A Child Lost Forever: The Jerry Sherwood Story (1992)

Teen-age mother (D'Angelo) is forced to give up her baby for adoption and, 19 years later, when she tries to contact her son, she learns that he died, under questionable circumstances when ... See full summary »

Director:

Claudia Weill

Writers:

Stephanie Liss, Judith Parker

Stars:

Beverly D'Angelo, Dana Ivey, Michael McGrady

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Beverly D'Angelo	...	Jerry Sherwood
Dana Ivey	...	Lois Jurgens
Michael McGrady	...	Dennis
Max Gail	...	Mr. Jurgens
Hank Stratton	...	Robert Jurgens
Annabella Price	...	Melinda Elledge
Brent Jennings	...	Clayton Robinson
Gary Grubbs	...	Ron Meehan
Tuck Milligan
Mackenzie Astin	...	Dennis Sherwood
Jennifer Lynn McComb	...	(as Jennifer McComb)
Will Patton	...	Frank Maxwell
Barbara Tarbuck	...	Dr. Sackarow
Melissa Clayton	...	Dawn
Mary Pat Gleason	...	Mrs. Rory

Storyline

Teen-age mother (D'Angelo) is forced to give up her baby for adoption and, 19 years later, when she tries to contact her son, she learns that he died, under questionable circumstances when he was three years old.

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Plot Keywords:

adoption | abusive mother | abuse | child abuse | death of child

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Child Lost Forever

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Erb Productions Inc., TriStar Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This story is based on a real event.

User Reviews

Extraordinarily talented cast - soap-sud story

I am not the audience for Lifetime Channel movies but just happened to see Beverly D'Angelo (always beautiful and here looking gorgeously plump) in this, so stayed to watch. When I saw Dana Ivey appear, I was sure I was in for something wonderful - but I wasn't.

I am not that familiar with Lifetime Channel sorts of movies - and as a conservative middle aged man, don't think I'm the intended audience. This is a social issue, soapy victim succeeds against the odds movie. I'm not a fan of such movies.

The movie is very strange. I kept awaiting a twist or series of twists because: a) the direct evidence against the stepmother is very slight (she's presented as a nightmare mother but there's no eyewitness at the time of death, no instrument of death, etc.), b) an actress of the caliber and eminence of Dana Ivey had thus far been given hardly any lines (and allowed only a sort of Hammer Films wicked stepmother look), and c) the "victim" (biological mom) repeatedly asked about how much punishment the wicked stepmother would receive - and how soon it could be inflicted.

Amazingly, there's no twist at all! The victim was simply eager! The disappointment is strong! The dialogue is truly terrible - the judge actually says "why if I could, I would throw away the key" when passing sentence! (Yes, this was first heard in a drama in 1908 - B.C.).

So, except for the (quite real) pleasure in seeing the over-ripe curves of Beverly D'Angelo in skirts and dresses made with more slender women in mind, this movie's a bust.