The Day After (1983)
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- Unrated
- 2h 7min
- Drama, Sci-Fi
- 20 Nov 1983 (USA)
- TV Movie
The effects of a devastating nuclear holocaust on small-town residents of eastern Kansas.
Director:
Writer:
Awards:
- Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 11 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| Jason Robards | ... |
Dr. Russell Oakes
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| JoBeth Williams | ... |
Nurse Nancy Bauer
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| Steve Guttenberg | ... |
Stephen Klein
(as Steven Guttenberg)
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| John Cullum | ... |
Jim Dahlberg
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| John Lithgow | ... |
Joe Huxley
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| Bibi Besch | ... |
Eve Dahlberg
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Lori Lethin | ... |
Denise Dahlberg
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| Amy Madigan | ... |
Alison Ransom
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| Jeff East | ... |
Bruce Gallatin
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| Georgann Johnson | ... |
Helen Oakes
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| William Allen Young | ... |
Airman Billy McCoy
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Calvin Jung | ... |
Dr. Sam Hachiya
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| Lin McCarthy | ... |
Dr. Austin
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| Dennis Lipscomb | ... |
Reverend Walker
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Clayton Day | ... |
Dennis Hendry
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Doug Scott | ... |
Danny Dahlberg
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Ellen Anthony | ... |
Joleen Dahlberg
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Kyle Aletter | ... |
Marilyn Oakes
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Alston Ahern | ... |
Cynthia
(as Alston Ahearn)
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William Allyn | ... |
Professor
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Antonie Becker | ... |
Ellen Hendry
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| Pamela Brown | ... |
Nurse
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Jonathan Estrin | ... |
Julian French
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| Stephen Furst | ... |
Aldo
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| Arliss Howard | ... |
Tom Cooper
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Rosanna Huffman | ... |
Dr. Wallenberg
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Barbara Harris | ... |
Cleo Mackey
(as Barbara Iley)
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| Madison Mason | ... |
TV Host
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Bob Meister | ... |
Cody
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Vahan Moosekian | ... |
Mack
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| George Petrie | ... |
Dr. Landowska
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Glenn Robards | ... |
Barber #2
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| Tom Spratley | ... |
Barber #1
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Stan Wilson | ... |
Vinnie Conrad
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Arthur Ashe | ... |
TV Newscaster (uncredited)
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Bill Baker | ... |
College Student (uncredited)
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| Billy Beck | ... |
Dying Old Man Squatter (uncredited)
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Brian Beltran | ... |
College Student (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Nicholas Meyer | ||
Written by
| Edward Hume | ... | (written by) |
Produced by
| Stephanie Austin | ... | associate producer |
| Robert A. Papazian | ... | producer |
Music by
| David Raksin | ||
Cinematography by
| Gayne Rescher | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| William Paul Dornisch | ||
| Robert Florio | ||
Editorial Department
| Janet Bartels-Vandagriff | ... | assistant editor (as Janet Bartels) |
| Sharon Burke | ... | assistant editor |
| Barbara Palmer Dixon | ... | additional editor |
| Paul Dixon | ... | editor: film |
| Walton Dornisch | ... | assistant editor |
| David McCann | ... | post production supervisor |
Casting By
| Ross Brown | ||
| Hank McCann | ||
Production Design by
| Peter Wooley | ||
Set Decoration by
| Mary Ann Good | ||
Makeup Department
