Richard Welsh Movies

This made-for-TV movie is a remake of the theatrical feature Conrack, using the original title of the source novel by Pat Conroy. Set in 1969, The Water Is Wide stars Jeff Hephner as Conroy, an idealistic young teacher whose first assignment is at a run-down school located on Yamacraw Island in South Carolina. The state's imperious school superintendent Henry Piedmont (Frank Langella) has written off the unkempt, illiterate black children of Yamacraw as thoroughly unteachable, while the school's authoritarian black principal Mrs. Brown (Alfre Woodard), evidently unwilling to buck the Anglo-Saxon establishment, insists that Conroy doggedly adhere to an established curriculum that has never worked with the students. Instead, Conroy utilizes compassion and humor as teaching tools, reaching out to his students through a variety of humanistic methods, including adopting the kids' own archaic Gullah dialect in order to teach them proper English. Not surprisingly, Mr. Piedmont and Mrs. Brown are dead set against Conroy's "radical" approach to teaching -- even when it is obviously working -- but fortunately, our hero has a strong ally in the form of deputy superintendent Bennington (James Murtaugh). Echoing elements from another Pat Conroy novel, The Great Santini, the young protagonist is plagued throughout the film by memories of his uncompromising Marine-officer father, who has instilled in Conroy a hatred (and fear) of all authority figures. Produced as part of CBS's Hallmark Hall of Fame series, The Water Is Wide was first broadcast on January 29, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a novel by Luanne Rice, this "Hallmark Hall of Fame" production begins in Manhattan at Christmastime. Christopher "Christy" Byrne (Tate Donovan), a Nova Scotian Christmas tree farmer, has arrived in the Big Apple to sell his wares, assisted by his teenaged children Danny (Michael Mitchell) and Bridget (Courtney Jines). After an argument between Christy and Danny sparked by the boy's desire to become a photographer rather than a farmer, Danny runs away, and is eventually befriended by widow Catherine O'Mara (Anne Heche), who had earlier refused to by a tree from the Byrnes family. One year later, a chance meeting brings Catherine and Christy face to face, leading to an extremely tense situation that can be alleviated only by Christy's acceptance of Danny's life goals--and by Catherine overcoming the grief attending the loss of her husband. Weaving throughout the narrative is a "silver bells" promotional stunt staged by the museum for which Catherine works, a stutnt which will (inevitably!) figure prominently in the tearful finale. Silver Bells premiered November 27, 2005, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a novel by Kent Haruf, the Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie Plainsong looks back on a year in the lives of several very special people in a close-knit Colorado prairie community. Deserted by his seriously disturbed wife Ella (Megan Follows), dedicated high school teacher Tom Guthrie (Aidan Quinn) is forced to raise his mentally challenged sons Ike (Mick Hazen) and Bobby (Cody Arens) by himself. Cruelly tormented by their peers and shunned by many of the adults in the community, the boys find a friend and kindred spirit in lonely old Iva Stearns (Marian Seldes), who offers to let them work on her ranch. At the same time, Tom's fellow teacher Maggie Jonas (Rachel Griffiths) comes to the rescue of Victoria Roubidoux (America Ferrera), a pregnant 17-year old Native American girl who has been evicted by her mother. Maggie arranges for Victoria to stay at the home of the McPherson Brothers (Geoffrey Lewis, William Andrews), a pair of crusty old bachelors who have never lived with anyone other than themselves. The stories of these two "extended" families inevitably converge, reaching a crossroads when Ike and Bobby stumble across Iva's dead body. Despite this morbid turn of events, the story gives special emphasis to forgiveness and the acceptance of those who are different -- and the ability to come to grips with the fact that life offers no guarantees. Filmed on location in Utah, Plainsong made its CBS network bow on April 25, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Successful LA attorney Terry McQuinn (Gary Sinise) returns to his Maine home town, intent upon settling the estate of his late, long-estranged father Mac (Michael Rhoades), then returning home as soon as possible. But once he has arrived, Terry finds that he is inexorably bound to his old house by vague and fragmentary memories of