Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Comedy
    Comedy Drama TV Shows - 1970s 3 Mins Read

    Supertrain

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    1 9 7 9 (USA)
    9 x 60 minute episodes

    Zooming from New York City to Los Angeles at over 200 miles per hour, the nuclear-powered Supertrain was equipped with restaurants, a 22-by-14-foot swimming pool, spas, a gymnasium (equipped with a steam room), a disco bar, a medical centre and a theatre, and each week’s guest passengers had their own problems to resolve before the end of their trip.

    supertrain5

    Yep – just like Love Boat, but on rails.

    The show had only five permanent cast members; Robert Alda (father of M*A*S*H‘s Alan Alda) as the resident medico, Dr Dan Lewis, Nita Talbot as nurse Rose Casey, Edward Andrews as chief conductor Harry Flood, Patrick Collins as passenger relations officer Dave Noonan and Harrison Page as Chief Porter George Boone.

    The short-lived show depended on guest stars (much as Love Boat did), such as Loretta Swit, Jamie Farr, Dick Van Dyke (miscast as a villain), Zsa Zsa Gabor, Roddy McDowall, Bernie Kopell, Abe Vigoda, Victor Buono, Keenan Wynn and Stella Stevens.

    Mystery, drama, comedy, international intrigue and romance (along with sex and violence) all took place aboard the sleek land liner as it rocketed across the country at 200 miles per hour.

    The real hero of Supertrain was Ned Parsons, the art director who conceived and built the train from scratch in little more than three months. He supervised 200 construction workers on the MGM lot who worked around the clock in three shifts on stages 11, 27 and 29. A Lockheed hangar in Burbank was used for miniature sequences.

    Supertrain was the most expensive American TV series ever produced at the time – an estimated $12 million before it even aired. It was reported that the failure of this show, along with the US boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics (which NBC was supposed to cover), nearly bankrupted NBC.

    supertrain7

    The ratings dropped like a rock and it was pulled from the NBC schedule barely one month after it had begun. Efforts were made to rework the concept, including cutting down on the number of regular crew members.

    When it returned after a month’s hiatus, only conductor Harry Flood, Dr Lewis and chief porter Boone were left from the original crew. Two new members – chief operations officer Wayne Randall (Joey Aresco) and social director Penny Whitaker (Ilene Graff) – were added, and the behind-the-scenes production team had been changed, but it didn’t help.

    Less than six months after its premiere, Supertrain was derailed for good. In the television industry, Supertrain practically became a byword for expensive, overproduced and misconceived TV shows.

    Conductor Harry Flood
    Edward Andrews
    Dave Noonan
    Patrick Collins
    Porter George Boone
    Harrison Page
    Dr Dan Lewis
    Robert Alda
    Rose Casey
    Nita Talbot
    Gilda
    Aarika Wells
    Wally
    William Nuckols
    Bartender Lou Atkins
    Michael DeLano
    Roben the hairdresser
    Charlie Brill
    Engineer TC
    Anthony Palmer
    Social Director Penny Whitaker
    Ilene Graff
    Wayne Randall
    Joey Aresco

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Here's Lucy
      Here's Lucy
      1 9 6 8 - 1 9 7 4 (USA) 144 x 30 minute episodes Lucille Ball's fourth series, Here's Lucy, debuted…
    • Love and Marriage
      Love and Marriage
      1 9 5 9 - 1 9 6 0 (USA) 18 x 30 minute episodes A behind-the-scenes look at the business…
    • That Was The Week That Was (USA)
      That Was The Week That Was (USA)
      1 9 6 4 - 1 9 6 5 (USA) 21 x 30 minute episodes This Americanised version of the hit…
    • Jezebel ex UK
      Jezebel ex UK
      1 9 6 3 (UK) 13 x 55 minute episodes This anthology of one-hour Saturday night plays from ABC told a…
    • Alcoa Theatre
      Alcoa Theatre
      1 9 5 7 - 1 9 6 0 (USA) 65 x 30 minute episodes Several major changes were made when…
    • Vega$
      Vega$
      1 9 7 8 - 1 9 8 1 (USA) 68 x 60 minute episodes The 1957 Thunderbird convertible seen driving…
    • Lux Video Theatre
      Lux Video Theatre
      1 9 5 0 - 1 9 5 7 (USA) 337 x 30/60 minute episodes For four years on CBS,…
    • Jim Backus Show, The (Hot Off The Wire)
      Jim Backus Show, The (Hot Off The Wire)
      1 9 6 0 - 1 9 6 1 (USA) 39 x 30 minute episodes Jim Backus starred in this…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleOutlaws
    Next Article Robbery (1967)

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Sensurround
      If you went to see Earthquake (1974) at a cinema, chances are […]
    • Models, The
      The Models formed in 1978 from the remnants of two ill-fated […]
    • Cabaret Voltaire
      This experimental band formed in Sheffield in 1974 and played […]
    • Tales of the Gold Monkey
      1 9 8 2 – 1 9 8 3 (USA) 22 x 60 minute episodes Jake […]
    • Babes of S.H.A.D.O – Colonel Virginia Lake
      Colonel Virginia Lake (Wanda Ventham) first appeared in the […]
    • Don McLean
      Don McLean was born into a comfortable suburban home in New […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.