

The freakish nature of his life story and his isolated existence gave birth to the expression “the boy in the bubble.”įor “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble,” however, the central character was a teenager. Young David was raised since his birth in sterile, germ-free incubator-type environments. “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble” was inspired by the true story of David Vetter, a child born in 1971 with an improperly function immune system. Travolta was eager to be at the center of his own vehicle, hence his appearance in this movie.

At that time, Travolta was enjoying his initial taste of stardom as a cast member of the sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter.” But that series found him as part of an ensemble that supported starring comedian Gabe Kaplan. Perhaps the most famous of these films was the 1976 production “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.” The film itself is unremarkable, except for its good fortune of presenting John Travolta in his first starring role. For some time, there was a popular trend for using this genre to highlight peculiar and unusual health stories – what became known as “disease of the week” productions. REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Some people must assume this is a public domain title, but this film is copyright protected.ĬHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe someday.ĭuring the 1970s, the three major American television networks produced their own films that were broadcast in primetime. LAST SEEN: Available on several Net sites.ĪMERICAN HOME VIDEO: Only in bootlegged versions.
The boy in the plastic bubble movie#
BOOTLEG FILES 210: “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble” (1976 TV movie starring John Travolta).
