Alas, Babylon (Playhouse 90)

"**Alas, Babylon**"
"Alas, Babylon"
Playhouse 90 episode
	Don Murray and Barbara Rush in CBS publicity still for "Alas, Babylon"
Episode no.	Season 4; Episode 13
Directed by	Robert Stevens
Written by	David Shaw
Original air date	April 3, 1960
Running time	90 minutes
Guest appearances
	Don Murray as Randy Bragg; Kim Hunter as Helen Bragg; Dana Andrews as Mark Bragg; Barbara Rush as Liz; Everett Sloane as Dr. Gunn; Rita Moreno as Rita Herndon; Burt Reynolds as Ace;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Hiding Place"	Next →; "Journey to the Day"

"Alas, Babylon" was an American television play broadcast on April 3, 1960, as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90. It was the 13th episode of the fourth season of Playhouse 90.

Plot

A nuclear war is triggered when a young Navy pilot accidentally blows up a port in a foreign country during a time of heightened tensions, and the Soviet Union fires its missiles. The missiles destroy the American Midwest and most of the eastern United States.

The story follows residents of a small Florida town and how they react after learning of a massive nuclear attack that has killed 92% of the world's population.

Production

Peter Kortner was the producer. Robert Stevens was the director. David Shaw wrote the teleplay, based on the novel, Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank.^[1]

The cast included Don Murray as Randy Bragg, Barbara Rush as Liz, Kim Hunter as Helen Bragg, Dana Andrews as Mark Bragg, Everett Sloane as Dr. Gunn, Rita Moreno as Rita Herndon, and Burt Reynolds as Ace.^[1]

A copy of Alas, Babylon is preserved at the UCLA Film and Television Archive. It was transferred from the original 2-inch master tape at the CBS Media Exchange and was shown on March 28, 2015 as part of the 17th Annual Festival of Preservation.^[2]

Reception

In The New York Times, John P. Shanley praised the "dramatic efficiency" and "technically excellent presentation," but questioned the judgment of presenting the "unwarranted horror" of a Soviet nuclear attack, all depicted "in chilling detail."^[3]

John Crosby of the New York Herald Tribune called it "an excellent production" with " splendid cast."^[4]

TV critic Charlie Wadsworth called it "a very shattering and forceful presentation".^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b "Don Murray Stars In Nuclear War Drama". The Daily Reporter. April 2, 1960 – via Newspapers.com.
^ UCLA Festival of Preservation 03.05.15 - 03.30.15 (PDF). Festival of Preservation. 2015. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
^ John P. Shanley (April 4, 1960). "'Alas, Babylon' Moral Cloaked in Horror". The New York Times. p. 59.
^ John Crosby (April 6, 1960). "New TV Fad --- It's a Bye-Bye World'". Oakland Tribune – via Newspapers.com.
^ Charlie Wadsworth (April 4, 1960). "Alas, Babylon As Seen By Author Frank". The Orlando Sentinel. p. 8B – via Newspapers.com.

[DMS-1] "Don Murray Stars In Nuclear War Drama". The Daily Reporter. April 2, 1960 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] UCLA Festival of Preservation 03.05.15 - 03.30.15 (PDF). Festival of Preservation. 2015. Retrieved 2020-12-06.

[3] John P. Shanley (April 4, 1960). "'Alas, Babylon' Moral Cloaked in Horror". The New York Times. p. 59.

[4] John Crosby (April 6, 1960). "New TV Fad --- It's a Bye-Bye World'". Oakland Tribune – via Newspapers.com.

[5] Charlie Wadsworth (April 4, 1960). "Alas, Babylon As Seen By Author Frank". The Orlando Sentinel. p. 8B – via Newspapers.com.

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v t e Playhouse 90
People	John Frankenheimer Martin Manulis Franklin J. Schaffner Rod Serling
Season 1	"Forbidden Area" "Requiem for a Heavyweight" "Sizeman and Son" "Rendezvous in Black" "The Country Husband" "The Big Slide" "Heritage of Anger" "Eloise" "Confession" "Made in Heaven" "Sincerely, Willis Wade" "The Family Nobody Wanted" "Massacre at Sand Creek" "Snowshoes: A Comedy of People and Horses" "The Ninth Day" "So Soon to Die" "The Star Wagon" "The Greer Case" "The Miracle Worker" "The Comedian" "The Coat of White" "The Blackwell Story" "Invitation to a Gunfighter" "The Last Tycoon" "The Hostess with the Mostes'" "Charley's Aunt" "Clipper Ship" "If You Know Elizabeth" "Three Men on a Horse" "Four Women in Black" "Child of Trouble" "Homeward Borne" "Helen Morgan" "Winter Dreams" "Circle of the Day" "Without Incident" "Clash by Night" "Ain't No Time for Glory" "The Fabulous Irishman"
Season 2	"The Death of Manolete" "The Dark Side of the Earth" "Topaze" "A Sound of Different Drummers" "The Playroom" "Around the World in 90 Minutes" "The Mystery of Thirteen" "The Edge of Innocence" "The Clouded Image" "The Jet Propelled Couch" "The Troublemakers" "Panic Button" "Galvanized Yankee" "The Thundering Wave" "For I Have Loved Strangers" "The Lone Woman" "Reunion" "The Last Man" "The 80 Yard Run" "Before I Die" "The Gentleman From Seventh Avenue" "The Violent Heart" "No Time at All" "Point of No Return" "Portrait of a Murderer" "The Last Clear Chance" "The Male Animal" "The Right Hand Man" "Turn Left at Mount Everest" "The Dungeon" "Verdict of Three" "Rumors of Evening" "Not the Glory" "Nightmare at Ground Zero" "Bomber's Moon" "Natchez" "The Innocent Sleep" "A Town Has Turned to Dust" "The Great Gatsby" "A Bitter Heritage"
Season 3	"The Plot to Kill Stalin" "Days of Wine and Roses" "The Time of Your Life" "The Long March" "Shadows Tremble" "Word From a Sealed-Off Box" "Heart of Darkness" "Old Man" "The Return of Ansel Gibbs" "Free Weekend" "Seven Against the Wall" "The Nutcracker" "Face of a Hero" "The Wings of the Dove" "The Blue Men" "The Velvet Alley" "A Quiet Game of Cards" "Child of Our Time" "The Second Man" "The Raider" "The Dingaling Girl" "Made in Japan" "For Whom the Bell Tolls" "A Trip to Paradise" "In Lonely Expectation" "The Day Before Atlanta" "Judgment at Nuremberg" "A Corner of the Garden" "Dark December" "Diary of a Nurse" "A Marriage of Strangers" "Out of Dust" "The Rank and File" "The Killers of Mussolini" "Project Immortality" "Dark as the Night" "The Second Happiest Day"
Season 4	"Target for Three" "The Sounds of Eden" "Misalliance" "The Hidden Image" "The Grey Nurse Said Nothing" "The Tunnel" "The Silver Whistle" "A Dream of Treason" "To the Sound of Trumpets" "The Cruel Day" "Tomorrow" "The Hiding Place" "Alas, Babylon" "Journey to the Day" "The Shape of the River" "In the Presence of Mine Enemies"
Revivals	CBS Playhouse CBS Playhouse 90