Local scientists and historians including Los Alamos Historical Society Executive Director Heather McClenahan, right, got a good laugh at some of the artistic license taken in the production of ‘Manhattan’ during Sunday’s premiere. They said they had been expecting the variences from reality because producers had made it clear that the series was not intended to be true to life. By Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Discussion between local scientists, residents and members of the Los Alamos Historical Society followed Sunday’s premiere of ‘Manhattan’ at Time Out Pizzeria. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Every chair at Time Out Pizzeria in downtown Los Alamos was occupied Sunday night. The seats were turned in the direction of the restaurant’s large, flat TV screens, which revealed WGN’s season premiere of “Manhattan.”
Commercial breaks allowed the audience to stand up and stretch or talk to their neighbors, once the show returned, a loud “shhhhhh” ushered people back to their seats and everyone’s gaze returned to the TV screens.
“Manhattan” is a fictional account of the race to create the atomic bomb during World War II. However, it does draw bits and pieces from the real-life Manhattan Project such as a secret town known only as PO Box 1663 and J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the project.
Timeout Pizzeria and the Los Alamos Historical Society co-hosted the screening and discussion afterward to gather the public’s opinion of the show. Several viewers said they saw the show as an allegory to current world events rather than a textbook-accurate portrayal of this particular piece of history, but everyone was eager to see their hometown in the limelight.
“I’m fascinated that the rest of the country gets to see a part of our history,” Cynthia Biddlecomb said.
“So much of this town is tied up with the Lab and this is where it comes from,” said Aimee Slaughter, public outreach manager for the Los Alamos Historical Society.
So just how good is the show at following Los Alamos’ history? It depends which historian you ask, Slaughter said.
The first episode featured heightened tensions between fellow scientists and civilians and the military, which did not exist. However, the show revealed a realistic picture of everyday life up on the Hill, such as poor plumbing and housing with thin walls, Slaughter said.
The Historical Society staff shared some interesting information about “Manhattan,” which is filmed outside of Santa Fe in an abandoned hospital. They said the show’s creators hope to cover the period through the end of World War II and up to the time when Oppenheimer loses his security clearance.
The community is invited to view the second part of the 13-part series at 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug 3 at Time Out Pizzeria on Central Avenue next to the Bradbury Science Museum. Local historians will be on hand for the discussion following the show.
Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com