''Attack on Fear'' is a 1984 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Mel Damski Melvin Damski (born July 21, 1946 in New York, New York) is an American director and producer of film and television. Life and career Mel Damski (born in New York, New York) is an American film director and film producer. Damski has Northern Eu ...

and starring

Paul Michael Glaser Paul Michael Glaser (born Paul Manfred Glaser March 25, 1943) is an American actor and director best known for his role as Detective Dave Starsky on the 1970s television series, ''Starsky & Hutch''. In between his work writing and directing, Gla ...

Linda Kelsey Linda Jean Kelsey is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Billie Newman on the CBS drama television series ''Lou Grant'' (1977–1982), which earned her three Golden Globe Award nominations and five Primetime Emmy Award nomin ...

, Kevin Conway and

Barbara Babcock Barbara Babcock (born February 27, 1937) is an American actress who played Grace Gardner on ''Hill Street Blues'', for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress—Drama Series in 1981, She played Dorothy Jennings on ''Dr. Quinn, ...

. It premiered on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

on October 10, 1984. The teleplay by T.S. Cook is based on the 1980 book ''The Light on Synanon: How a Country Weekly Exposed a Corporate Cult'' written by Dave Mitchell, Cathy Mitchell and

Richard Ofshe Richard Jason Ofshe (born 27 February 1941) is an American sociologist and professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is known for his expert testimony relating to coercion in small groups, confessions, and int ...

Overview

and

portray Dave and Cathy Mitchell, the new owners of a small-circulation weekly newspaper called '' The Point Reyes Light'' in

Marin County, California Marin County is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and ...

. Upon hearing of iniquities at the famed

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

drug rehabilitation center

Synanon Synanon is a US-founded social organization created by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich Sr. in 1958 in Santa Monica, California, United States. It is currently active in Germany. Originally established as a drug rehabilitation program, by the early ...

, the Mitchells begin publishing their evidence. Despite legal pressure from Synanon and bizarre anonymously mailed threats, the Mitchells' story results in a major investigation of the revered institution. Although ''Attack on Fear'' was completed in 1982, it was not telecast until October 1984 and then only after being reshaped to satisfy Synanon's battery of attorneys.

Cast

- Dave Mitchell *

- Cathy Mitchell * Kevin Conway - Richard Ofshe * John Harkins - Banner *

Alan Fudge Alan Fudge (February 27, 1944 – October 10, 2011) was an American actor known for his roles in four television programs, ''Man from Atlantis'', ''Eischied'', ''Paper Dolls'' and ''Bodies of Evidence'', along with a recurring role on '' 7th Hea ...

- Art Disterhoft *

- Jane Dutton *

Tom Villard Thomas Louis Villard (November 19, 1953 – November 14, 1994) was an American actor. He is known for his leading role in the 1980s series ''We Got It Made'', as well as roles in feature films ''Grease 2'', ''One Crazy Summer'', ''Heartbreak Ri ...

- Keith *

Jerry Hardin Jerry Hardin (born November 20, 1929) is an American actor. Hardin has appeared in film and television roles, including the character nicknamed Deep Throat in ''The X-Files''. Hardin was born in Texas and studied acting at London's Royal Academ ...

- Sheriff Bergus *

Hugh Reilly Hugh Reilly (October 30, 1915 – July 17, 1998) was an American actor who performed on the Broadway stage, in films, and on television. He is best remembered for co-starring from 1958 to 1964 as the father, Paul Martin, in the CBS television ...

- Lofgren *

Wendy Goldman ''ER'' is an American medical drama television series created by novelist and physician Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994, to April 2, 2009, with a total of 331 episodes spanning 15 seasons. It was produced by Constant ...

- Gail *Jack Gregory - Thompkins * Patricia E. Parris - Bonnie *Gary Bayer - Veteran Reporter *

Michael Mallory Michael Mallory (born 1955) is a writer on the subjects of animation and post-war pop culture, and the author of the books ''X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe'', ''Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror'' ''The Science Fictio ...

- SWAT Officer

References

External links

* * * 1984 films 1984 television films 1984 drama films CBS network films 1980s English-language films Films set in 1978 Films set in the San Francisco Bay Area Biographical films about journalists Films directed by Mel Damski American drama television films 1980s American films {{US-tv-drama-film-stub