1990 film directed by Glenn Jordan
Challenger is a 1990 American
disaster
drama
television film based on the events surrounding the
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986. Its production was somewhat controversial
[10] as the families
[11]
[12] of the astronauts generally objected to it.
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16] A
prologue states
[17] that the film was "researched with the consultation of the
National Aeronauts and Space Administration "
[18] and partly filmed at NASA's
Johnson Space Center
[19]
[20] in
Houston ,
Texas .
Plot
The film concentrates on the safety inspections and arguments surrounding the
O-rings that
ultimately were blamed for the
explosion of
Challenger . While doing this, it also aims to show the personal humanity of the seven
crew members . Generally, the film supports the
Space Shuttle program and the dedication of NASA personnel in general while
criticizing NASA management.
After beginning on the eve of the
launch , the rest of the film is told through
flashback , beginning on July 19, 1985, when
Christa McAuliffe was officially
selected to be the first teacher to
travel into space . The film ends just as the shuttle takes off on January 28, 1986, following a symbolic scene of each of the seven crew members and passengers reciting in their thoughts
John Gillespie Magee Jr. 's poem "
High Flight ".
U.S. President
Ronald Reagan used part of "High Flight" in
a speech written by
Peggy Noonan on the night after the Challenger disaster
[21] while eulogizing the fallen members of the crew.
Cast
Karen Allen
[22]
[23]
[24]
[25] portrayed
Christa McAuliffe ,
[26] Kristin Bond portrayed McAuliffe's daughter, Caroline, and
Kale Browne portrayed McAuliffe's husband,
Steven . Allen and Browne were married in real life.
Peter Boyle portrayed
Roger Boisjoly ,
[27]
[28] the
Thiokol
[29] engineer most vocal
[30] about the danger of launching at
extremely low temperatures because of the risk that the O-ring seals in the shuttle's
rocket boosters would fail at those temperatures.
The film also examines the personal lives of the other members
[31] of the crew -
Barry Bostwick
[32] as Commander
Dick Scobee ,
Brian Kerwin as Pilot
Michael Smith ,
[33]
Joe Morton as Dr.
Ronald McNair ,
Keone Young
[34] as Lt. Col.
Ellison Onizuka ,
Richard Jenkins as
Gregory B. Jarvis ,
Julie Fulton
[35] as Dr.
Judith Resnik - and their families
[36] -
Angela Bassett as Cheryl McNair,
Elizabeth Kemp as Jane Smith, Jeanne Mori as Lorna Onizuka, Debbie Boily as Marcia Jarvis, Melinda Ann Austin as June Scobee,
Melissa Chan as Janelle Onizuka, Gavin Luckett as Reggie McNair, Naoka Nakagawa as Darien Onizuka, Thomas Allen Jr. as Scott Smith - before they boarded Challenger .
Emmy award
At the
42nd Primetime Emmy Awards in September 1990, Challenger won Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries or a Special.
[37]
[38]
See also
References
^ O'Connor, John J. (February 25, 1990).
"TO VIEW; ARROGANCE IN THE NAME OF LIFTOFF?" . The New York Times .
^ Hill, Michael E. (February 25, 1990).
"THE CHALLENGER DISASTER" . The Washington Post .
^ Suro, Robert (February 18, 1990).
"TELEVISION; 'Challenger' Looks At the Human Side Of the Disaster" . The New York Times .
^ Walker, Joseph (February 25, 1990).
"CHALLENGER: CONTROVERSY ENGULFS LATEST DOCUDRAMA" . Deseret News .
^
"Challenger" . TVTango.com .
^
"Challenger – Karen as astronaut and teacher, Christa McAuliffe, Houston, Texas 1989" . homepage - Karen Allen - Actor/Director .
^ Rosenberg, Howard (February 24, 1990).
" 'Challenger': The Wrong Story Got Filmed" . Los Angeles Times .
^ Kogan, Rich (February 23, 1990).
"ABC'S 'CHALLENGER' IS ANOTHER DISASTER" . Chicago Tribune .
^
"February 25, 1990 - Sunday" . TVTango.com .
^ Dawson, Greg (February 25, 1990).
" 'CHALLENGER': PAINFUL BUT MOSTLY WELL-DONE" . Orlando Sentinel . Archived from
the original on June 2, 2021.
