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The Groundstar Conspiracy
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Wikipedia article
'The Groundstar Conspiracy' is a 1972 American neo noir crime film directed by Lamont Johnson. It stars George Peppard and Michael Sarrazin.GROUNDSTAR CONSPIRACY, The
Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 39, Iss. 456, (Jan 1, 1972): 163.
Douglas Heyes' screenplay (written under his frequent pseudonym, Matthew Howard) was adapted very freely from L. P. Davies' 1968 novel, 'The Alien'. It was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, and produced by Hal Roach ProductionsThis is the Canadian successor company, not the original company founded by American director and producer Hal Roach. in Canada.
Plot
Employee John Welles attempts to steal rocket booster plans from the Groundstar facility. His attempt goes awry and he is badly disfigured in an explosion and barely escapes. He stumbles to the home of Nicole Devon, and collapses. She calls an ambulance, the authorities are alerted, and soon Welles is operated on, given plastic surgery and interrogated by a hard-boiled government official named Tuxan, but Welles claims to have no memory of his crime. In fact, he claims no memory of his life at all, save for brief dream-like flashes of a woman on a beach and the ruins of a Greek temple.
Despite Tuxan's brutal interrogation techniques, consisting of electro-shock and water submersion, Welles still maintains his story of total amnesia. Tuxan allows Welles to escape, hoping he will lead them to the people behind the attempted theft. Welles goes to Nicole's home and begs her to help him remember, but she knows nothing. They fall in love as Tuxan keeps them under surveillance.
Eventually, the conspirators behind the attempted theft are found and Tuxan reveals the truth to Welles, who still cannot remember any details of the crime. John Welles actually died following surgery the day after the Groundstar explosion. The man we have come to know as Welles is really Peter Bellamy, a government employee whose girlfriend recently drowned in Greece. Bellamy, feeling that life was no longer worth living or remembering, volunteered to have his memory wiped and to play Welles in order to draw the conspirators into the open.
Cast
*George Peppard as Tuxan
*Michael Sarrazin as John Welles / Peter Bellamy
*Christine Belford as Nicole Devon
*Cliff Potts as Carl Mosely
*James Olson as Senator Stanton
*Tim O'Connor as Frank Gossage
*James McEachin as Bender
*Alan Oppenheimer as General Hackett
Production
The film was based on the 1968 novel 'The Alien' by L. P. Davies. Universal bought film rights in June 1968 prior to publication and assigned Dick Berg to produce.Kennedy, Mitchum Signed for Film Roles
Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 1 July 1968: e25. Douglas Heyes was to have filmed the work under the title 'The Alien' starring Robert Stack, Genevive Bujold and David Janssen, but Bujold leaving the project led to delays in shooting and a new cast.
In July 1971 Universal announced that Michael Sarrazin and George Peppard would star in a film version called 'The Plastic Man'.Emperor George?: He's Emperor George C. Scott
By A. H. WEILER. New York Times 25 July 1971: D13. It would be directed by Lamont Johnson and be a co production between Universal and Hal Roach Productions.Peppard as 'Plastic' Star
Murphy, Mary. Los Angeles Times 9 July 1971: g11.
Filming started in Vancouver, Canada on 2 August 1971 with Carol White as the female lead. Shortly into filming White asked to be released and was replaced by Christine Belford. White wanted to go because a production delay meant she was in danger of missing the start date on 'Made'.Italian Film Lead for Dustin
Murphy, Mary. Los Angeles Times 31 Aug 1971: e11. (Candice Bergen and Tuesday Weld were offered the role but asked for too much money.) All White's footage had to be reshot.Film Industry Making It in Vancouver: Film Industry in Vancouver Films Making It in Vancouver Jennings, C Robert. 'Los Angeles Times' 21 Nov 1971: x1.
Peppard was paid $400,000.
The film was shot at the Burnaby campus of Simon Fraser University and the Panorama Mountain Resort.Spaner, David 'Dreaming in the Rain: How Vancouver Became Hollywood North by Northwest' Arsenal Pulp Press (1 September 2004)
References
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