Matthew Laborteaux Movies

In the conclusion of a two-part story, the imperious Mrs. Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) is shocked to discover that Hester-Sue Terhune (Ketty Lester), the prestigious new teacher at Walnut Grove's school for the blind, is a black woman. Ultimately, Mrs. Oleson learns a valuable -- and, it is hoped, a life-altering -- lesson in humility and tolerance. Meanwhile, blind teacher Adam Kendall (Linwood Boomer) is forced to confront his own worst fears. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A Circle of Children is an A-number-one TV adaptation of Mary MacCracken's autobiographical book. Recently separated from her husband, Mary (Jane Alexander) doesn't want to be just one more wealthy, useless divorcee. She plunges into volunteer work at a school for autistic children, where her presence is resented by brilliant but testy special-ed teacher Rachel Roberts, who considers MacCracken merely a dilettante. Ms. MacCracken proves her worth--to the teacher as well as herself--through her efforts to communicate with an 8-year-old victim of autism (Matthew Laborteaux). This Emmy-winning film was followed up by the equally superb Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part Two (1978). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Gail Strickland makes a return appearance as Courtney Simpson, Jerry's free-spirited former girlfriend. When Courtney announces her desire to marry Jerry, he is delighted. But then he discovers that Courtney merely needs a husband so that she can adopt an eight-year-old orphan named Richie (Matthew Laborteaux). Written by Sy Rosen, "My Boy Guillermo" made its network TV bow on January 24, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

John Cassavetes' harrowing masterpiece charts the emotional meltdown of a suburban housewife and its effects on her blue-collar Italian family. Gena Rowlands stars as Mabel Longhetti, a mother of three whose husband Nick (Peter Falk) works as a construction worker; a mismatched couple like so many others in Cassavetes films, the Longhettis seem to be complete opposites: she's impetuous, extroverted, and fragile, while he's controlling, distant, and hard-bitten. Their differences underscore a series of domestic dramas, culminating in a nervous breakdown that sends Mabel to a psychiatric hospital for six months, only to return to a home environment on even thinner ice than before. The improvisational style central to Cassavetes' vision is at its most acute throughout A Woman Under the Influence. Like its title heroine, the film threatens to veer out of control at any time, its shape and scope defined not by narrative but by the emotional upheaval at its center. Embracing the full spectrum of the Longhettis' relationship, from seismic bursts of high drama to small, even trivial moments of domestic tedium, its long scenes relentlessly probe every nook and cranny of the family's life, drawing out each moment for maximum emotional impact; the film is by turns beautiful and ugly, illuminating and frustrating, and it features a performance by Rowlands as heartwrenching and unforgettable as any ever committed to celluloid. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi