[ April 24, 2024 ]
Tonight's Saturday night feature was a made-for-tv movie that went on to become a teenage cult classic, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, starring John Travolta, Robert Reed (Carol Brady's husband on The Brady Bunch), Glynnis O'Connor and Diana Hyland. Executive Producers were Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. Who can forget John Travolta in the bubble? It was Travolta's first feature-length film, and it catapulted him to stardom.
I loved this gloriously dated film about teen love. It was a total guilty pleasure. And looking at it now in the rear view mirror reminds me of that carefree era and all that we've lost.
Then Welcome Back Kotter star John Travolta headlines the made-for-TV Boy in the Plastic Bubble. Douglas Day Stewart's fact-based teleplay casts Travolta as Tod Lubitsch, a teenager who was born without disease immunities. Tod is forced to live out his life in incubator conditions; whenever he vetnures into the outdoors, he must be encased in a huge plastic bubble. When he falls in love with Gina Biggs (Glynnis O'Connor), Tod must decide between staying safe and following his heart, which would mean facing near-certain death. Diana Hyland won an Emmy for her portrayal of Travolta's mother. Incidentally, Hyland and Travolta became real-life lovers, a relationship that was tragically terminated when the actress died of cancer. Boy in the Plastic Bubble was first telecast November 12, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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I stumbled upon it accidentally — not sure how it fell into the public domain, but for those feeling nostalgic for the seventies, a carefree, almost silly time — this is it.
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5 Comments
13 years ago
Wow! What memories that movie conjures up! I remember watching that when I was about 9 yrs old. The only thing I recall from the movie was the scene when he was in the bubble on the beach. I loved the 70’s though!! Maybe because that’s when I had no worries and life was carefree.
Thanks for jogging the memory Pamela.
13 years ago
Cheesy!
13 years ago
Haven’t yet seen the movie, and although Travolta is a good actor, I believe he’s even a better humanitarian, delivering food and medicine personally after flying a jet to New Orleans (he’s a commercial pilot owning 5 aircraft, including a Boeing 707-138). He flew his Boeing 707 to Haiti as well to help. Although I’m not a fan of Scientology (at least they’re not allowed/required to behead, rape, amputate, crucify, us etc. like Muslims per Koran in Islam), he’s seen more than his share of hardships – both with his son, and former lover dying.
Quoting Wikipedia “Later that year, Hyland was diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent a mastectomy. The next year, she began a romantic relationship with the actor John Travolta after meeting him on the set of the television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. Despite the mastectomy, her cancer continued to spread, and her health deteriorated. Hyland and Travolta remained together until her death, on March 27, 1977 in Los Angeles. Diana, who was 18 years older than Travolta, died in his arms.”
Thank you Ms. Geller (GellerWoman), SpencerMan, and all others in the fight to avoid regression into 7th century barbarism as Islam requires.
13 years ago
I’d forgotten all about Glynnis O’Connor. I was always a fan of her and anything she was in!
13 years ago
I found a picture of Glynnis from PJ the Movie (whatever that is, haven’t seen but think I will).
She looks wonderful. I still love her. Randy
