''The Defection of Simas Kudirka'' is a 1978 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

based on actual events, featuring

Alan Arkin Alan Wolf Arkin (March 26, 1934 – June 29, 2023) was an American actor, filmmaker and musician. In a career spanning seven decades, he received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony A ...

as Simas Kudirka, a Lithuanian merchant seaman who attempts to defect from the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

by jumping onto a U.S. Coast Guard cutter. Among the movie's awards are two

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

wins and three more Emmy nominations. The movie was directed by

David Lowell Rich David Lowell Rich (August 31, 1920 – October 21, 2001) was an American film director and producer. He directed nearly 100 films and TV episodes between 1950 and 1987. He was born in New York City. He began directing on a regular basis in 1 ...

Plot

The movie revolves around the true events of a Lithuanian man, Simas Kudirka, who was at the time a radio operator on a Soviet fish processing vessel. When his ship meets at sea with a U.S. Coast Guard cutter near

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...

in 1970, Kudirka makes a dramatic leap from the deck, landing on the USCGC ''Vigilant''. He announces that he wishes to defect, but confusion over U.S. policy on defections prevents the Americans from offering him asylum. As the crew of the ''Vigilant'' looks on, Soviet officers are allowed to board the cutter, beat and bind Kudirka, and drag him back to the Soviet ship. This tinderbox political incident occurs during a Soviet/U.S. conference over fishing rights.Allmovie.com
- The Defection of Simas KudirkaTurner Classic Movies
- Overview for ''The Defection of Simas Kudirka''

Cast

as Simas Kudirka *

Richard Jordan Robert Anson Jordan Jr. (July 19, 1937 – August 30, 1993), known professionally as Richard Jordan, was an American actor. A long-time member of the New York Shakespeare Festival, he performed in many Off Broadway and Broadway plays. His films ...

as Commander Edward Devon *

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He was known for his "bald head and intense, staring eyes," and played more than 250 stage, film, and television roles across a nearly sixty-year career. Pleas ...

as Vladimir Popov *

George Dzundza George Dzundza ( ; born July 19, 1945) is a retired American actor. He is known for his varied work in film and on television, including '' The Deer Hunter'' (1978), '' Skokie'' (1981), '' No Way Out'' (1987), '' The Beast'' (1988), '' Impulse'' ...

as Gruzauskas *

Nicholas Guest Nicholas Haden-Guest (born May 5, 1951), known as Nicholas Guest, is a British-American actor who has appeared in various movie and television roles, including that of headmaster Patrick James Elliot in the teen sitcom '' USA High''. Since 2000, ...

as Baltrunar *

Shirley Knight Shirley Knight Hopkins (July 5, 1936 – April 22, 2020) was an American actress who appeared in more than 50 feature films, television films, television series, and Broadway and Off-Broadway productions in her career, playing leading and char ...

as Genna Kudirka *

John McMartin John Francis McMartin (August 21, 1929 – July 6, 2016) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He made his off-Broadway debut in '' Little Mary Sunshine'' in 1959, and acted on Broadway for more than 50 years. He won a Theatre W ...

as Phillip Chadway *

Ted Shackelford Theodore Tillman Shackelford III (born June 23, 1946) is an American actor, known for his roles on television. He played Gary Ewing in the CBS prime time soap operas ''Dallas'' and its spin-off ''Knots Landing'' (1979–1993), and had a recurrin ...

as Blain *

Barton Heyman Barton Heyman (January 24, 1937 May 15, 1996) was an American actor. Heyman was a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles where he studied theater arts. As an actor in films, his obituary in the ''Los Angeles Times'' asserts that ...

as Dr. Paegle *Joyce Vining Morgan as Mrs. Paegle * Jack Blessing as Kabek

Production

The movie was filmed in

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on ...

, the

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS), often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard on Seavey's Island in Kittery, Maine, bordering Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The naval yard lies along the southern boundary of Maine on ...

Kittery, Maine Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States, and the oldest incorporated town in Maine. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of ...

, and off the coast of

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

and southern

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. The final scene shows Simas Kudirka (

) and his wife Genna (

) 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, New Hampshire New Castle is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,000 at the 2020 census. It is the easternmost town in New Hampshire and the smallest by area, and it is the only town in the state located entirely on i ...

. The TS ''

State of Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

'', the training ship of

Maine Maritime Academy Maine Maritime Academy (Maine Maritime or MMA) is a public college focused on maritime training and located in Castine, Maine. The academy was established by the 90th Maine Legislature on March 21, 1941. Unlike federal service academies, a cong ...

Castine, Maine Castine ( ) is a town in Hancock County in eastern Maine, United States.; John Faragher. ''Great and Nobel Scheme''. 2005. p. 68. The population was 1,320 at the 2020 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institut ...

was used as the Russian fish factory ship. Many students at MMA were extras as Russian crewmen.

Awards

In 1978, the movie won two

Emmys The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

and was nominated for another three at the

30th Primetime Emmy Awards The 30th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on September 17, 1978. The ceremony was broadcast on CBS, from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California. The top shows of the night were ''All in the Family'', which won its then record fourth ...

.IMDB.com
- Awards for The Defection of Simas Kudirka Winners were: * Outstanding Directing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy:

* Outstanding Film Editing for a Special: John A. Martinelli The nominated categories and nominees were: * Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Special (Dramatic Underscore):

David Shire David Lee Shire (born July 3, 1937) is an American songwriter and composer of stage musicals, film and television scores. Among his best known works are the motion picture soundtracks to '' The Big Bus'', '' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three' ...

* Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special:

* Outstanding Writing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy - Original Teleplay: Bruce Feldman In 1979, the movie won an "Eddie" from the

American Cinema Editors Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of film editing, film editors who are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing. Members use the ...

, USA, for Best Edited Television Special, awarded to John A. Martinelli.

Home media

The movie has been released on DVD on-demand format.VideoETA.com
- Home Video releases of the movie

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Defection of Simas Kudirka 1978 drama films 1978 television films 1978 films American drama television films American films based on actual events CBS films Defection in fiction Films about the United States Coast Guard Films directed by David Lowell Rich 1970s English-language films 1970s American films English-language drama films