Kendall Kay Munsey Movies
Originally filmed under the title One Starry Night, this CBS TV movie stars Melissa Sue Anderson as 19-year-old University of Washington volleyball champ Molly Rush. In danger of flunking out of school, Molly turns to a tutor for help. Her "mentor" turns out to be 14-year-old math genius Harry Woodward (Doug McKeon), who has been enrolled in the university under a special early entry program. Much to the surprise of both protagonists, Molly and Harry fall in love -- a state of affairs that does not please Molly's otherwise easygoing jock boyfriend, Dunc Widdoes (Steven Bauer, here billed as Rocky Bauer). An Innocent Love initially aired on March 2, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Director Stanley Kramer ended his career with this absorbing drama, adapted from the play by Milan Stitt and based on a real-life event from 1927. Dick Van Dyke stars as Father Rivard, an intellectual priest in a small, impoverished mining town in the state of Washington. A lonely man with low self-esteem, Rivard is depressed by the arduous and dreary lives of his flock, until the arrival of Sister Rita (Kathleen Quinlan), a bright, spirited young nun who joins his parish to teach at its school. Rita appreciates Rivard on a level that few others in the community can, and soon the priest falls in love with her. But when Sister Rita is murdered, Rivard's infatuation is revealed and the love-struck priest is put on trial. Only Rivard's housekeeper, Mrs. Shandig (Maureen Stapleton), knows the truth about Sister Rita's death. Kramer broke up the staginess of his source material by structuring The Runner Stumbles (1979) into three acts that unfold not sequentially but simultaneously, revealing Rivard's developing relationship with Rita, his prison stint, and his murder trial all at the same time. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Van Dyke, Kathleen Quinlan, (more)








