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Trusted Contributor
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Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Astronaut Wives Club question

Why do the 2 red-haired ladies dislike one another?  Or why did they?  Alan Shepard's wife is one of the ladies I'm talking about and I don't know who the other lady is or why they don't like one another.  His wife called the other red-haired lady after he got in the bar fight.

 

Anyone else watching this show?  I think it's just OK.  It's not doing very well in the ratings, so I don't know that it will be renewed for a 2nd season.

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Valued Contributor
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Registered: ‎01-19-2015

Re: Astronaut Wives Club question

[ Edited ]

The other lady is Deke Slayton's wife. Deke was one of the Mercury Seven astronauts. He was to be the 2nd U.S. Man in space but was grounded due to an irregular heart rhythm. Shepard's wife called her because she knew how it felt to be a "grounded" astronaut's wife.

 

Edited to include:  I believe there was tension between the wives due to competition and jealousy.  In my opinion, the show also portrays Shepard's wife as having a "I'm better than you" type attitude.  When her husband was going up in space the other ladies came over to be with her/sit with her and be supportive and she turned them away.

Honored Contributor
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Registered: ‎03-21-2010

Re: Astronaut Wives Club question

I've never seen the show.  I did read the book and like it.  Since this is a weekly TV show, I don't know how they'll portray the marriages.  I hope it does not desolve in to a soap, since the majority of the marriages did not last.  The saddest part of the book is the fate of Ed White's widow.  Somehow I don't see a TV version handling that very well.

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Registered: ‎10-30-2010

Re: Astronaut Wives Club question

I hope they do not cancel the show. I actually DVR it each week and tend to catch it sometime over the weekend. It's not the best show that I have ever watched but I do enjoy watching it.

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Registered: ‎01-19-2015

Re: Astronaut Wives Club question

[ Edited ]

@songbird wrote:

I've never seen the show.  I did read the book and like it.  Since this is a weekly TV show, I don't know how they'll portray the marriages.  I hope it does not desolve in to a soap, since the majority of the marriages did not last.  The saddest part of the book is the fate of Ed White's widow.  Somehow I don't see a TV version handling that very well.


So far, they've introduced us to Ed White & Gus Grissom's wives.  I don't think they've  shown Roger Chaffee yet.  I believe that Shepard, Glenn, and Lovell were the only lasting marriages, that I know of.   Sad.

Edited to add:  I just read that the Schirra's stayed married until Wally died in 2007. 

I think it's interesting to read about these space pioneers. 

Esteemed Contributor
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Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Re: Astronaut Wives Club question

I read that there are only ten episodes and the series will end in August.  Wish they would renew it - I'm enjoying the show.

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Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Astronaut Wives Club question

I am watching because I lived during this time and saw the different time going into space on the news.  Also was so sad to see the space craft with the Astronauts blown up just minutes after they launched into space.  Everyone watching were just horrified.

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Re: Astronaut Wives Club question


@Stargazer77 wrote:

Why do the 2 red-haired ladies dislike one another?  Or why did they?  Alan Shepard's wife is one of the ladies I'm talking about and I don't know who the other lady is or why they don't like one another.  His wife called the other red-haired lady after he got in the bar fight.

 

Anyone else watching this show?  I think it's just OK.  It's not doing very well in the ratings, so I don't know that it will be renewed for a 2nd season.


There are THREE wives with red hair, so I'm glad you added the part about the woman Louise Shepard called after the fight. When Louise arrived in the first episode, Alan was suddenly the hottest new man at NASA, which threatened the status of the other astronauts, including Marge's husband. Marge is the woman Louise called when Alan was beaten up outside the bar.

 

Louise's husband, Alan Shepard, was the first American to orbit the earth and that made all the wives a little jealous. Louise was also very cold toward the other wives and didn't let anyone get to know her. She's been portrayed that way since the beginning, only showing people what she wants them to see and demanding they all leave her alone while Alan orbited the planet, whereas the other wives had always gotten together for support when their husbands did tests and wanted to be with her to show support while he was in space.

 

Some people don't get alone under those circumstances and that's the case with Alice and Marge.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,781
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Astronaut Wives Club question

Thank you for the replies!

 

Also, this really has nothing to do with anything, but I really miss having a separate TV sub-forum.  

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Re: Astronaut Wives Club question

I enjoy this show, love the 60's motif with everything, it is informative too.