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Jun 15, 2009 · It’s his novel “Alas, Babylon,” though, that is Frank’s lasting legacy — a harrowing, human story published 50 years ago, in 1959. The novel, set in a small Florida town after a nuclear ...
Adapted by prolific Tony Award-winning, television writer David Shaw (Redhead) from the best-selling novel of the same name by author Pat Frank (nom de plume of journalist, Harry Hart Frank) the Playhouse 90 teleplay of “Alas, Babylon” unflinchingly portrays the tragic aftermath of a major nuclear conflict with the U.S.S.R, including scenes ...
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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 [edit] Peter Kortner was the producer. Robert Stevens was the director. David Shaw wrote the teleplay, based on the novel, Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank.
- Randy Bragg. The protagonist, and the descendant of an old Florida family. When the novel begins, he is a failed candidate for political office, living off his family's land and the occasional work as a lawyer in the small Florida town of Fort Repose.
- Dan Gunn. Fort Repose's doctor, and Randy's best friend. A bitter divorce has left him disillusioned, but after the nuclear war, he becomes a hero, throwing himself into the difficult work of serving as a doctor to a community in turmoil.
- Elizabeth McGovern. Randy's girlfriend, and later his wife. A smart, resourceful, attractive woman, her parents have moved to Fort Repose from the North.
- Helen Bragg. Mark's wife, and the mother of Peyton and Ben Franklin. Her husband, fearing imminent war, sends her to Fort Repose from their home in Omaha, where she moves in with Randy on the day before war breaks out.
“Alas, Babylon.” Those fateful words heralded the end. When the unthinkable nightmare of nuclear holocaust ravaged the United States, it was instant death for tens of millions of people; for survivors, it was a nightmare of hunger, sickness, and brutality. Overnight, a thousand years of civilization were stripped away.
Analysis. Alas, Babylon speculates about America in the aftermath of a nuclear war. Because the threat of nuclear war has largely dissipated, Frank's novel can seem dated. However, it provides us with a look at the concerns of Americans in the late 1950s. Pat Frank's decision not to include dates with any of the events he describes is a way of ...
Pat Frank and Alas, Babylon Background. Pat Frank was a pen name adopted by the author Harry Hart, who was born on May 5, 1907 in Chicago. After attending the University of Florida in Gainesville for two years, Hart went to work as a reporter for the Jacksonville Journal. His career in journalism lasted through World War II, when he served as ...