^ Dawson, Greg (February 24, 1990).
"NETWORK, FAMILIES AT ODDS" . Orlando Sentinel .
^ Schlangenstein, Mary (February 23, 1990).
"Wives angered by Challenger movie" . UPI .
^
"403. "Challenger" made for TV movie (February 25, 1990)" . Sale into the 90s . January 2020.
^ Jicha, Tom (February 25, 1990).
"McAuliffe Family Criticizes Movie on Challenger Disaster With AM-Space Shuttle" . AP News .
^ O'Connor, John J. (February 25, 1990).
"TO VIEW; ARROGANCE IN THE NAME OF LIFTOFF?" . The New York Times .
^ Jicha, Tom (February 25, 1990).
" 'CHALLENGER' MOVIE RATES THUMBS UP" . South Florida Sun-Sentinel .
^ Shales, Tom (February 25, 1990).
"TV PREVIEW" . The Washington Post .
^ Stoneman, Donnell (February 24, 1990).
"MOVIE TRIVIALIZES A NATIONAL TRAGEDY" . Greensboro News & Record .
^ Maines, Don (October 4, 2018).
"Houston-bound Bostwick reflects on 'Rocky Horror' and 'Challenger' roles" . Houston Chronicle .
^
"CHALLENGER - FILM DETAILS" . TCM.com .
^ Reagan, Ronald; Noonan, Peggy (28 January 1986).
"Address to the nation on the Challenger disaster" . Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation. Archived from
the original on 27 December 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2008 .
^
"Karen Allen Lands 'Challenger' Role" .
Orlando Sentinel . June 29, 1989. Retrieved September 3, 2015 .
^ Carmack, Michael (February 25, 1990).
"EMOTIONS SOAR FOR KAREN ALLEN IN 'CHALLENGER' " . Chicago Tribune .
^ Froelich, Janis D. (February 23, 1990).
"CHALLENGER' IS TOO BOOSTERISH" . Tampa Bay Times .
^ Froelich, Janis D. (February 23, 1990).
" 'CHALLENGER' MOVIE RATES THUMBS UP" . South Florida Sun-Sentinel .
^ Suchoff, Rhiel, David, Mary (4 February 2016).
The Seductions of Biography . Routledge. p. 37.
ISBN
9781134714421 . {{
cite book }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link )
^ Tucker, Ken (February 23, 1990).
"Challenger" . Entertainment Weekly .
^ Armenakis, Achilles A. (September 3, 2002). "Boisjoly on Ethics".
CiteSeerX
10.1.1.891.4916 .
^ Zurawik, David (February 2, 1990).
"Docudramas Take Fiction's Liberties With Our History" . Los Angeles Times .
^ Pergament, Alan (February 23, 1990).
"SUSPENSE IS A PROBLEM IN SHUTTLE DOCUDRAMA" . Buffalo News .
^ Owen, Rob (November 13, 2017).
"Tuned In: Exploring the science behind 'Challenger' " . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette .
^ Gross, Terry (February 19, 1990).
" "Challenger" is More Responsible than Reprehensible, but Still Unnecessary" . The Fresh Air Archive .
^ King, Susan (February 25, 1990).
"The Challenge of 'Challenger' : HOW ABC'S SUNDAY NIGHT MOVIE FINALLY GOT OFF THE GROUND" . Los Angeles Times .
^ Hassan, Mohamed (March 17, 2017).
"After a 50-Year Career, Veteran Actor Keone Young Is an 'Outsider on the Inside' " . NBC News .
^ Townsend, Mary Ann (February 22, 1990).
" 'Challenger' looks behind scenes of space tragedy" . The Observer . Virginia, Charlottesville. p. 20. Retrieved September 23, 2020 – via
Newspapers.com .
^ Zurawik, David (February 25, 1990).
"Turning Tragedy Into Entertainment // 'Challenger' Invades Survivors' Private Grief" . Tulsa World .
^
"Emmys.com list of 1990 Nominees & Winners" . Retrieved May 25, 2019 .
^ Oh, Sheryl (October 3, 2018).
"Michelle Williams to Honor Christa McAuliffe's Life in 'The Challenger' " . Film School Rjects .
External links
Main articles Crew See also
Components
Orbiters Add-ons Sites Operations and training Testing Disasters Support Special Space suits Experiments
Derivatives Replicas Related