The Final Countdown (1980)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1980
Running Times: 103 mins
Format: colour     35mm     Panavision (anamorphic)
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: Dolby Stereo

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Bryna Productions / Polyc International BV
Executive in Charge of Production: John W. Hyde
Executive Producer: Richard R. St Johns
Producer: Peter Vincent Douglas
Associate Producer / Unit Production Manager: Lloyd Kaufman
Production Coordinator: Florence Nerlinger
Assistant Production Coordinator: Lyn Fink
2nd Unit Coordinator: Judi Bunn

SCRIPT
Script: David Ambrose, Gerry Davis, Thomas Hunter, Peter Powell
Story: Thomas Hunter, Peter Powell, David Ambrose

DIRECTION
Director: Don Taylor
2nd Unit Directors: David Jones, Robert K. Lambert
1st Assistant Director: Pat Kehoe
2nd Assistant Directors: Doug Wise, Ed Milkovich

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Victor J. Kemper
2nd Unit Director of Photography: David L. Butler, Stan Lazan
Camera Operator: Bob Thomas
Assistant Camera: Bob Marta, Bob Horne
Gaffer: Earl Gilbert
Best Boys: Rhio Haessig, Bernie Schwartz
Key Grip: Gaylin Schultz
Stills: Jim Coe
Colour Timer: Virgil Tanner
Lab: TVC Laboratories, New York, USA
Prints: Technicolor

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Robert K. Lambert
Assistant Editors: Timothy Tobin, Michael Dobie, Leslie Dennis
Post Production Executive: Robert K. Lambert
Negative Cutter: Donah Bassett
Post Production Facilities: Samuel Goldwyn Studios

MUSIC
Music: John Scott
Music Supervisor: George Craig
Music Mixer: John Richards
Music Editors: Else Blangsted Ltd, Milton Lustig
Music Recording: The Music Centre

SOUND
Sound Mixer: Bruce Bisenz
Boom Operator: Robert Crosby Jr
Re-Recording Mixers: Robert J. Litt, David J. Kimball, Howard S. Wollman
Dialogue Supervisor: Norman B. Schwartz
Special Sound Effects: Alan S. Howarth
Sound Effects Editors: Richard L. Anderson, Stephen Flick, Warren Hamilton Jr, Mark Mangini

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up Supervisor: Bob Mills
Make Up: Irving Buchman
Hair: Romaine Greene
Costume Designer: Ray Summers
Costumers: Cynthia Bales, James Tyson

SPECIAL MAKE UP EFFECTS
Special Make Up Designer: Bob Mills

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Pat Elmendorf, Gary Elmendorf, Joe Day
Time Lapse Special Effects: Louis Schwartzberg

VISUAL EFFECTS
Special Visual Effects / Storm Sequence: Maurice Binder
Optical Technician: Jim Allsop
Optical Editor: Tom Pullinger
Opticals: The Optical House, National Screen
Laser Effects: Holoco

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Fernando Carrere
Assistant Art Director: Dale Koeppe
Set Decorator: Dennis Peebles
Property Master: Kent Johnson
Assistant Property Master: Bob Boettcher
Construction Coordinator: William Maldonado
Production Illustrator: Nikita Knatz

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Lynn Aber
Production Administrator: Kate Morris
Production Secretary: Pat Moseman
Secretary to the Producer: Susan Becton
Production Assistants: Fred Baillie, Mike Batzler, Steven Bridges, Rob Mays, Michael Durant, Clair Ward
Location Auditor: Jim McMahon
Transportation Coordinator: Frank 'Cat' Ballou
Grumman Technical Advisor: Richard Milligan
Grumman Technical Unit: Bruce Montgomery, Gerry Costello, Tony Tenreiro
B-25 Camera Plane: Tallmantz Aviation
Dogfight Zeros: Confederate Airforce
US Navy Technical Advisor: Capt. William S. Graves USN
Unit Publicist: Jack Casey
Production Services: Aspen Productions
Hawaiian Production Services: Allison Productions

LOCATIONS
Locations: Norfolk, Virginia, USA; USS Nimitz
Location Coordinators: Tony Gittelson, B.J. Johnson, Benjamin Bruce
Location Assistants: Mark Winter, Doug Kenny

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Producers are grateful to: The Grumman Aerospace Corp For their co-operation
The Producers wish to express their grateful appreciation to: TheDepartment of Defense; The Department of the Navy
With Special thanks to: Commander Naval Air Force U.S. AtlanticFleet; The officers and crew of the USS Nimitz; The officers and crew of Carrier Air Wing B

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinator: Bill Couch
Stunt Doubles: Orwin Harvey, Colby Smith

