Welcome Back Kotter star John Travolta proved he could cut the mustard dramatically in the made-for-TV The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. Douglas Day Stewart´s fact-based teleplay casts Travolta as Tod Lubitsch, a teenager who was born without disease immunities. Tod is forced to live out his life in incubator conditions; whenever he vetnures into the outdoors, he must be encased in a huge plastic bubble. When he falls in love with Gina Biggs (Glynnis O´Connor), Tod must decide between following his heart or facing near-certain death. Diana Hyland won an Emmy for her portrayal of Travolta´s mother. Ironically, Hyland and Travolta became real-life lovers, a relationship that was tragically terminated when the actress died of cancer. Boy in the Plastic Bubble was first telecast November 12, 1976.