around the world as mankind's last resort in a new ice age
- The Hair-raising Journey in a Crazy Bus (The Big Bus) - a comedy film from 1976 about the maiden voyage of a giant articulated double-decker bus equipped with a bowling alley, a piano bar and a swimming pool
Individual evidence
- ↑ Heavily promoted shows that turned out to be huge flops | KiwiReport (en-US) . In: KiwiReport , June 21, 2018.
- ↑ "7 Of The Most Expensive Flops In Television History: 1. Supertrain." www.businespundit.com , January 31, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
- ^ TV Guide Book of Lists . Running Press, 2007, ISBN 0-7624-3007-9 , p. 181.