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The Defection of Simas Kudirka (1978) (TV)
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Overview
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Director:
Writer:
Bruce Feldman (writer)
Release Date:
23 January 1978 (USA)
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Plot:
Based on the true story of the attempted defection in 1970 by a Lithuanian seaman seeking political asylum in the United States...
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Awards:
Won 2 Primetime Emmys.
Another 1 win
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3 nominations
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Cold War Drama at Sea
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Alan Arkin | ... | Simas Kudirka |
 | Richard Jordan | ... | Commander Edward Devon |
 | Donald Pleasence | ... | Captain Vladimir Popov |
| George Dzundza | ... | Gruzauskas |
| John McMartin | ... | Phillip Chadway |
| Shirley Knight | ... | Genna Kudirka |
| Marvin Silbersher | ... | Commander Burkalis |
| Peter Evans | ... | Mott |
| Ted Shackelford | ... | Blain |
| Barton Heyman | ... | Dr. Paegle |
 | Jack Blessing | ... | Kabek |
 | Nicholas Guest | ... | Baltrunar |
| Matthew Arkin | ... | Petras |
| Salem Ludwig | ... | Assistant Supervisor |
 | Donald Warnock | ... | Stender (as Don Warnock Jr.) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
USA:100 min
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Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Defection of Simas Kudirka (1978) (TV)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Simas Kudirka Returned to Lithuania in 2002! | gordon-125 |
| DVD or VHS???? | kurtgordon |
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The Defection of Simas Kudirka is a made-for television movie based on the actual defection of a Lithuanian sailor to a U.S. Coast Guard cutter in 1970. Simas Kudirka, played by Alan Arkin, jumps ship only to be returned to the Soviet ship by force. After spending time in a Soviet prison, Kudirka is allowed to immigrate to the United States after it is learned that his mother was born in New York.
The movie nicely details the political and military ramifications from the fallout of one of the most shameful episodes in Coast Guard history. I was a sailor on board one of the two Coast Guard cutters involved in the filming of the movie in 1977. The movie was filmed in Portsmouth, NH, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery Maine, and off the coast of New Hampshire and southern Maine. The final scene shows Simas Kudirka (Arkin) and his wife Genna (Shirley Knight) reviewing the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant, the ship onto which Kudirka jumped. The actual ship shown in the movie was the USCGC Decisive at its home port of New Castle, NH.