John Korty Movies

This inspiring drama is based on the true story of Daniel Huffman, a gifted high school football star who looked like a shoo-in for a major athletic scholarship and seemed poised for a shot at a career in the NFL. However, when Huffman's grandmother -- who raised him as a child -- needs a kidney transplant in order to survive, Daniel unhesitatingly donates one of his own, even though this means an end to his career in football. The film stars Debbie Reynolds, Ed Marinaro, and Elden Henson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

An adopted girl's search for the truth is the subject of this Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. Lea Salonga stars as Geri Riordan, a half-Vietnamese girl who feels an emptiness in her life because she doesn't know her ancestral roots. After the death of her adopted father, she starts to investigate her past and finds a reluctant Vietnam veteran who may hold the answers she has been longing for. The film is based on Lanford Wilson's play. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

Made for cable TV, They is based on a story by Rudyard Kipling. Patrick Bergen stars as a paper-pusher who cares more about his business than his family. He is brought up short when his young daughter dies. Deeply regretful that he never got to know the girl, Bergen relies upon blind psychic Vanessa Redgrave to contact his daughter's spirit. "It's just too weird" sighed the reviewer for TV Guide; but who knows, you might get more enjoyment out of it than he did. Originally telecast November 14, 1993, over the Showtime Cable service, They was later reissued as They Watch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Curiously listed as a 1991 theatrical production in some sources, Eye on the Sparrow was actually a made-for-TV movie, which first aired December 7, 1987. Mare Winningham plays a blind Missouri woman who marries sightless teacher David Carradine. He is resigned to a world of darkness, but she is bitter over her lot in life, especially after an operation all-too-temporarily restores her sight. Unable to conceive children, the couple tries to adopt: but this is the mid-1960s, and agencies are unwilling to entrust "normal" children to the visually impaired. The only children permitted into their household are the handicapped rejects from foster homes. During their 12-year struggle to prove themselves acceptable as adoptive parents, the woman grows spiritually, learning to shelve her own self-pity by caring for those less fortunate than herself. Based on fact, Eye on the Sparrow was written for television by Barbara Turner (the mother, incidentally, of actress Jennifer Jason Leigh). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A gentle remonstration to those who avoid any TV movie with the name Suzanne Somers attached to it: Do not pass up Ms. Somers' Keeping Secrets. The actress plays herself in this painful retelling of her formative years as a member of a dysfunctional family. Ms. Somers' father, played by Ken Kercheval, is a chronic alcoholic, but it is expected--no, demanded--of the other children that this family problem be kept secret from the world. The long-ranging ramifications of her bitter childhood include the failure of Somers's first marriage, one arrest, inclinations towards suicide, and a crippling inability to control any aspect of her own life or career. Even the foreknowledge of Suzanne Somers' eventual recovery and success does not dull the edge of this compelling (albeit uneven) film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The promise made by 15-year-old Georgia boy Ricky Schroder is to his dying mother (Veronica Cartwright). Schroder vows that he'll keep his parentless family--all seven brothers--together, no matter what. He keeps his word, through starvation, deprivation and natural disaster. It says in the ads that the made-for-TV A Son's Promise was based on a true story. Real or fabricated, the film offers a good workout for your tear-ducts, even when lapsing into the Obvious. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Made for television, Winnie is adapted from the fact-based book Winnie: My Life in the Institution by Jamie Paster Bolnick. Meredith Baxter-Birney plays Winnie Sprockett, who at age 6 is adjudged moderately retarded and confined to an Iowa mental institution. After being locked away for 30 years, Winnie campaigns for her release, attempting to write a book of her experiences. At one point she escapes with a fellow patient (David Morse). Through the intervention of a compassionate administrator (Barbara Barrie), Winnie is at last allowed to re-enter the outside world. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set in 1972, The Resting Place stars John Lithgow as an Army major who accompanies the body of a young black lieutenant killed in action to the dead man's Georgia home town. Though the local cemetery is for whites only, the town's resident liberal has paid for a plot for the deceased lieutenant. Lithgow attempts to convince the racially divided community that the boy deserves to be buried in the segregated cemetery because he died a hero--but in so doing, the major unearths evidence that the lieutenant may have been "fragged" by his own troops. While it might seem that far too many issues are being raised for a mere two hours' screen time, Walter Halsey Davis' script successfully balances all the elements, and the results are both provocative and moving. The Resting Place was originally presented as a Hallmark Hall of Fame special on April 27, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

At this late date, it should hardly be necessary to inform viewers that The Ewok Adventure was inspired by those fuzzy little space muppets seen in the 1983 Star Wars sequel Return of the Jedi. This costly made-for-TV film was executive-produced by George Lucas, with special effects provided by Industrial Light and Magic. It was first telecast with great fanfare November 25, 1984; its soundtrack was simulcast on regional FM radio stations to provide a "full stereo" effect. The plot (frankly the least fascinating element of this project) concerns two young kids searching through space for their missing parents. The kids wind up on the forest moon of Endor, where dwell the courageous little Ewoks, commandeered by Wicket (Warwick Davis). The winner of an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program (though not necessarily aimed exclusively at kids), Ewok Adventure was released theatrically as Caravan of Courage. It was followed in 1986 by a TV-movie sequel, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, and by a Saturday-morning cartoon series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Twice Upon a Time is an animated cartoon feature from the Lucasfilm factory. The story involves a battle royal amongst the employees of Murkworks over possession of a "cosmic clock." Whoever controls Time will control the universe, so you can well imagine that some of the characters consider this struggle of life-and-death importance. Were this a Disney film, there might have been more story and less "mood". But the Disney people might not have used the singular animation technique showcased in this film: Lumage, a process involving what looks like (but aren't) paper cutouts. While Twice Upon a Time did not test well in preview and was never given a general release, the film has done reasonably well on videocassette. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A Christmas Without Snow originally premiered December 9, 1980. The title refers to the film's setting: the snowless San Francisco. The story is told from the point of view of newly divorced Michael Learned, who comes to grips with disillusionment with a little help from her friends in the church choir. As the singers prepare for a performance of Handel's "Messiah" under the autocratic leadership of choirmaster John Houseman, we learn a little something about the personal lives of several choir members, including Ramon Bieri, Ruth Nelson and Valerie Curtin--and the lonely Houseman himself. Christmas without Snow was presented by CBS in conjunction with the network's Family Reading Program. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Get ready for another dose of love and loss in this sequel to the four-handkerchief classic Love Story (1970). Oliver Barrett (Ryan O'Neal) is emotionally devastated after the death of his wife Jenny, and while he tries to lose himself in his work as a lawyer, the long hours don't ease his pain, especially when he finds that his leftist views conflict with those of the senior partners at the firm. Eventually, Oliver's inconsolable grief begins to alienate those around him, until he finds new love with Marcie Bonwit (Candice Bergen), the wealthy and beautiful heir to the Bonwit-Teller fortune. Despite his affection for Marcie, Oliver finds it difficult to leave the memory of Jenny behind, which causes major problems in his relationship with Marcie. Ray Milland reprises his role from the first film as Oliver's father; the supporting cast includes Charles M. Haid, Swoosie Kurtz, and Jose Torres. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide