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1-32 of 32
- An eccentric recluse shares memories with her granddaughter and fights to save her house from a proposed highway.
- Originally broadcast by KCET (PBS) on their dramatic showcase series, "Visions," this sweet, quiet film is set during World War I. It is the story of Amy, a proper, but lonely housewife whose husband is away at war. She finds solace in a friendship with a more worldly female photographer, only to have her entire world turned upside down when the friendship becomes genuine love and she is forced to choose. Groundbreaking for its powerful yet non-prurient portrayal of lesbian first love.
- One night in the lives of several waitresses at an upscale LA supper club. One is retiring after thirty years "in the business" and many of the younger women are jockeying/positioning themselves for the opportunity to take over her shifts once she is gone. In the course of the evening we see their individual strengths, weaknesses, foibles, and qualities. Annie Potts and Annette O'Toole play young girls just out for a good time. The job supports their fun times. They have no interest in the vacated position and can not understand the other women's rivalry over it. Elizabeth Wilson is the retiring woman's partner, both on the supper club's floor and in private life. She gets to choose which of the other waitresses becomes her new partner. Susan Tyrrell is a "hard as nails" worldwise professional waitress who sees this position as her ticket to better customers, better tips and a much easier existence. Ronee Blakley is quiet and keeps to herself, but she's teaching herself French, and recognizes that the men she is serving could be an avenue out and up.
- The story of a Vietnam veteran whose readjustment to civilian life is complicated by haunting memories of the war, his father's death, a bout with drugs, and his first meaningful romance.
- Two brothers, one played by Judd Hirsh, has a troubled relationship with his on-screen brother D. Speilberg, who is a medical doctor, but suffers from schizophrenia. Hirsh tries to help his brother, but is helpless in the face of the disease. The brother has moments of clarity, and at one point in the story, saves a man's life on a highway after he's been in a serious auto accident. The mother is played convincingly, and this drama from the TV anthology series Visions is powerful and moving.
- This is the story of Charlie Smith, a 134-year-old black man, who tells his life story, via flashbacks, to an orderly at his nursing home. The story moves from his childhood days when he was bought as a slave by a Texas farmer, Charlie Smith. Charlie treats the boy as a member of his family. When slaves are free, he decides to stay with Charlie until he dies. After Charlie's death, he assumes his name, as Charlie asked him to do. The story becomes picaresque, as Charlie moves throughout the Old West, being a ranch hand, gambler, train robber, bounty hunter, family man, honky-tonk owner, and, finally, circus sideshow attraction. Through his life the viewer sees the changes in the history of the Old West, including attitudes towards blacks and racism. After the dramatized account is finished, video footage of the real Charles Smith's 134th birthday party, filmed at his nursing home, is shown. The credits say that "his life has been the inspiration for this television fantasy."
- Set in the Appalachian Mountains at the onset of the Great Depression, this drama chronicles the emotional and physical hardships endured by the families of three brothers after the death of their mother. Two years after her death, the family organizes a belated memorial service. The family now includes father Big Jim, his young pregnant wife, and brothers Earl J., Johnny, and Jarvis, who have three wives and fourteen children among them. Times are so hard that everyone is moving back into Big Jim's house. Johnny returns unemployed from Detroit, where he has been working for a year; Jarvis's family moves back from town because he has been laid off by the local coal company; and the main sources of income are Earl J.'s disability checks and Big Jim's income from the sale of his illegal liquor. The family's underlying tensions are made worse by poverty and the cramped living situation. The family arguments center around Earl J., who issues criticisms of everyone and vents anger and bitterness about the region's economic problems. Just before the memorial, Earl J. explodes into a violent monologue about life's injustices and refuses to attend the service. However, just when life seemed at its lowest, the family pulls together for the memorial service and makes plans to weather their hardships. (Paley Center for Media)
- Explores a timely issue - the hiring of illegal aliens by following a hopeful young Mexican through border crossing and subsequent exploitation in a series of menial jobs.
- A young girl must deal with her alcoholic mother.
- Luis Valdez appears as an old man, whose 'corrido' (ballad) introduces a play within the play: the seriocomic story of Jesus Rasquachi, an itinerant Mexican farm worker who struggles to maintain hope despite a series of menial jobs and exploitative bosses.
