The Wave, is a short made-for-TV movie directed by Alexander Grasshoff, based on Ron Jones

Ron Jones (teacher)

Ron Jones is an American writer, and teacher in Palo Alto, California, and San Francisco, California. He started The Third Wave...

' The Third Wave

The Third Wave

The Third Wave was an experiment to demonstrate that even democratic societies are not immune to the appeal of fascism. It was undertaken by history teacher Ron Jones with sophomore high school students attending his "Contemporary World" history class as part of a study of Nazi Germany...

 experiment. Though more prominently featured as an episode of the ABC Afterschool Special

ABC Afterschool Special

The ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were...

series, this show debuted October 4, 1981, almost two years before being featured in the Afterschool Special series.

It starred Bruce Davison

Bruce Davison

Bruce Davison is an American actor and director.-Early life:Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Marian E. , a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and draftsman for the Army Engineers. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his...

 as Ben Ross, a character based on Jones.

Awards

The Wave won a 1982 Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program, and a 1981 Peabody Award

Peabody Award

The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...

. It also won a 1982 Young Artist Award

Young Artist Award

The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...

 for Best Television Special - Family Enjoyment.

Writer Johnny Dawkins was nominated for a 1982 Humanitas Prize

Humanitas Prize

The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...

 in the 60 minute category, and a 1983 WGA

WGA

WGA is a three-letter abbreviation for:* Writers Guild of America, an American union** Writers Guild of America, East** Writers Guild of America, West* Web Gallery of Art* Western Golf Association...

 Award for Best Children's Show.

External links

• http://www.thewave.tk Various incarnations of the story
• The Wave Home Official website: story history, FAQ, links, etc. by original Wave students

See also

• The Wave, novelization of the event.
• The Wave (2008 film)
  The Wave (2008 film)
  The Wave is a 2008 German film directed by Dennis Gansel and starring Jürgen Vogel, Max Riemelt, Jennifer Ulrich, Jacob Matschenz and Frederick Lau. It is based on the book The Wave which was inspired by the social experiment The Third Wave. The film was produced by Christian Becker for Rat Pack...