Can Ellen Be Saved? (1974) (TV)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Harvey Hart

Writer:

Emmett Roberts (writer)

Release Date:

5 February 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A young girl in search of spiritual enlightenment joins a religious cult, and becomes the focus of a struggle between her family and the group. |

Plot Keywords:

Religious Cult | Cult | Exorcism | Religion | Deprogramming

Cast

Leslie Nielsen	...	Arnold Lindsey
Katherine Cannon	...	Ellen Lindsey
Michael Parks	...	Joseph
John Saxon	...	James Hallbeck
Louise Fletcher	...	Bea Lindsey
Rutanya Alda	...	Rachael
Christina Hart	...	Mary
William Katt	...	Bob
Dennis Redfield	...	Daniel
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Melissa
Scott Colomby	...	Randy
Fred Draper	...	Mr. Worth (as Frederick Draper)
Jason Parker	...	2nd Street Kid
Fred Porter	...	1st Street Kid
Dorothy Dells	...	Phone Operator

Also Known As:

Children of God (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

ABC Circle Films

I Remember This

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

But remember virtually nothing about it.

what 8-year-old is going to pay close attention to a movie about a family torn apart by a daughter's drug use.

snore, snore.

But I do remember it. Seeing it was Katherine Cannon made me recall that I thought this was Peggy Lipton, the virtual blonde hippie chick from the Mod Squad.

And seeing it was Louise Fletcher as the mother made me remember I always visualized it as Estelle Parsons, just a frumpy looking 1970s mother.

But my brother and I, we remember the advertisement for this, with Cannon, as the drugged out daughter, black tears like Tammy Faye Bakker streaming down her face, declaring "I hear mountains! I see music!" Yep, kids never forget dialogue like that. Remember stuff like that more than we do any drugs that were mentioned as enabling her to do this.

But the other scene I recall was the mother (Fletcher) is lighting up a cigarette.

Apparently they had just gone thru an entire, tense night with the doped out daughter, the family was settling back down into their non-communicative patterns and mom lights up that cigarette.

"Can I have a drag of that?" the daughter says.

Mom looks on in disbelief, not knowing her daughter smoked.

This then hearkens back to the infamous Brady Bunch episode with Greg smoking.

But to my young 8-year-old mind, I can't help but recollect thinking, why are you so surprised your child smokes if you smoke? It really was do as I say, not as I do.

With Leslie Neilsen as the dad, still a long way off from his comedy work, all I can imagine here is that it involved a lot of yelling to no avail.

Best forgotten, but I do remember this much about this one.