Two Mothers for Zachary (TV 1996)

Based on the true custody battle in Richmond, Virginia, a grandmother sues her lesbian daughter for custody of her grandson on the grounds her daughter is immoral for living with another ... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Werner

Writer:

Linda Voorhees

Stars:

Valerie Bertinelli, Vanessa Redgrave, Colleen Flynn

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Valerie Bertinelli	...	Jody Ann Shaffell
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Nancy Shaffell
Colleen Flynn	...	Maggie Fergus
James Gammon	...	Chalmer
Michael Marich	...	Robert Lee
Kim Dickens	...	Nancy
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brett Brock	...	Keith Kinchloe
Cynthia Dorn	...	Nurse Smoot
Tony Frank	...	Ben Delaney
Barbara George-Reiss	...	Beth
Sheila Gordon	...	Process Server
Alexandria Hunter	...	Lily Delaney (as Alex Hunter)
Bill Kaiser	...	County Clerk
Barbara Lasater	...	Pat Kinchloe
Dennis Letts	...	Judge Crawford

Storyline

Based on the true custody battle in Richmond, Virginia, a grandmother sues her lesbian daughter for custody of her grandson on the grounds her daughter is immoral for living with another woman in a gay relationship.

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Plot Keywords:

custody | richmond virginia | lesbian | courtroom | grandmother granddaughter relationship | 

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Taglines:

She's fallen in love with another woman. Does that give her mother the right to take her child away?

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

For the Love of Zachary

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avenue Pictures Productions, Hallmark Entertainment, RHI Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Maggie Fergus: If you have any change leftover, could you get me a cherry slushy?
Jody Ann Schaffel: You know, you really should have something healthy, something green!
Maggie Fergus: OK then, make it a lime slushy.

User Reviews

Sad, astonished and downright fuming

I've just finished seeing this movie for the first time on TV. All the way through I simply could not believe that time and again such decisions were made purely on the basis of the judge's homophobic bias. I kept waiting for someone to stand up and declare the obvious - that it was wrong to deprive a loving, caring mother of her child simply because some bigots don't approve of who she loves.

What amazed me most of all was that at the very start of the movie we were told that grandparents had no legal entitlement to visitation in Virginia. So it was appalling to me that even though there was no basis in law for granting custody to Jody Ann's appalling mother, simply because of a judge's personal bias custody was granted. It makes a mockery of the law and of the US legal system.

I came on here hoping to find that in the eight years since the movie was made commonsense and justice had prevailed and that Jody Ann had finally gotten to bring up her son in a loving, caring, nuturing home. But sadly it seems that bigots still rule in the good IL' US of A.

It also astonished me that no one thought to ask why the grandmother was insisting on the child calling her 'mamma'. This surely confuses the child and is a clear indication that the grandmother's motives aren't in the child's best interests but her own. Clearly, she wanted the child for herself from the start and her daughter's new lifestyle was just an excuse.

I was enraged by Jody Ann's brother and 'best friend'. Both of whom betrayed her and lied on the stand, simply because they were angry that she had chosen to love another woman. They should be ashamed of themselves.

All in all, a sad, depressing indictment of America, of its intolerance for those who don't fit the 'mom's apple pie' image and the grip the raving rightwing lobby has on this country.

I wish Jody Ann all the best. I am sure that when her son is grown and is able to understand the manipulations of his grandmother and the injustices done to his mother he will choose to be with her again.