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

Director:

Claudia Weill

Writers (WGA):

Stephanie Liss (written by) and
Judith Parker (written by)

Release Date:

16 November 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Adoption | Abusive Mother | Abuse | Child Abuse | Death Of Child

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

A Child Lost Forever (USA) (short title)
The Jerry Sherwood Story (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:15 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Erb Productions Inc.

Trivia:

This story is based on a real event.

Bad vehicle for a poignant story

This story of yet another small child, abused and battered to the point of death, is heartbreaking and poignant. Unfortunately, the actors and the movie itself just aren't up to the task. Almost everyone seemed like an amateur acting in a high school production, reading their lines in strangely stilted tones. Beverly D'Angelo's portrayal of the birth mother was so shockingly off-balance that I began to wonder why I never noticed what a poor actress she is. When trying to enlist the help of a reporter to investigate the possible murder of her son many years earlier, she reverts to flirting and teasing. When he asks her who the murder victim was, she answers with a big smile, bright eyes (still flirting) and a strangely triumphant grin on her face, "My son!" It was grotesque and repulsive. Initially the assistant D.A. who is going to prosecute the case is hostile and unsympathetic to the birth mother - the next thing you know, the A.D.A is trying to convince the victim's surviving brother to be a witness for the prosecution because she (the A.D.A) was "adopted too" blah, blah. We are never told or shown how this turn of heart came about. Eh...why go on, it's a heartbreaker but the acting was so bizarre and annoying it's almost unbearable to watch.