''The Girls of Huntington House'' is a
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
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
Alf Kjellin
Alf Kjellin (; 28 February 1920 – 5 April 1988) was a Swedish film actor and director, who also appeared on some television shows.
Biography
Kjellin underwent two changes of names in his early days in Hollywood. The first studio for which he ...
. The film is based on the 1972 novel of the same name written by
Blossom Elfman
Clare "Blossom" Elfman ( Bernstein; November 4, 1925 – April 10, 2017) was an American novelist.
Biography
Clare (nickname, "Blossom") Bernstein was born November 4, 1925. Writing as Clare Elfman, she was senior literary editor of Buzzine (owned ...
.
Plot
Anne Baldwin arrives at Huntington House, a maternity home for pregnant minors. The school's principal Doris McKenzie is initially reluctant to hire Baldwin, because she has no degree. In class, Baldwin soon finds out she is unable to get through to the teens, of whom most are rebellious and aggressive. She constantly clashes with the school's newest student, 17-year-old Sara. Sara has been forced by her parents to enter the home and has been assigned the roommate of Gail; a model student who has a snobbish, dominant mother. Sara feels Baldwin is too
old-fashioned and too
introverted
The traits of extraversion (also spelled extroversion Retrieved 2018-02-21.) and introversion are a central dimension in some human personality theories. The terms ''introversion'' and ''extraversion'' were introduced into psychology by Carl J ...
for contemporary
moral
A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. A ...
standards/values and thus does not know the contemporary meaning of love and sex.
Inspired by Sara's attempts to make her open up, Baldwin introduces a more personal, social teaching structure. From this point, she bonds with several students, including Marilyn, who gives birth to a baby. Following a fight, Sara is fed up with Huntington House and leaves. Baldwin tries to stop her, but this results in a confrontation, during which Baldwin slaps Sara. During her absence, Baldwin decides not to report her to the authorities and after Sara's return, they become friends.
Nevertheless, Sara's attitude has become worse, having become depressed and constantly announcing she will give up her baby immediately after its birth. Baldwin knows that, secretly, Sara want to keep the baby, but she is pressured by her parents to give it up. On graduation day, Gail is reluctantly taken home by her vicious mother, who feels Gail is not treated the proper way at Huntington House. Sara announces she will not give up the baby, and, encouraged by Baldwin, leaves with her boyfriend Sandy instead. Baldwin is also inspired to follow her heart and admits to her romantic feelings for widower Sam Dutton, to whom she finally commits.
Cast
*
Shirley Jones
Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934) is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as ''Oklahoma!'' (1955), ''Carousel'' (1956), and ''The M ...
as Anne Baldwin
*
Mercedes McCambridge
Carlotta Mercedes Agnes McCambridge (March 16, 1916 – March 2, 2004) was an American actress of radio, stage, film, and television. Orson Welles called her "the world's greatest living radio actress." She won an Academy Award for Best Support ...
as Doris McKenzie
*
Pamela Sue Martin
Pamela Sue Martin (born January 5, 1953) is an American actress, who is best known for starring as Nancy Drew on the television series ''The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries'' and as socialite Fallon Carrington Colby on the ABC soap opera ''Dynas ...
as Gail Dorn
*
William Windom
William Windom (May 10, 1827January 29, 1891) was an American politician from Minnesota. He served as U.S. Representative from 1859 to 1869, and as U.S. Senator from 1870 to January 1871, from March 1871 to March 1881, and from November 1881 ...
as Sam Dutton
*
Sissy Spacek
Mary Elizabeth Spacek (; born December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for four Briti ...
as Sara
*
Katherine MacGregor
Katherine MacGregor (born Dorlee Deane McGregor; January 12, 1925 – November 13, 2018) was an American actress, best known for her role as Harriet Oleson in ''Little House on the Prairie''. She started her career on stage in New York City, ...
as Rose Beckwith
See also
*
List of American films of 1973
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Girls of Huntington House, The
1973 television films
1973 films
1973 drama films
American drama television films
Films based on American novels
1970s American films
1970s English-language films
English-language drama films