''Promise'' is a 1986 American

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television film 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 ...

directed by

Glenn Jordan Glenn Jordan (born April 5, 1936) is a retired American television director and producer. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Jordan directed multiple episodes of ''Family'' and helmed numerous television movies, several based on real persons as divers ...

and written by

Richard Friedenberg Richard Friedenberg is an American screenwriter and film director. He wrote the screenplay for '' A River Runs Through It'' (1992), starring Brad Pitt, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award, and the screenplay for the Hallmark Hall of ...

, from a story by Kenneth Blackwell, Tennyson Flowers and Friedenberg.

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including '' The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's ''The Ameri ...

stars as a care-free man who returns to his hometown after his mother's death, and has to assume responsibility for his mentally ill younger brother (

James Woods James Howard Woods (born April 18, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for his work in various film, stage, and television productions. He started his career in minor roles on and off-Broadway. In 1972, he appeared in '' The Trial of the ...

). The film aired 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 ...

on December 14, 1986, as a ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...

'' presentation. One of the most honored films in television history, ''Promise'' received the Peabody Award, Humanitas Prize, Christopher Award, and Golden Globe Award. Its record of five Primetime Emmy Awards was not matched until 2010, by the film ''

Temple Grandin Mary Temple Grandin (born August 29, 1947) is an American academic and animal behaviorist. She is a prominent proponent for the humane treatment of livestock for slaughter and the author of more than 60 scientific papers on animal behavior. Gra ...

''.

Plot

When his mother dies, estranged son Bob inherits her estate, and, surprisingly, custody of his younger brother D.J., who suffers from

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

. Bob is initially reluctant at his new responsibility, but remembers that he had promised his mother to look after his brother.

Cast

The cast and credits of ''Promise'' are recorded at

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the OCL ...

. *

as Bob Beuhler *

as D.J. *

Piper Laurie Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs; January 22, 1932) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films ''The Hustler'' (1961), '' Carrie'' (1976), and '' Children of a Lesser God'' (1986), all of which brought her Academy Award no ...

as Annie Gilbert *

Peter Michael Goetz Peter Michael Goetz (born December 10, 1941) is an American actor. Early life and education Goetz was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Esther L. and Irving A. Goetz, a construction engineer.Michael Alldredge Dennis Michael Alldredge (April 13, 1941 – December 19, 1997) was an American film and television actor. He played Frank Foley in the short-lived drama television series '' Almost Grown''. He also played Bill Graham in the miniseries '' V ...

as Gibb *

Alan Rosenberg Alan Rosenberg (born October 4, 1950) is an American actor. Rosenberg is perhaps best known for his character Eli Levinson which appeared in both the series ''Civil Wars'' and the popular ''L.A. Law''. From 2005 to 2009, he was president of the S ...

as Dr. Pressman * Mary Marsh as Mrs. Post *

Barbara Niven Barbara Lee Niven (née Bucholz; born February 26, 1953) is an American actress, writer and producer, best known for her performances in Hallmark and Lifetime movies, and for television roles in ''Pensacola: Wings of Gold'', ''One Life to Live'' ...

as Joan (credited as Barbara Lee Alexander) * Steven M. Gagnon as Michael * Raissa Fleming as Lonnie * Art Burke as Dr. Wexler * Bob Griggs as Minister * Janet Baumhover as Mrs. Green * Charles W. Bernard as Mr. Allison * Claretta Mariana as Beth * Virginia Settle as Mrs. Burden * Diana Van Arnam as Netta

Production

''Promise'' was first broadcast December 14, 1986, as part of the ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'' television anthology series. Directed by Glenn Jordan from a screenplay by Richard Friedenberg, the film was shot September–October 1986 on location in Oregon, in Corvallis, Salem and

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, and at Triangle Lake. "It was an easy decision for me and my producing partner, Peter Duchow, to join forces with Hallmark," James Garner wrote in his 2011 autobiography, ''The Garner Files''. He felt he would not have been able to play the role of Bob Beuhler five years earlier, since he felt it was unsympathetic. "Not that Bob is a villain, he just never grew up," Garner wrote. James Woods was cast as his younger brother, D.J.; Garner remembered him from the first episode of ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator ...

''. Woods has said, "People ask me, 'What's the favorite thing you've ever done in your life?' and I always say ''Promise'' because it was a perfect part for me and a perfect experience with Jim." He researched his role at a halfway house in Santa Monica, California, where he met a young man whose eloquent description of living with schizophrenia was put into the script:

It's like, all the electric wires in the house are plugged into my brain. And every one has a different noise, so I can't think. Some of the wires have voices in them and they tell me things like what to do and that people are watching me. I know there really aren't any voices, but I feel that there are, and that I should listen to them or something will happen. … I can remember what I was like before. I was a class officer, I had friends. I was going to be an aeronautical engineer. Do you remember, Bobby? I've never had a job. I've never owned a car. I've never lived alone. I've never made love to a woman. And I never will. That's what it's like. You should know. That's why I'm a Hindu. Because maybe it's true: Maybe people are born again. And if there is a God, maybe he'll give me another chance. I believe that, because this can't be all I get.

"Accepting the Emmy for Best Teleplay, Richard Friedenberg said he hoped the film would help schizophrenics by calling attention to their plight," Garner wrote. "I'm sorry to say that 25 years later, schizophrenia is the worst mental health problem facing the nation."

Awards and nominations

; Awards *

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

— CBS Entertainment, Garner-Duchow Productions *

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special * 1987 Emmy Award for Directing in a Miniseries or a Special — Glenn Jordan * 1987 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special — James Woods * 1987 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special — Piper Laurie * 1987 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Miniseries or a Special — Richard Friedenberg *

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV * 1987 Golden Globe Award for Lead Actor — James Woods * 1987

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing, and is given to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of Paulist P ...

— Richard Friedenberg *

Christopher Award The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organization ...

Garner, James, and Jon Winokur. ''The Garner Files: A Memoir''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011. ; Nominations * 1987 Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Special — Gayne Rescher * 1987 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special — James Garner * 1987 Golden Globe Award for Lead Actor — James Garner * 1987 Golden Globe Award for Supporting Actress — Piper Laurie

Home media

* 2009:

, Gold Crown Collector's Edition (DVD), 2009. Special features include a featurette on the making of the film, interviews, cast biographies and credits. Close captioned. * 2012:

Warner Archive The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...

(DVD-R, created on demand), August 28, 2012.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Promise (Film) 1986 television films 1986 films 1986 drama films 1980s American films 1980s English-language films American drama television films Best Miniseries or Television Movie Golden Globe winners CBS network films Films about brothers Films about schizophrenia Films directed by Glenn Jordan Films scored by David Shire Films shot in Oregon Hallmark Hall of Fame episodes Peabody Award-winning broadcasts Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie winners