The Gathering (1977) (TV)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Randal Kleiser

Writer:

James Poe (writer)

Release Date:

4 December 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Emmy Award Winner - Best Dramatic Special [Video Australia]

Plot:

Dying father (Ed Asner) pulls his torn family together for a last Christmas.

Plot Keywords:

Family Abandonment | Reconciliation | Regret | Father Son Relationship | Terminal Illness

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Edward Asner	...	Adam Thornton
Maureen Stapleton	...	Kate Thornton
Rebecca Balding	...	Julie Pelham
Sarah Cunningham	...	Clara
Bruce Davison	...	George Pelham
Veronica Hamel	...	Helen Thornton
Gregory Harrison	...	Bud Thornton
James Karen	...	Bob Block
Lawrence Pressman	...	Tom Thornton
John Randolph	...	Dr. John Hodges
Gail Strickland	...	Peggy Thornton
Edward Winter	...	Roger
Stephanie Zimbalist	...	Toni Thornton
John A. Hubbard	...	Reverend Powell
Mary Bradley Marable	...	Mary, the Maid

Runtime:

120 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Chagrin Falls, Ohio, USA

Company:

Hanna-Barbera Productions

Movie Connections:

Followed by The Gathering, Part II (1979) (TV)

A lost gem, that should be on DVD.

Edward Asner and Maureen Stapleton, are at the top of their form in this small, made-for-TV movie from 1977. The supporting cast are all familiar faces and flesh out the story perfectly.

This film won an Emmy for best special in drama or comedy at the '78 Emmy Awards. The movie has almost a documentary feel to it. The film never sinks under a weight of sentimentality but the emotions are there, just under the surface. You get the feeling that here is a man who loved his family but always thought there would be time to enjoy them, but learns he has weeks to live and this will be his last Christmas.

Desperate to try to rekindle some feelings of love with his four adult children, he turns to his estranged wife and together they try to organize a Christmas reunion but without letting them know their father has a fatal illness.

The children all busy with their own lives in other cities and in one case, another country, struggle with their own emotions about coming back home. This is one of my all time favorite Holiday offerings and my VHS copy is from a broadcast from the 1980's, but the quality is holding up pretty well for all this time. If you can find a copy or see it listed for broadcast, be sure to not miss it.