A Christmas Memory (TV 1997)

A boy, Buddy, whose parents have split and whose mother is an actress in New York, has been dumped in the south at the small-town home of some older cousins, all of whom are unmarried. ... See full summary »

Director:

Glenn Jordan

Writers:

Truman Capote (story), Duane Poole (teleplay)

Stars:

Patty Duke, Piper Laurie, Jeffrey DeMunn

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patty Duke	...	Sook
Piper Laurie	...	Jennie
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Seabone
Anita Gillette	...	Callie
Julia McIlvaine	...	Rachel
Esther Scott	...	Anna Stabler
Eric Lloyd	...	Buddy
Jimmie F. Skaggs	...	Haha Jones
Robert C. Treveiler	...	Adult Buddy (as Robert Treveiler)
Dan Albright	...	Grocer
Reynolds Allen	...	Customer
Suzi Bass	...	Rachel's Mother
Dan Biggers	...	Reverend Dickson
Lala Cochran	...	Lazy Wife
David Dwyer	...	Farley Wood

Storyline

A boy, Buddy, whose parents have split and whose mother is an actress in New York, has been dumped in the south at the small-town home of some older cousins, all of whom are unmarried. Buddy brings life to the house and develops a close friendship with one of the older, simpler ladies, Sook. Buddy and Sook undertake many adventures together, including the baking of 31 fruit-cakes which they give as Christmas presents, even mailing them to President and Mrs. Roosevelt and Jean Harlowe! Just before Christmas, one of the older cousins begins to wonder if it is best for Buddy to be living with them...

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | small town | christmas present | friendship | friend | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Truman Capote's 'A Christmas Memory'

Filming Locations:

Senoia, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hallmark Entertainment, Holiday Productions, JAWO Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Remake of ABC Stage 67: A Christmas Memory (1966)

User Reviews

A boring, cloying adaptation.

There is another adaptation of Truman Capote's novella which stars Geraldine Paige and features narration by the author. This version is infinitely superior to the 1997 adaptation. What makes the Paige version work is its austerity and respect for the material. Nothing in it is sticky-sweet or earth-shaking; it tells the story of two gentle souls who enjoy each other's friendship, and tells it well. The 1997 version, on the other hand, seems to have no respect for Capote's story. It fills the stage with other characters, extraneous dialogue, and scenes that are so calculated and sentimental you might have to leave the room (I did). For example, this piece of dialogue: "If you send Buddy to military school, he'll die!" "He won't die." "Then I might!!" Just this one instance is so far away from the heart of Capote's tale that this TV movie should not have the gall to associate itself with the original book. Do yourself a big favor: stay far away from this version and read the original.