Condominium (miniseries)

Condominium is a 1980 two-part, four-hour television miniseries based on the best-selling novel by John D. MacDonald and featuring an all-star cast: Barbara Eden, Dan Haggerty, Steve Forrest, Ana Alicia, Richard Anderson, Ralph Bellamy, Larry Bishop, MacDonald Carey, Dane Clark, Linda Cristal, Elinor Donahue, Don Galloway, Pamela Hensley, Arte Johnson, Jack Jones, Dorothy Malone and Stuart Whitman.^[1]

Although produced by MCA/Universal for the Operation Prime Time (OPT) syndicated network of independent stations, Condominium premiered first on HBO on April 6 and 7, 1980 nearly six months before airing commercially on the OPT network (November 1980).^[2][3]

The miniseries' tagline was: A playground for the rich, poised on the brink of destruction!

Synopsis

The miniseries depicts events in the lives of the residents at the new Silver Sands Condominium in Fiddler Key, Florida – a complex built by a greedy and irresponsible corporation – and the problems that occur when a hurricane threatens to destroy Silver Sands.^[4]

Cast

Filming

Condominium was filmed from August to November 1979 on location at Pinnacle Port Condominiums in Panama City, Florida and Playa del Rey in Los Angeles, California; interior scenes were shot at Universal Studios in Universal City, California.^[5]

According to production notes, in the scene where Barbara Eden, Dan Haggerty and Ralph Bellamy are struggling to reach the mainland during the hurricane which was filmed at Falls Lake on the backlot of Universal Studios, executive producer Robert A. Cinader had a real challenge to create hurricane-like forces on a beautiful sunny California day. Combining the forces of the Los Angeles County Fire Department in the use of three fire engines, a deluge truck, a portable deluge gun and eight firemen, Cinader was able to pump 9,500 gallons of water per minute into the lake toward the boat housing the cast; with the aid of special effects coordinator Dave Lopez and his crew, water cannons, large wind machines, wave and rain-making machines were all put into action. Although the skies were blue and cloudless, and the sunshine was enough to burn the skin, the result was a stormy, dark effect with crashing, water-swollen waves which ultimately capsized the boat. Much of this equipment was driven to the Florida location also to be used in creating dramatic hurricane scenes at the actual condominium site.^[6]

The interiors and the exterior of the condominium were duplicated in miniature size for the hurricane scenes. To get the realistic effect of a hurricane tidal wave crashing into the condominium, a sixty-man crew at Universal's Stage 27 created an 8-foot high replica of the actual Florida condominium, complete with swimming pool. The tidal wave effect called for 10 wind machines, six wave-makers and four dump tanks that unleashed 80 tons of water down three chutes.^[7]

Home video release

To date, Condominium has never been released on DVD or any other format in the United States.

References

External links

• Condominium at the Internet Movie Database
• Condominium at AllMovie
• Condominium at the TCM Movie Database
• Condominium at Hill Place
• Condominium review at Made for TV Mayhem