- Dr. Paulie and his mentor, Professor Fumio, embark on a fantastic escape from their college campus at Coppertone Tech.
- A young black foundry worker's pride and idealism become obstacles to his political ambitions in a small Michigan city.
- A Japanese American immigrant family struggling with hardships in the Pacific Northwest faces an unjust government order that will strip them of their liberties and livelihood because of their race.
- Carol Fox stars as Eileen, a woman who returns to her home in California and discovers new insights about herself and her family. Through visits with her grandmother at the nursing home, Eileen learns about life in Iowa, where her grandmother was raised and circumstances were completely different. The stories provide Eileen with a sense of perspective on her own life and problems. (Paley Center for Media)
- Over-under, sideways-down, describes the emotional turmoil of a California blue-collar worker with ambitions to become a pro-baseball player.
- A tragicomic character study of an aging actor, separated from his alcoholic wife and desperately hoping for a break: a movie role that calls for a lively folk dancer.
- Based on true events which took place in the mill town of Graniteville, South Carolina in 1876, the story follows the rich Greggs, who run the mill, and the poor McEvoys, who work there. The animosity between their sons leads to tragedy.
- This play by Alexis Deveaux concerns the innner struggles of an idealistic law student named Jet, who learns about the ways of the world. Jet flees her traditional upbringing in Savannah to pursue a law degree, hoping to make positive changes in the world. However, as the pressures of school and work overwhelm her, Jet begins to be haunted by visions of the church congregation she grew up with. Jet has visions of the congregation hovering in her bathroom, eager to pray over her and baptize her, but Jet tries to ignore these visions. While she is studying for exams, her boyfriend, Axis, and her best friend, Lavender, visit. Axis feels neglected because Jet places her studies before all other aspects of her life, including her relationship with him, and both Axis and Lavender are concerned about JetÕs mental health since she pushes herself so hard. Jet explains that she feels the need to work hard in order to right some of the terrible injustices in America. Her friends understand her feelings, but they also think that she is being naive. Cracks begin to form in JetÕs relationship with Axis since they disagree over gender roles and philosophies about life. Lavender also embraces the traditional roles of women, and urges Jet to give up her ambitions. Even in sleep Jet gets no peace since the church congregation also appears in her dreams. In addition, Jet's mind is filled with questions about the world and with information she has learned about the law, and she starts to lose her sanity. She slips further into her own private world, and her relationships with both Axis and Lavender fall apart. Jet is forced to look deep within herself and call on her inner resources in order to face the challenges ahead of her. (Paley Center for Media)
- Experience New York City from a new perspective. Above the traffic noise, its spectacular beauty unfolds: from Wall Street to Washington Heights, down Fifth Avenue, through Central Park, over bridges and famous neighborhoods. Float above the Empire State Building; see the harbor from Lady Liberty's perspective; view sparkling skyscrapers at night. High-definition, helicopter-mounted cameras capture the island's iconic images and enduring appeal. Includes bonus footage not seen on public television.
- This drama explores the relationships and shared history among three characters: Dr. Robert Lewis; his daughter, Clare; and his second wife, Eva. At the outset of the play, stodgy Dr. Lewis has brought Eva to a monthly family dinner at his bohemian daughter's Soho loft. The doctor quietly disapproves of the minimalist decor, but he manages to keep most of his feelings to himself throughout the early stages of the visit. Nevertheless, an ominous tension is palpable. In the middle of the meal, a citywide blackout occurs, compelling all three to look back on painful events in their lives during a similar blackout several years earlier. Each character's perspective is revealed in flashbacks, which are interspersed with events from the present. At the time of the previous blackout, Clare's mother -- and Dr. Lewis's first wife -- Sarah is dying of breast cancer, and Eva's marriage to her first husband is ending, in part because of her burgeoning affair with Robert. During the present blackout, the effects of a series of infidelities become painfully clear as the characters reexamine the connections that bind them together. (Paley Center for Media)
- Few places have so long a cultural history and so much dramatic landscape compressed into so few square miles. Soar over the treasures of Britain's western annex, from the southern tip of Cardiff to the summit of Mount Snowdon and from the religious grandeur of Tintern Abbey to the untouched natural beauty of the River Dee pools--all shrouded in mist and never too far removed from the coastline or the past.