The Elephant Man (TV 1982)

A taped version of the stage play about a hideously deformed 19th-century London man and how he managed to triumph over his disease.

Director:

Jack Hofsiss

Writers:

Steve Lawson (adaptation), Bernard Pomerance (play)

Stars:

Philip Anglim, Kevin Conway, Penny Fuller

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Philip Anglim	...	John Merrick
Kevin Conway	...	Frederick Treves
Penny Fuller	...	Mrs. Kendal
Richard Clarke	...	Carr Gomm
Glenn Close	...	Princess Alexandra
Jarlath Conroy	...	Will
Rex Everhart	...	Snork
Christopher Hewett	...	Ross
William Hutt	...	Bishop How
Charlotte Moore	...	Miss Sandwich
Josephine Nichols	...	Countess
David Rounds	...	Lord John
Veronica Castang	...	Pinhead
William Duff-Griffin	...	Conductor
Joe Grifasi	...	Pinhead Manager

Storyline

A taped version of the stage play about a hideously deformed 19th-century London man and how he managed to triumph over his disease.

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Plot Keywords:

disease | doctor patient relationship | prejudice | actress | neurofibromatosis | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 January 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

ABC Theatre of the Month: The Elephant Man

Company Credits

Production Co:

Marble Arch Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original Broadway production of "The Elephant Man" by Bernard Pomerance opened at the Booth Theater in New York on April 19, 1979, ran for 916 performances and won the 1979 Tony Award (New York City) for the Best Play. Philip Anglim, Kevin Conway and Richard Clarke repeated their stage roles in the movie version.

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Connections

Version of The Elephant Man (1980)

User Reviews

Totally Amazing!

I remember seeing this TV movie when it was first run.

I was about 10 when it was on, and I was TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY with PHILIP ANGLIM's performance as JOHN MERRICK, aka the Elephant Man...

As much as I love David Lynch's (1980) movie with the absolutely adorable ANTHONY HOPKINS as FREDERICK TREVES and JOHN HURT as JOHN MERRICK, it was PHILIP ANGLIM's performance TOTALLY VOID OF COSMETICS, PROTHESTICS, AND OTHER MAKE-UP, THAT BLEW ME AWAY!!!

Philip Anglim ACTUALLY CONTORTED HIMSELF TO SUCH A DEGREE, THAT I THOUGHT THAT HE WAS A PRETZEL!!!!! THAT THERE WAS NO WAY THAT HE CAN UNTANGLE HIMSELF!!!

To tell you the truth, I was so impressed with Philip's performance, that I honestly DO NOT REMEMBER any other performance here, despite the fact that both GLENN CLOSE! and CHRISTOPHER HEWITT! (Mr. Belvedere) were both in the show!!!

I would venture a 99.44% chance that it was this performance that made me fascinated with the story of John Merrick.