Arriving in a new town, a child pretends to be deaf-mute to protect himself - a ruse which works so well that for twenty years he is custodian to all the town's secrets.
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Title: What the Deaf Man Heard (TV Movie 1997)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Matthew Modine | ... | Sammy Ayers | |
| Claire Bloom | ... | Mrs. Tynan | |
| Judith Ivey | ... | Lucille | |
| James Earl Jones | ... | Archibald Thacker | |
| Jerry O'Connell | ... | Reverend Perry Ray Pruitt | |
| Bernadette Peters | ... | Helen Ayers | |
| Tom Skerritt | ... | Norm Jenkins | |
| Anne Bobby | ... | Tallasse Tynan | |
| Stephen Spinella | ... | Percy | |
| Jake Weber | ... | Tolliver Tynan | |
| Frankie Muniz | ... | Young Sammy | |
| Andy Stahl | ... | Finis | |
 |
Tyler Noyes | ... | Young Tolliver |
| Hallee Hirsh | ... | Young Tallasse | |
| Teagle F. Bougere | ... | Abraham Thacker | |
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
In 1945, a young boy arrives in a small Georgia town on a bus from which his mother was abducted and murdered. Alone he sits quietly and everyone becomes convinced that he is deaf and mute. Deciding that silence offers some power and protection, the boy decides to remain mute and just listens to all that is being said around him by people who think that he cannot hear. Written by John Sacksteder <jsackste@bellsouth.net>
Taglines:
For twenty years, he lived in silence. Now his heart needs to speak the truth.Parents Guide:
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Matthew Modine remained in character all through filming. He rode his bike around the locations and never spoke, instead writing in a notepad just as Sammy did. See more »Goofs
Norm Jenkins finds Sammy's suitcase and learns his identity but doesn't tell anyone about the suitcase. Yet the entire town knew and used his full name, presumably starting soon after his first day in Barrington, and the police never searched for his mother after that first day even though his name was known. See more »Quotes
Lucille: [about Sammy] You'd better find a decent place for him, Norm, and fast, because this is the world's poorest excuse for an orphanage!See more »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
23 November 1997 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Hallmark Hall of Fame: What the Deaf Man Heard (#47.1) See more »Filming Locations:
Wilmington, North Carolina, USACompany Credits
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All you have to do is sit back and observe what is going on in the town and you can identify with Sammy and get in on the plots going on around him. His faking it is a great deal more believable than much of what is on the tube these days. Quit trying to make more of it than was meant.