I saw "The People" on TV when it first came out, 1) to see if it really was based on my favorite Zenna Henderson stories, and 2) because William Shatner played Dr. Curtis. As another reviewer has said, Shatner wasn't his usual hammy self, and did well by the character. Kim Darby would not have been my choice for Melodye, but wasn't bad. I was pleasantly surprised here to see that Francis Ford Coppola was in charge of the project, which is most likely why it turned out well.
I don't think that any TV movie could really cover the depth and reach of Ms. Henderson's "People" stories due to time limits. And the reason a lot of viewers think the movie was silly is because they haven't read the stories and don't have the background those of us who have read them do. Still, Mr. Coppola did a good job, and the cast portrayed Ms. Henderson's "People" fairly well. I think I will have to get a copy of "The People" and relive a bit of my youth.
I don't think that any TV movie could really cover the depth and reach of Ms. Henderson's "People" stories due to time limits. And the reason a lot of viewers think the movie was silly is because they haven't read the stories and don't have the background those of us who have read them do. Still, Mr. Coppola did a good job, and the cast portrayed Ms. Henderson's "People" fairly well. I think I will have to get a copy of "The People" and relive a bit of my youth.
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