| Judy Crown | ... | hair stylist |
| Zoltan Elek | ... | makeup artist |
| Dorothea Long | ... | hair stylist |
| Michael Mills | ... | prosthetic makeup artist |
| Michael Westmore | ... | makeup designer (as Mike Westmore) |
Production Management
| Hal Galli | ... | production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Elie Cohn | ... | first assistant director |
| Gail Joyce Fortmuller | ... | second assistant director |
| Steven-Charles Jaffe | ... | second unit director |
| Scott Thaler | ... | first assistant director: second unit |
Art Department
| Lavar Emert | ... | property master |
| Joseph G. Pacelli Jr. | ... | set designer (as Joe Pacelli) |
| Mort Zwicker | ... | construction coordinator |
| Richard M. Kristy | ... | set dresser (uncredited) |
| Joseph Musso | ... | production illustrator (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Gary C. Bourgeois | ... | re-recording mixer (as Gary Bourgeois) |
| Fred Judkins | ... | sound editor |
| Charles T. Knight | ... | production sound (as Charlie Knight) |
| Frank Serafine | ... | sound designer |
| Jill Taggart | ... | loop editor |
| Christopher T. Welch | ... | sound editor |
| James Bailey | ... | foley artist (uncredited) |
| Kevin F. Cleary | ... | re-recording mixer (uncredited) |
| Brian Courcier | ... | sound editor (uncredited) |
| Greg Dillon | ... | sound editor (uncredited) |
| David R. Elliott | ... | sound editor (uncredited) |
| Robert L. Harman | ... | re-recording mixer (uncredited) |
| Michael Hilkene | ... | sound editor (uncredited) |
| Carl Mahakian | ... | sound editor (uncredited) |
| Joseph A. Mayer | ... | sound editor (uncredited) |
| Joe Melody | ... | sound editor (uncredited) |
| Troy Porter | ... | sound recordist (uncredited) |
| Catherine Shorr | ... | sound editor (uncredited) |
| Richard Shorr | ... | sound editor (uncredited) |
| Jill Taggart | ... | adr editor (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| Robert Blalack | ... | special effects |
| Bob Dawson | ... | special effects (as Robert Dawson) |
| Katherine Kean | ... | special effects |
Visual Effects by
| Christopher Dusendschon | ... | cloud tank cinematography: PRAXIS FILMWORKS (uncredited) / high speed miniature cinematography: PRAXIS FILMWORKS (uncredited) / optical compositor: PRAXIS FILMWORKS (uncredited) |
| Dion Hatch | ... | animation cameraman: Movie Magic (uncredited) |
| Mark Madel | ... | electronics design (uncredited) / motion control software (uncredited) |
| Chris Regan | ... | optical supervisor (uncredited) / visual effects (uncredited) |
| Jay Riddle | ... | visual effects coordinator (uncredited) |
Stunts
| Paul Stader | ... | stunt coordinator |
| Debbi A. Davison | ... | stunt performer (uncredited) |
| Larry Holt | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Romolo Acquistapace | ... | gaffer (as Ro Acquistapace) |
| Gene Griffith | ... | key grip |
| Neil Roach | ... | director of photography: second unit |
| Dean Williams | ... | still photographer |
| John Earl Burnett | ... | second assistant camera: additional photography (uncredited) |
| Rick Fee | ... | assistant camera (uncredited) |
| Louis Niemeyer | ... | first assistant camera (uncredited) |
Casting Department
| Mary West | ... | casting associate |
| Jack Wright | ... | extras casting: Kansas |
| Brendan Donnison | ... | adr voice casting (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Dianne Cohoon | ... | costumer: women |
| Bill Flores | ... | costumes: men |
| John S. Perry | ... | costume supervisor (as John Perry) |
Location Management
| Steve Dayan | ... | location manager (as Steve A. Dayan) |
| Andree Juviler | ... | location manager |
| Tom Lackey | ... | location scout (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Wayne Kiser | ... | music preparation |
| Virgil Thomson | ... | music from 'The River' by |
| Angela Morley | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Roy Prendergast | ... | music editor (uncredited) |
| Dan Wallin | ... | score mixer (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Barbara Amato | ... | script supervisor |
Transportation Department
| Gene Clinesmith | ... | transportation coordinator |
| Linda Cipperley | ... | transportation (uncredited) |
| Hugh Kelly | ... | driver (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Penelope Gottlieb | ... | titles |
| Timothy J. Hayes | ... | research advisor (as Timothy J. Hayes M.D.) |
| Eric Fladung | ... | production assistant (uncredited) |
| Arthur Kanegis | ... | research by (uncredited) |
| Nancy Parker | ... | voice actor (uncredited) |
