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''Small Sacrifices'' is a 1989 American made-for-television
crime drama film In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...
written by
Joyce Eliason Joyce Eliason (May 14, 1934 – January 10, 2022) was an American television writer and producer. She was best known for writing TV miniseries including ''Titanic'' and ''The Last Don'', and for the TV film ''The Jacksons: An American Dream''. El ...
and based on the best-selling true crime book by
Ann Rule Ann Rae Rule (''née'' Stackhouse; October 22, 1931 – July 26, 2015) was an American author of true crime books and articles. She is best known for '' The Stranger Beside Me'' (1980), about the serial killer Ted Bundy, with whom Rule worked ...
of the same name. The film is about Diane Downs and the murder and attempted murder of her three children. It stars
Farrah Fawcett Farrah Leni Fawcett (born Ferrah Leni Fawcett; February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she played ...
,
Ryan O'Neal Ryan O'Neal (born April 20, 1941) is an American actor and former boxer. He trained as an amateur boxer before beginning his career in acting in 1960. In 1964, he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ABC nighttime soap opera '' Peyton Place ...
,
Gordon Clapp Gordon Clapp (born September 24, 1948) is an American actor best known for playing Det. Greg Medavoy for all 12 seasons of the television series ''NYPD Blue'', winning an Emmy Award in 1998. Early life and education Clapp was born in North Con ...
, John Shea and
Emily Perkins Emily Jean Perkins (born May 4, 1977) is a Canadian former actress, best known for her roles as Crystal Braywood in the TV series ''Hiccups'', young Beverly Marsh in '' Stephen King's It'', and Brigitte Fitzgerald in '' Ginger Snaps''. Since the ...
. The film premiered in two parts on ABC on November 12 and 14, 1989.


Plot

On 19 May 1983 at approximately 10:48 p.m, Diane Downs, drives to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield,
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
with a gunshot wound to her arm. She claims that an unknown assailant attempted to carjack her and shot her three children: Karen, 8, Shauna, 7, and Robby, 3. Her eldest daughter Karen was suffering a temporary loss of speech due to a stroke after the shooting, but recovers sufficiently to serve as a witness in court against her mother; Diane's son is paralyzed due to the gunshot. She was eventually tried and convicted of murder and attempted murder. During the trial, the prosecution plays
Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor the following year the band we ...
's "
Hungry Like the Wolf "Hungry Like the Wolf" is a song by English new wave band Duran Duran. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Colin Thurston for the group's second studio album ''Rio'' (1982). The song was released on 4 May 1982 as the band's fi ...
" to demonstrate to the jury Diane's choice of song used to motivate her to kill. Diane Downs is sentenced to life in prison, and her two surviving children are adopted by the prosecutor Frank Joziak and his wife, Lola.


Differences from book

Downs' children Christie, Cheryl and Danny were renamed Karen, Shauna and Robbie for the film. Her ex-husband, Steve, was renamed Boyd Paul. The prosecutor and his wife who later adopted Christie and Danny were also renamed. In both the book and movie Downs' lover, Robert Knickerbocker, was renamed Lew Lewiston.


Cast

*
Farrah Fawcett Farrah Leni Fawcett (born Ferrah Leni Fawcett; February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she played ...
as Diane Downs *
Ryan O'Neal Ryan O'Neal (born April 20, 1941) is an American actor and former boxer. He trained as an amateur boxer before beginning his career in acting in 1960. In 1964, he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ABC nighttime soap opera '' Peyton Place ...
as Lew Lewiston *
Gordon Clapp Gordon Clapp (born September 24, 1948) is an American actor best known for playing Det. Greg Medavoy for all 12 seasons of the television series ''NYPD Blue'', winning an Emmy Award in 1998. Early life and education Clapp was born in North Con ...
as Detective Doug Welch * John Shea as Frank Joziak *
Garry Chalk Garry Chalk is a British-born Canadian actor. He has provided the voices for Optimus Primal of '' Beast Wars: Transformers'' and ''Beast Machines'', as well as Optimus Prime in the anime English dubs of '' Transformers: Armada'', ''Transformer ...
as Boyd Paul Downs *
Emily Perkins Emily Jean Perkins (born May 4, 1977) is a Canadian former actress, best known for her roles as Crystal Braywood in the TV series ''Hiccups'', young Beverly Marsh in '' Stephen King's It'', and Brigitte Fitzgerald in '' Ginger Snaps''. Since the ...
as Karen Downs *Ken James as Robby Downs * Sean McCann as Russell Wells *Lynne Cormack as Lola Joziak * Maxine Miller as Verla Mae Wells *Vicki Wauchope as Shauna Downs *Timothy Sell as The Stranger (Carjacker)


Reception

Upon its broadcast, the film was met with wide acclaim. It scored three
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 ...
nominations, including Outstanding Comedy/Drama Special and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special (Farrah Fawcett). It was also awarded a
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 ...
, which cited the high quality of Fawcett's performance: "This terrifying true story, based on Ann Rule’s best-selling book, marked a high point in television drama for 1989. At the heart of the chilling tale of a mother’s mental illness and unthinking cruelty is the performance of Farrah Fawcett. With this portrayal, Farrah Fawcett has forever put to rest the image of her talents associated with ''Charlie’s Angels''. Ably assisted by Ryan O’Neal, with exceptional writing by Joyce Eliason and direction by David Greene, Ms. Fawcett brings a sense of realism rarely seen in television miniseries. For a drama of unusual power, a Peabody Award to ''Small Sacrifices''."Peabody: Stories That Matter. (n.d.). ''Small Sacrifices''. http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/small-sacrifices. Accessed 2021 April 23.


See also

List of television films produced for American Broadcasting Company This is a list of television films produced for American Broadcasting Company (ABC). Many of these films were made as television pilots, four of them were United Nations television film series. 1950s * ''Portrait of Gina'' (1958) * '' Girl on t ...


References


External links

* * {{David Greene 1989 television films 1989 films 1989 crime drama films American crime drama films American television films Films directed by David Greene Films set in 1983 Films set in Oregon Films shot in Edmonton Films about narcissism Peabody Award-winning broadcasts Crime films based on actual events 1980s English-language films 1980s American films