''The Deadliest Season'' is a 1977 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 fo ...

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

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 ...

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 March 16, 1977. It was directed by

Robert Markowitz Robert Markowitz (born February 7, 1935, in Irvington, New Jersey) is an American film and television director. He directed episodes of ''Serpico'' (1976), '' Delvecchio'' (1976-1977), and ''Amazing Stories'' (1986), and a number of television ...

, written by

Ernest Kinoy Ernest Kinoy (April 1, 1925 – November 10, 2014) was an American writer, screenwriter and playwright. Early life Kinoy was born in New York City on April 1, 1925; his parents, Albert and Sarah Kinoy (formerly Forstadt), were both high-school ...

and produced by Titus Productions. The film stars

Michael Moriarty Michael Moriarty (born April 5, 1941) is an American-Canadian actor and jazz musician. He received an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award for his first acting role on American television as a Nazi SS officer in the 1978 mini-series ''Holocaust'' ...

, Kevin Conway and

Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...

Plot

An average professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...

is relegated to the minor leagues because his play is not aggressive enough. In an effort to get back to the majors, he plays dirty and gets into fights on the ice, which gets him back to the majors. His aggressive play results in the death of another player as a result of injuries sustained during a game, and results in his being charged with manslaughter. The player appears largely indifferent to the situation, appearing to view it as a normal part of playing top level ice hockey.

Cast

In ''The Deadliest Season'',

plays the main character. Kevin Conway also starred in this film.

Sully Boyar Sully may refer to: * Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger (born 1951), American pilot notable for landing his disabled airliner on the Hudson ** ''Sully'' (film), a 2016 film by Clint Eastwood about Sullenberger Places France * Sully, Calvados, commu ...

Jill Eikenberry Jill Susan Eikenberry (born January 21, 1947) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is known for her role as lawyer Ann Kelsey on the NBC drama '' L.A. Law'' (1986–94), for which she is a five-time Emmy Award and four-time Go ...

, Walter McGinn,

Andrew Duggan Andrew Duggan (December 28, 1923 – May 15, 1988) was an American character actor. His work includes 185 screen credits between 1949 and 1987 for roles in both film and television, as well a number more on stage. Background Duggan was born in ...

Paul D'Amato Paul "Skinny" D'Amato (December 1, 1908 – June 5, 1984) also known as "Mr. Atlantic City", was the owner of the 500 Club in Atlantic City, New Jersey, from the 1940s until the club burned down in 1973. Early life D'Amato was born to Italia ...

and

Mason Adams Mason Adams (February 26, 1919 – April 26, 2005) was an American character actor and voiceover artist. From the late 1940s until the early 1970s, he was heard in numerous radio programs and voiceovers for countless television commercials, t ...

also appeared on ''The Deadliest Season''. Conway played the attorney who defended Mortiarty's character. Adams' appearance as the team owner in the film helped land him a role in ''

Lou Grant Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Ed Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), a half-hour light-hearted situation comedy in which the character ...

.'' The film was written by

, who had already written several television dramas by that time. It was directed by

, and produced by Titus Productions.

made her television debut. She also made her film debut role for ''

Julia Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...

'' in the same year. Streep, playing Moriarty's wife, received fifth billing in what was her first role.

Airing

''The Deadliest Season'' was a 98-minute-long courtroom and sports drama made-for-TV movie that originally aired in the United States on

in 1977. In Canada, the movie aired in August 1979 on CBC. In Australia, the film first aired in November 1980, and later aired on March 23, 1982 on

ATN ATN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Seven Network in Australia. The licence, issued to a company named Amalgamated Television Services, a subsidiary of John Fairfax & Sons, was one of the first four licences (two in Sydney, two ...

7. In 1984, it reran in New York on Channel 2. It re-ran on television in Alaska in November 1986.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deadliest Season 1977 television films 1977 films 1977 drama films 1970s American films 1970s English-language films 1970s sports drama films American drama television films American ice hockey films American sports drama films CBS network films Films directed by Robert Markowitz Sports television films