''My Son Johnny'' is a 1991 American fact-based

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 fo ...

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 ...

starring

Michele Lee Michele Lee is an American actress, singer, dancer, producer, and director. She is known for her role as Karen Fairgate MacKenzie on the prime-time soap opera ''Knots Landing'' (1979–1993), for which she was nominated for a 1982 Emmy Awar ...

Rick Schroder Richard Bartlett Schroder (born April 13, 1970) is an American actor and filmmaker. As a child actor billed as Ricky Schroder he debuted in the film '' The Champ'' (1979), for which he became the youngest Golden Globe award recipient, and went o ...

and

Corin Nemec Joseph Charles Nemec IV (born November 5, 1971), known professionally as Corin Nemec, is an American actor, producer, and screenwriter. He was billed as Corin "Corky" Nemec or Corky Nemec until 1990. Nemec is known for playing the title characte ...

, directed by

Peter Levin Peter Levin is an American director of film, television and theatre. Career Since 1967, Levin has amassed a large number of credits directing episodic television and television films. Some of his television series credits include '' Love Is ...

. It was originally broadcast 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 Entertainm ...

as ''The CBS Sunday Movie'' on November 10, 1991.

Plot

Johnny Cortino is a 21-year-old hoodlum returning home to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

after a stint in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

; exactly why he's back is not clear and, when confronted for details, Johnny is able to fast-talk his way out of every corner he is backed in to. Yet, it is clear that his widowed mother Marianne is glad to see her son that - despite his problems - is still the apple of her eye. And it is equally clear that 17-year-old Anthony is terrified that his older brother is back in the house. As soon as Johnny returns home, the war of intimidation quickly resumes, and Anthony finally reaches the breaking-point when, after a particularly nasty beating by Johnny, he pulls a gun on his brother and shoots him to death. With Anthony facing a life sentence for murder, Marianne has one chance of saving him: following years of denial about Johnny's bullying, she is torn between upholding his memory and defending her younger offspring, but also realizes she must confront the terrible truth about Johnny and, before the eyes of the world, admit there has been a lifetime of sibling violence. In the end, the verdict is read and Anthony is found not guilty.''My Son Johnny''
at

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

Cast

as Marianne Cortino *

Ricky Schroder Richard Bartlett Schroder (born April 13, 1970) is an American actor and filmmaker. As a child actor billed as Ricky Schroder he debuted in the film '' The Champ'' (1979), for which he became the youngest Golden Globe award recipient, and went o ...

as Johnny Cortino *

as Anthony Cortino *

Mariangela Pino Mariangela Pino is an American actress. She is best known for her role as ''Diane Koscinski'' in the 1994 film '' Richie Rich'' and her recurring role as Marie Morton on the sitcom ''Home Improvement''. Early life and education Pino was born i ...

as Rhoda Cortino * Stephen Dimopoulos as Louie Cortino *

Ken Pogue Kenneth Pogue (July 26, 1934 – December 15, 2015) was a Canadian actor. Career His first motion picture role in 1973 was in ''The Neptune Factor''. He almost drowned in scuba gear. He worked on stage at the Crest Theatre, Stratford Shakespea ...

as Judge Burke *

Joy Coghill Joy Dorothy Coghill-Thorne, CM, (May 13, 1926 – January 20, 2017) was a Canadian actress, director, and writer. Her obituary in ''The Vancouver Sun'' described her as having had "a seven-decade run at the top of the Vancouver theatre world." ...

as Anna Cortino *

Gwynyth Walsh Gwynyth Walsh (born 1956) is a Canadian actress best known for her role of the ''Star Trek'' character B'Etor, one of the Duras sisters. She also played constable Nimira in the '' Star Trek: Voyager'' episode " Random Thoughts", and provided the ...

as Janet David * Rip Torn as Brian Stansbury

References

External links

* 1991 television films 1991 films 1991 drama films CBS films Films set in Baltimore Films about domestic violence Films about dysfunctional families Films about bullying Films about brothers Drama films based on actual events American drama television films Films directed by Peter Levin 1990s American films 1990s English-language films English-language drama films {{US-tv-drama-film-stub