World War III (TV miniseries)
Encyclopedia
World War III is an Emmy Award
-winning miniseries
that aired on the NBC
network television in January 1982
.
invasion of Alaska
. The Soviets goal is to sabotage the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in response to a grain embargo like America's 1980 grain embargo
of the Soviet Union, which in turn was because of Soviet aggression in Afghanistan
and the Persian Gulf
, just as the 1980 grain embargo was in response to the 1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. A small force of lightly armed Alaska Army National Guardsmen on a training exercise discovers the presence of the Soviet invaders. The bulk of the miniseries deals with the National Guard's attempt to defend a pumping station along the pipeline, while the Soviet and American leaders engage in talks for an amicable end to the hostilities.
themes, including brinksmanship, political loyalty and the mutual distrust of both sides as they attempt to resolve the issue diplomatically while escalating their military alert levels to force the other side to back down.
as the President of the United States
, Brian Keith
as the Soviet Premier, and Cathy Lee Crosby
and David Soul
as American military officers as well as Liz Sheridan
, Herbert Jefferson, Jr. and Michael Fairman
.
was killed in a helicopter accident in Oregon
during the early stages of production. He was replaced by David Greene
.
According to Rock Hudson
and other sources, prior to Sagal's death, the ending of the miniseries was left open-ended so that either a sequel miniseries or a full season series could be spun off if the first miniseries was a ratings success. However, it was not, and the miniseries concludes with the President releasing US nuclear forces against the Soviets, and vice-versa as the Soviets feel that the US will not abandon the grain embargo. The miniseries ends with a rather Fail-Safe
-type photo montage of large groups of people across the globe in various international settings looking up to the skies as the sound effects of missiles and jets escalate in tone and volume, concluding with a shot of a sunset and a quick cut to black.
Robert L. Joseph
wrote the miniseries.
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
that aired on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
network television in January 1982
1982 in television
The year 1982 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1982.For the American TV schedule, see: 1982-83 American network television schedule.-Events:...
.
Plot
The miniseries begins in 1987 with a SovietSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
invasion of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. The Soviets goal is to sabotage the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in response to a grain embargo like America's 1980 grain embargo
1980 grain embargo
The 1980 grain embargo describes the policy enacted by the United States that banned the export of grain and technology to the Soviet Union in response to the invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Initiated by the Carter administration in January 1980, the embargo was lifted by Ronald Reagan in April 1981...
of the Soviet Union, which in turn was because of Soviet aggression in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, just as the 1980 grain embargo was in response to the 1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. A small force of lightly armed Alaska Army National Guardsmen on a training exercise discovers the presence of the Soviet invaders. The bulk of the miniseries deals with the National Guard's attempt to defend a pumping station along the pipeline, while the Soviet and American leaders engage in talks for an amicable end to the hostilities.
Cold War themes
The film focuses on a number of Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
themes, including brinksmanship, political loyalty and the mutual distrust of both sides as they attempt to resolve the issue diplomatically while escalating their military alert levels to force the other side to back down.
Cast
The cast included Rock HudsonRock Hudson
Roy Harold Scherer, Jr., later Roy Harold Fitzgerald , known professionally as Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with Doris Day.Hudson was voted "Star of the Year",...
as the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, Brian Keith
Brian Keith
Brian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...
as the Soviet Premier, and Cathy Lee Crosby
Cathy Lee Crosby
Cathy Lee Crosby is an American actress. She achieved TV and film success in the 1980s and was a co-host of the television series That's Incredible!. -Personal life:...
and David Soul
David Soul
David Soul is an American-British actor and singer, best known for his role as Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the television programme Starsky and Hutch . He gained British citizenship in 2004.-Early life:...
as American military officers as well as Liz Sheridan
Liz Sheridan
Elizabeth "Liz" Sheridan is an American actress.-Background:Sheridan was born in New York City, the daughter of Elizabeth Poole-Jones, a concert singer, and Frank Sheridan, a classical pianist. Sheridan began her career as a dancer working in New York City in nightclubs and musicals. There, she...
, Herbert Jefferson, Jr. and Michael Fairman
Michael Fairman
Michael Fairman is an American actor, and writer best known for his various roles during his long career, which started when he was 31 years old...
.
Production notes
Director Boris SagalBoris Sagal
Boris Sagal was a Ukrainian-born American television and film director.-Early life and career:Born in Yekaterinoslav, Soviet Union, Sagal emigrated to the United States where he attended the Yale School of Drama. Sagal's many TV credits include directing episodes of The Twilight Zone, "T.H.E...
was killed in a helicopter accident in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
during the early stages of production. He was replaced by David Greene
David Greene (director)
L. David Syms-Greene , born Lucius David Syms Brian Lederman, was a British television director from Manchester, England, who emigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1953, where he trained in television production with the CBC, and then moved on to Hollywood, California.Greene's career began as a stage...
.
According to Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson
Roy Harold Scherer, Jr., later Roy Harold Fitzgerald , known professionally as Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with Doris Day.Hudson was voted "Star of the Year",...
and other sources, prior to Sagal's death, the ending of the miniseries was left open-ended so that either a sequel miniseries or a full season series could be spun off if the first miniseries was a ratings success. However, it was not, and the miniseries concludes with the President releasing US nuclear forces against the Soviets, and vice-versa as the Soviets feel that the US will not abandon the grain embargo. The miniseries ends with a rather Fail-Safe
Fail-Safe (1964 film)
Fail-Safe is a 1964 film directed by Sidney Lumet, based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler. It tells the story of a fictional Cold War nuclear crisis...
-type photo montage of large groups of people across the globe in various international settings looking up to the skies as the sound effects of missiles and jets escalate in tone and volume, concluding with a shot of a sunset and a quick cut to black.
Robert L. Joseph
Robert L. Joseph
Robert L. Joseph was an American theatre producer, playwright, and screenwriter.Joseph's Broadway credits included revivals of King Lear, Major Barbara, and Heartbreak Hotel...
wrote the miniseries.
See also
- AmerikaAmerika (TV miniseries)Amerika – suggesting a Russified name for the United States – is an American television miniseries that was broadcast in 1987 on ABC. It starred Kris Kristofferson, Mariel Hemingway, Sam Neill, Robert Urich, and a 17-year-old Lara Flynn Boyle in her first major role. Amerika was about life in the...
(TV miniseries)