a horrendous tragedy in his childhood. Figuring into Terry's plight is Katherine Wentworth (Joely Richardson), a girl from his past who, unbeknownst to either one of them, is also a key player in that tragedy. The story then takes a number of surprising turns, especially with the arrival of a "dead" man who isn't, and a wintertime pilgrimage to a most unusual parking garage (where, incidentally, the viewer finally learns the significance of the film's title. Adapted by Don Snyder from his own novel, Fallen Angel was produced for the CBS "Hallmark Hall of Fame" TV series, and was originally telecast on November 23, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, My Sister's Keeper stars Kathy Bates as Christine, who since childhood has suffered from a debilitating mental illness. Spending most of her life in and out of various institutions, Christine has long yearned for independence, but is unable to wrest free of her controlling mother, Helen (Lynn Redgrave). Upon Helen's death, her other daughter, Judy (Elizabeth Perkins), a successful, self-absorbed art director who has deliberately distanced herself from her family, is appointed trustee of the troubled Christine. The rest of the film chronicles Judy's frustrated efforts to balance her sister's needs with her own, and Christine's ongoing ambition to stand on her own two feet. Though the filmed studiously avoids false sentiment and pathos, it still manages to touch even the hardest of hearts. Adapted from a book by Margaret Moorman, My Sister's Keeper was first seen as a CBS "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation on January 27, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A woman gets a crash course in the realities of love and commitment when she gets some startling news about the child she's carrying in this made-for-TV adaptation of the novel by Luanne Rice. Dianne Parker (Kimberly Williams) is a lovely young woman who is engaged to marry Mark McCune (Eric Close), a successful and self-confident young businessman. Dianne isn't aware that Mark's brother, pediatrician David McCune (Campbell Scott), has also fallen in love with her, but David can't bring himself to break up his brother's relationship. After Dianne and Mark wed, she becomes pregnant, but routine tests reveal that the child will suffer severe genetic defects. Mark decides having an disabled child is not something he can bear and he leaves Dianne. Dianne decides to keep the baby and raise it on her own. She gets valuable help from her mother, Hannah (Blair Brown), but David also pitches in to help raise Dianne's child, and soon Dianne gets a greater appreciation of what love is truly all about as she struggles with David to care for her baby. Produced for the award-winning anthology series "The Hallmark Hall of Fame," Follow the Stars Home first aired on May 6, 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This adaptation of Christina Bartolomeo's novel Cupid and Diana was produced for the award-winning anthology series Hallmark Hall of Fame. Cate DeAngelo (Mary Louise Parker) is the misfit youngest daughter in a dysfunctional Irish/Italian family; her mother recently died, and her father Dominic (Philip Bosco) has never had much use for her. Cate gets along only a bit better with her sisters, fussbudget Francesca (Bebe Neuwirth) and straight-laced Cynthia (Joanna Going). Cate runs a vintage clothing boutique that isn't doing much business, and her relationship with her boyfriend Philip (David Lansbury) is pleasant but passionless. When she meets Harry (Peter Gallagher), a rumpled but charming lawyer from New York, Cate thinks she may have finally found the man she's been looking for all her life -- except he seems like a less attractive package than Philip, and her family is sure she's making a mistake. Cupid & Cate first aired on May 7, 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The scene is a small, racially segregated Georgia town in the summer of 1949. After filling their heads with the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, two teenagers -- a black kid named Luke (Cody Newton) and his white pal Sonny (Dwayne McLaughlin) -- embark upon a rafting excursion. Before long, the boys stumble upon the remains of three murdered men. Investigating the mystery, local sheriff Frank Richards (Dean Cain) runs up against a conspiracy of silence that apparently involves everyone in town. Legendary poet Maya Angelou is seen in the role of the enigmatic "Conjure Woman." Based on a novel by Terry Kay and filmed on location in North Carolina, The Runaway made its CBS network bow on