I don’t know B-L, I think Tatia and Jimmy are only sharing that cupcake in a metaphorical (or possibly biblical?) sense. Jimmy is more interested in Tatia’s hair than the baked goods (and who can blame him?). And Tatia seems to be using the cupcake to summon the spirit of Dolly Madison from the deep recesses of the Earth.
When Joseph Culp auditioned for Ron Howard, for one of the mission control technicians in "Apollo 13", Ron remembered shooting the episode with his dad. On top of which, Joseph told Howard about the TV movie Bob starred in about the Apollo 13 mission, "Houston, We've Got a Problem". Turns out, none of them knew anything about the movie and quickly dispatched someone to find a copy.
I think Tatia, it would be a fitting tribute to post photos of father and son, in their roles as NASA techs from their respective Apollo 13 movies.
As always, I remain,
Yours faithfully,
MBF
This message has been edited by MisterBeardface from IP address 67.135.106.98 on Oct 1, 2008 11:50 AM
Happy to oblige whenever I can MBF ... But I can only reply to 1/2 of your request, since I do not have a copy of Ron Howard's "Apollo 13." Does anyone out there, and can you take a screen snap of the younger and most talented Joseph Culp in that film?
In the meantime, here is the senior and most talented Robert Culp as Steve Bell, the mission control expert, in the film "Houston, We've Got a Problem" from 1974. Bob really put in an excellent performance as this fine gentleman battling severe heart problems during the Apollo mission crisis.
The slant of this film was quite interesting - chronicling the events unfolding from the point of view of the people involved in Mission Control in Houston - and how their personal lives were involved. Of course, some of the "personal life" aspects were a little maudlin and overdone in a fictionalized docu-drama style. But overall it was a most interesting film with a most interesting cast - Gary Collins, Clu Gulager, Ed Nelson, Sandra Dee, and Mrs. Culp No. 4, Sheila Sullivan, among others.
Anyone else seen this film? Love to hear your opinion!
As always,
Tatia
(P.S. I'm off on another short assignment tomorrow. Yes, these photo shoots keep a girl busy! I don't know if I will have easy access to a computer while I'm away, so keep the home fires burning til I return.)
I love Apollo 13! It is one of my favorite movies. I am a big space buff. I work part-time at the Challenger Space Center
I did not know that Joseph Culp was in the movie though! I would love to know which mission control person he played. MBF, has he ever shared any stories with you about making that picture?
I also didn't know anything about the earlier movie with Mr. Culp. Looks like it would be worth watching.
I don't know the name of Joseph's character - he is simply one of the many Mission Control technicians in the film. Evidently, he and the other actors, including stars Gary Sinese and Ed Harris, had to attend several on-set lectures from actual NASA personnel about space travel and the job that Mission Control did, before actual shooting began.
I got the feeling there was a sense of comradeship on the set, as they all spent days together shooting those scenes. Joseph has a few stand alone dialogue moments, as well as numerous dramatic shots where he helps personify the tension of the Mission Control team as they monitor the Apollo 13 situation.
I bought a fine copy of this TV movie from ioffer.com
It's very much along the lines of what Tatia described--we see the folks working in the command center at Houston, and learn about the problems in their lives, which are all unique and individual. Culp's is, indeed severe early heart disease--poor guy in his 40s has had, I think, an MI, and certainly has bad angina attacks in the movie. The stress of the situation at work of course makes it worse but Culp's commitment to helping out the astronauts keeps him on the job instead of retiring. It's a good little TV movie, interesting and well done. Just the right amount of angst and melodrama. I liked it. Culp did a great job and one can only hope that after he collapses at the end, he quits working and somehow overcomes his severe and premature heart disease, which is unlikely, but hey, anything can happen in the world of TV movies!
