''Homefront'' is an American television drama series created and produced by
Lynn Marie Latham
Lynn Marie Latham is an American television writer, producer, and showrunner. Her initial foray into writing for television was as a story editor for the series ''Berrenger's'' in 1985. That same year, Latham became a writer for the nighttime seri ...
and
Bernard Lechowick
Bernard Lechowick is an American television writer and producer. He grew up in Mentor, Ohio and is a father of two sons, Richard Latham Lechowick and Vincent Latham Lechowick.Lorimar Television
Lorimar Productions, Inc., later known as Lorimar Television and Lorimar Distribution, was an American production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969 until 1993, when it was folded into Warner Bros. Televisio ...
for
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
which aired from September 24, 1991, to April 26, 1993. The show was set in the fictional city of River Run, Ohio, in 1945, 1946, and 1947. The show's theme song, " Accentuate the Positive", was written by
Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ...
and
Johnny Mercer
John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...
and performed by Jack Sheldon.
Forty-two episodes were broadcast in the United States over two seasons from 1991 to 1993. '' TV Guide'',
Abigail Van Buren
Dear Abby is an American advice column founded in 1956 by Pauline Phillips under the pen name "Abigail Van Buren" and carried on today by her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, who now owns the legal rights to the pen name.
History
According to Paulin ...
, and fans showed determination in getting ABC to continue the show for a third season before it was cancelled.
Characters
Main
*Jeff Metcalf ( Kyle Chandler): Earnest young baseball player for the Cleveland Indians who finds romance where he least expects it; son of Stephen and Anne Metcalf; younger brother of Hank and Linda Metcalf.
*Caroline Hailey ( Sammi Davis): British war bride determined not to have any children.
*Mike Sloan, Sr. ( Ken Jenkins): Steel manufacturer dumbfounded by the inroads that unionization makes among his employees.
*Ruth Sloan ( Mimi Kennedy): Icy River Run socialite coming to grips with her Italian daughter-in-law; her only son, Mike, dies on his way home to Ohio.
*Ginger Szabo ( Tammy Lauren): Passionate, fast-talking young woman with dreams of fame on stage or screen.
*Cpl. Robert Davis (Sterling Macer, Jr.; season 1): Decorated veteran who lands a job "on the line" at Sloan Industries but is isolated and belittled by racist co-workers; son of Abe and Gloria Davis; grandson of Rebecca Davis; great-great-grandson of a slave; served in Europe with the 761st Armored Battalion. In the second season he is joined by Perrette, his white French
war bride
War brides are women who married military personnel from other countries in times of war or during military occupations, a practice that occurred in great frequency during World War I and World War II.
Among the largest and best documented examp ...
.
*Lt. Hank Metcalf (
David Newsom
David Newsom (born March 10, 1962) is an American actor, producer and fine-art photographer. He is best known for his various critically acclaimed appearances in American television and for his work in 2005 and 2006 with Viggo Mortensen and Perc ...
; season 1): Soldier who returns to River Run to find that everything has changed; son of Stephen and Anne Metcalf; older brother of Linda and Jeff Metcalf.
*Sgt. Charlie Hailey (Harry O'Reilly): Veteran who puts his battlefield skills to use for the local union.
*Anne Metcalf ( Wendy Phillips): Widowed mother, displaced from work on the line at local steel manufacturer in September 1945; her world is turned on end when she falls in love again.
*Gina Sloan (Giuliana Santini): Italian war bride who arrives in the U.S. only to find that her husband, Mike Sloan, Jr., has been killed; Jewish Holocaust survivor.
*Linda Metcalf ( Jessica Steen): Young woman who enjoys the fulfillment she finds in paying work; daughter of Stephen and Anne Metcalf; only sister of Hank and Jeff Metcalf; best friend of Ginger Szabo.
*Abe Davis ( Dick Anthony Williams): Father whose confidence in the American dream is tested by his son's experiences with racism; great-grandson of a slave; son of Rebecca Davis, who was disappointed when he married a dark-skinned woman; husband of Gloria Davis; father of Robert Davis; talented photographer; once played baseball in the Negro leagues; employed by Mike and Ruth Sloan as a chauffeur and man-about-the-house; shares apartment with his wife; dreams of owning a restaurant; attends Bethany Baptist Church.
*Sarah Brewer (
Alexandra Wilson
Alexandra Muriel Wilson is an American actress. She is best known for playing the original Josie Watts on the soap opera '' Another World'' (1988–1991). She also starred in the television series '' Homefront'' (1991-1992) and the major motio ...