CAST
Kirk Douglas (Captain Matthew Yelland)
Martin Sheen (Warren Lasky)
Katharine Ross (Laurel Scott)
James Farentino (Commander Richard Owens)
Ron O'Neal (Commander Dan Thurman)
Charles Durning (Senator Samuel Chapman)
Victor Mohica (Black Cloud)
James C. Lawrence (Lt Perry)
Soon-Tek Oh (Simura)
Joe Lowry (Damon)
Alvin Ing (Kajima)
Mark Thomas (Marine Cpl. Kullman)
Harold Bergman (Bellman)
Dan Fitzgerald (ship's doctor)
Peter Douglas (quartermaster)
Ted Richert (Tideman's assistant)
George Warren (Tideman's bodyguard)
Gary Morgan (helicopter crewman)
Phil Philbin (Admiral)
Robert Goodman (enlisted man)
Richard Liberty (Lt. Cmdr. Moss)
Neil Ronco (Harvey)
William Couch (Durrell)
Jack McDermott (Wynn)
Masayuki Yamazuki (Togawa)
George H. Strohsahl Jr (air boss)
Ronald R. Stoops (navigator)
Kenneth J. Jaskolski (assistant air boss)
Sergei M. Kowalchik (crewman)
Jake Dennis (helicopter pilot)
Jim Toone (helicopter co-pilot)
Edward J. Deats (chief)
Robert L. Huffman (radio operator)
James R. Augustus (Officer of the Deck)
Sam P. Baldwin (Lee helmsman)
Ronnie J. Ellis (Captain's aide)
Timothy W. Gersbacher, Wayne L. Flesher, William S. Frost, David H. Signor (enlisted men)
Tommy Abel, Andrew Akerson, Edward Andrews, Nick L. Anelli, Frank R. Arko, Emory W. Brown, Michael K. Balint, James Bulick, Andris Dambekaln, John T. Davis, Michael A. Davis, James A. Dennis Jr, Frank DiRamio, Jerry D. Elliott, Richard Farrell, James W. Huston, Richard M. Johnson, Ronald Kissel, Michael J. Kubat, Raymond P. Langley, Eric Lofquist, Kermit L. McCorble, Robert K. Miller, William H. Miller, Gerry Mountcastle, William McCluskey, Alan Mullen, Charles F. Myers, Jeffery L. Myers, Randy M. Olin, David F. Person, Raymond M. Reynaud, Daniel C. Rockwell, Francis Ross, Trevor R. Sandison, Gregory T. Swarney, Andrey Swystun, Christopher V. Totis, Mark Trenor, Brian Tyndall, Peter D. Vogt, David Wanamaker, Stephen G. Weaver, Jan P. Werson, Steven G. Williams, Aaron B. Wilson, Michael Wilson, David E. Young (USS Nimitz crew)

PLOT SUMMARY

The nuclear aircraft carrier USS Nimitz encounters a time warp which transports it back through time to 1941. There the crew find themselves standing between the Japanese military and their objective – the US Navy base at Pearl Harbour...

AVAILABILITY

Brazil
Video Distributors: New Line Home Vídeo

France
Theatrical Distributors: Union Générale Cinématographique

Germany
DVD Distributors: Laser Paradies (40498); e-m-s new media (Special Edition)

Spain
DVD Distributors: Manga Films S.L.

UK
Theatrical Distributors: United Artists Corporation Ltd

USA
Video Distributors: Blue Underground Inc; Vestron Video
Theatrical Distributors: United Artists
Laserdisc Distributors: Image (ID 5238 VE)
DVD Distributors: Blue Underground (BU1045DVD); Blue Underground (BU1046DVD); Blue Underground (BU2004DVD)

West Germany
Theatrical Distributors: Jugendfilm-Verleih GmbH

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: PG

Finland
Rating: K-12

Norway
Rating: 16 (1981, uncut); 12 (1982, with cuts); 15 (DVD rating)

Singapore
Rating: PG

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: PG
The theatrical release was cut to earn its PG certificate. The cuts were reinstated in 2002.

USA
Rating: PG

West Germany
Rating: 12

AWARDS

1981
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, USA (Saturn Awards)
Best Actor (Kirk Douglas) - nominated
Best Science Fiction Film - nominated

1982
Golden Screen, Germany
Golden Screen - winner

TIMELINE

1980
July
9: France – theatrical release

August
1: USA – theatrical release

September
5: Finland – theatrical release

October
21: Norway – theatrical release
30: West Germany – theatrical release

1981
January
5: Sweden – theatrical release

2001
December
13: Germany - DVD release (e-m-s new media (Special Edition))

2004
March
30: USA - DVD releases (Blue Underground (BU1045DVD); Blue Underground (BU1046DVD); Blue Underground (BU2004DVD))

POSTER TAGS

"...This is the USS Nimitz. Where The Hell Are We...?" - Trapped inside the boundaries of time and space... 102 aircraft... 6,000 men... all missing.

Nothing in the world can prepare you for...

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

A Contagem Final - Portuguese title
Countdown dimensione zero - Italian title
El final de la cuenta atrás - Spanish title
Hurrikaani - Finnish title
Jeszcze raz Pearl Harbour - Polish title
Der Letzte Countdown - Austrian / West German title
Nimitz - De Volta ao Inferno - Brazilian title
O Nimitz Volta ao Inferno - Brazilian television title
Nimitz, retour vers l'enfer - French title
Timmen noll - Swedish title
USS Nimitz - forsvunnet i Stillehavet - Norwegian title
USS Nimitz - Norwegian title

LINKS

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Lloyd Kaufman Goes Hollywood (2004)

REFERENCES

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

aircraft, aircraft carriers, alternative histories, harbours, helicopters, jet fighters, pearl harbor, ships, time travel, twist endings, world war ii

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008