| Janna Wong Healy | ... | assistant to Mr. Meyer (uncredited) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1983) (United States) (tv)
- Sandrew Film & Teater (1983) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- TOBIS Film (1983) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- ITV - Independent Television (1983) (United Kingdom) (tv)
- Adams Filmi (1984) (Finland) (theatrical)
- Aries Cinematográfica Argentina (1984) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Arte Cinema de México (1984) (Mexico) (theatrical)
- Arte Nova Filmes (1984) (Brazil) (theatrical)
- Concorde Film (1984) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Roadshow Films (1984) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Shochiku-Fuji Company (1984) (Japan) (theatrical) (subtitled)
- Atlas Video (West Germany) (VHS)
- Embassy Home Entertainment (1984) (United States) (VHS)
- Fram Film (1984) (Norway) (VHS)
- Producers Sales Organization (PSO) (1984) (World-wide) (as 'PSO International')
- Rank Video (1984) (United Kingdom) (VHS)
- Roadshow Home Video (1984) (Australia) (video)
- TV Asahi (1984) (Japan) (tv) (Sunday Western Theatre) (dubbed)
- VTC-Video (Finland) (VHS)
- Video City International (1984) (Greece) (VHS)
- CBS/Fox (1988) (Argentina) (VHS)
- Buena Vista Television (1995) (World-wide) (tv)
- Embassy Home Entertainment (United States) (video) (laserdisc)
- Polyband (1998) (Germany) (VHS)
- EuroVideo (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
- Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (United States) (DVD)
- RTL Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (tv) (RTL8)
- Kino Lorber (2018) (United States) (Blu-ray)
- Kino Lorber (2018) (United States) (DVD)
- NHK-BS2 (1992) (Japan) (tv) (subtitled)
- Nordic Video (Finland) (VHS)
- Pidax Film (2022) (Germany) (Blu-ray)
- Pidax Film (2022) (Germany) (DVD)
- Summa Video (United States) (VHS)
- TV Asahi (1984) (Japan) (tv) (dubbed version)
Special Effects
- Movie Magic (special photo effects)
Other Companies
- Chronicle Productions (additional photography)
- Consolidated Film Industries (CFI) (opticals)
- Echo Film Services (sound)
- Inter Video (24 frame video services)
- Lightflex America Inc. (lightflex system by)
- Music Design Group (music editing)
- Praxis Film Works (special effects)
- Ryder Sound Services (sound)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
The frightening story of the weeks leading up to and following a nuclear strike on the United States. The bulk of the activity centers around the town of Lawrence, Kansas.
Written by Anthony Ventarola |
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| Taglines | They told us it would be impossible to make this movie. They told us it would be impossible for you to watch it. We hope nothing is impossible. See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Additional Details
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | The program originally aired on November 20, 1983. It remains the most-watched TV movie in U.S. history. Estimates put the viewership at over 100 million Americans, with a Nielsen share of 62 percent. See more » |
| Goofs | When Dr. Austin (Lin McCarthy) is explaining the effects of the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from the nuclear blast, he says. "It's all theoretical. It's never happened before." In actuality, the United States detonated a 3.8 megaton warhead at an altitude of 50 miles, 1 August 1958, in the Operation Hardtack Teak shot nuclear test. This event caused unexpected communications disruption and damage to electrical equipment in an area that ranged between Hawaii and New Zealand. It was the first observation of the EMP effect. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Edited from Two-Minute Warning (1976). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Music from 'The River' See more » |
| Crazy Credits | [After movie has ended, before end credits.] The catastrophic events you have just witnessed are, in all likelihood, less severe than the destruction that would actually occur in the event of a full nuclear strike against the United States. It is hoped that the images of this film will inspire the nations of this earth, their peoples, and leaders to find the means to avert that fateful day. See more » |
| Quotes |
[intercontinental ballistic missiles are being fired]
Cynthia: What's going on? Joe Huxley: Those are Minuteman missiles! Cynthia: Like a test, sort of... like a warning? Joe Huxley: [shakes his head, staring at the missiles in awe and disbelief] They're on their way to Russia. They take about 30 minutes to reach their target. Aldo: So do theirs, right? See more » |