; season 1): College co-ed romantically torn between her soldier, Hank Metcalf, and his brother, Jeff, whom she dated during the war; orphan; resident of boarding house; Protestant; studying to become a teacher.
*Gloria Davis ( Hattie Winston): Housekeeper who aspires to own a restaurant; wife of Abe Davis; daughter-in-law of Rebecca Davis; mother of Robert Davis; employed by Mike and Ruth Sloan as a maid and cook; only missed a single day of work when her son was born; cared for Mike Sloan, Jr. throughout his childhood; member of Bethany Baptist choir.
*Al Kahn ( John Slattery): No-nonsense union organizer who begins romancing Anne Metcalf; divorced, Jewish, possible former Communist sympathies, originally is interested in Anne's daughter.
*Perrette Davis (
Perrey Reeves
Perrey Reeves (born ) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her recurring role as Melissa Gold on the television series ''Entourage'' from 2004 to 2011 and Frank the Tank's wife in the 2003 comedy '' Old School''.
E ...
; season 2): The White French war bride of Robert Davis; daughter-in-law of Abe and Gloria Davis; granddaughter-in-law of Rebecca Davis.
*Judy Owens ( Kelly Rutherford; season 2): Beautiful blonde bartender with a thing for baseball; parents are no longer alive; widowed when husband, Tom Owen, was shot down over the Pacific Ocean; lives in Clearwater, Florida, in apartment over the bar where she is employed; had affair with Mike Sloan Sr.
Recurring
Although ''Homefront'' operated largely around its main ensemble cast,
guest star
In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...
s were also featured. Notable repeat guests included:
* Sam Schenkkan (John DiSanti)
* Grandmother Davis (
Montrose Hagins
Montrose Hagins (June 12, 1917 – October 24, 2012) was an African-American television actress and former schoolteacher. Hagins either starred or had been a guest on many popular television shows such as: '' Seinfeld'', '' Roc'', ''227'', '' Th ...
)
* Ed (
Kevin Scott Allen
Kevin Scott Allen (born 20 March 1957) is an American stage, film, and television actor.
Early life and career
Born in Washington, D.C., Allen grew up in California, Virginia, North Carolina, and New Jersey. He was educated at the Hun School of Pr ...
)
* Father Dreher (
Jonathan Terry
Jonathan Terry is a television and film actor. He is best known for his role as Starker in '' Halloween III: Season of the Witch'' and Colonel Glover in ''The Return of the Living Dead'' and ''Return of the Living Dead Part II
''Return of the ...
)
* Jack (Randy Harrington)
* Coach Zelnick ( James Gammon)
* Royal (
Charles Fowlkes
Charles Baker Fowlkes (February 16, 1916 – February 9, 1980) was an American baritone saxophonist who was a member of the Count Basie Orchestra for over twenty-five years.
Early life
Fowlkes was born in New York City on February 16, 1916. He stu ...
Lynn Marie Latham
Lynn Marie Latham is an American television writer, producer, and showrunner. Her initial foray into writing for television was as a story editor for the series ''Berrenger's'' in 1985. That same year, Latham became a writer for the nighttime seri ...
(creator/writer/executive producer),
Bernard Lechowick
Bernard Lechowick is an American television writer and producer. He grew up in Mentor, Ohio and is a father of two sons, Richard Latham Lechowick and Vincent Latham Lechowick.Diane Messina Stanley (supervising producer/writer), Sharron Miller (director),
Lorraine Senna
Lorraine Senna (sometimes credited as Lorraine Senna Ferrara) is an American film and television director.
Career
As a television director, her credits include ''Dynasty (1981 TV series), Dynasty'', ''Emerald Point N.A.S.'', ''Trapper John, M. ...
Christopher Chulack
Christopher Chulack is an American television producer and director, best known for his work on the NBC drama series '' ER'' (1995–2008), along with Michael Crichton, also ''Third Watch'' (1999–2005), which he co-produced along with Edward A ...
Joseph L. Scanlan
Joseph Lawrence Scanlan (August 16, 1929 – December 18, 2020) was an American movie and television director who directed episodes of popular TV shows such as ''Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'', ''What's Happening!!'', ''Spenser: F ...
(director).
Broadcast and syndication
''Homefront'' was aired in the United States by the
AmericanLife TV Network
YTA TV (an initialism for its former full name, Youtoo America; commonly referred to as just YTA) is an American television network which originally launched in February 1985 as a cable channel. Unusual for a network of its type, it has had mult ...
on Sundays at 10pm Eastern, but the network has since stopped airing the show.