December 9, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Yuletide Season is anything but merry for Emily (Carla Gugino), who is forced to take charge of her nephew J.T. (Evan Sabara) and niece Alanna (Mae Whitman) when their drug-addicted mother (Laura Dern) O.D.'s and the kids are dispossessed. When it looks as though the kids will be sucked into the merciless maelstrom of the foster-care system, Emily packs them up and heads out of her home state, ending up in a little town that happens to be named Bethlehem Even though the authorities have been temporarily left behind, Emily will need a miracle to keep her family together. Enter a versatile guardian angel (Patty Duke), who assumes a variety of earthly guises to save the day for Emily, J.T. and Alanna--and also orchestrates a romance between Emily and a sympathetic local cop (David Conrad). Based on a novel by Marilyn Pappano, A Season for Miracles first aired as a CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation on December 12, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Scripter Robert W. Lenski adapted G.D. Gearino's novel What the Deaf-Mute Heard for this Hallmark Hall of Fame comedy. It was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina, by director John Kent Harrison. During the '40s, single mother Helen (Bernadette Peters) boards a bus for Barrington, Georgia, with her 10-year-old son Sammy (Frankie Muniz). She tells him not to say a word. The two are separated when she exits the bus and is carried away, leaving the sleeping Sammy to travel to Barrington by himself. Because Sammy won't speak, bus-station manager Norm assumes he's mute and deaf. Norm gives Sammy a cot in the back of the station, and he's fed by widower Norm's friend Lucille (Judith Ivey), owner of the adjacent cafe.

Years pass, but the grown Sammy (Matthew Modine), working as a handyman, still remains silent. Well-to-do widow Tynan (Claire Bloom) orders him about when she has him clean porch furniture. Her snobbish son Tolliver (Jake Weber), who steals church money, treats Sammy with contempt. Tolliver's sister Tallasse (Anne Bobby) likes Sammy, and she confides in Sammy, thinking he can't hear what she's saying. Her father and Sammy's mother, they learn, both loved the Weill-Gershwin song, My Ship. Throughout Barrington, the locals have learned to trust Sammy, but eventually, joyful junkman Thacker (James Earl Jones) stumbles onto Sammy's secret. Bernadette Peters is heard singing My Ship during the closing credits. What the Deaf Man Heard first aired November 23, 1997 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

One of the most frequently dramatized of all William Faulkner stories, Old Man is based on a section of Faulkner's 1939 novel The Wild Palms. Set during the cataclysmic 1927 Mississippi river flood, the story revolves around the curious relationship between prison convict J.J.Taylor (Arliss Howard) and a young, pregnant woman named Addie (Jeanne Trippleman). Pressed into service to rescue victims of the flood, Taylor finds Addie stuck in a tree, her husband nowhere in sight. Managing to get Addie down, Taylor finds himself cut off from the other rescuers, and thus is solely responsible for the future wellbeing of the stranded woman and her unborn child. Time and time again, Taylor is afforded the opportunity to abandon Addie and escape from his prison captors--and time and time again he refuses, not so much out of loyalty to Addie but because of his own stubborn pride: Though his crime was minor, he has promised to return to jail and serve out his term, and he never goes back on his word! (Incidentally, the "Old Man" of the title is not the tactiturn Taylor, but instead the mighty Mississippi itself). Toning down the cynical humor of the Faulkner original, this "Hallmark Hall of Fame" TV adaptation concentrates instead on making its two principal characters flesh-and-blood humans rather than literary archetypes. Adapted by Horton Foote, who won an Emmy Award for his efforts, William Faulkner's 'Old Man' first aired February 9, 1997 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This made-for-television Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation is based on the play of the same name by Tom Griffin. Nathan Lane, Robert Sean Leonard, Michael Jeter, and Courtney P. Vance star as four men with various mental challenges who try to carve out lives for themselves as they share a home under the guidance of a social worker (Tony Goldwyn). Mare Winningham was nominated for an Emmy Award for her co-starring role. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide