''A Time to Live'' is a 1985 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 for ...

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-g ...

directed by

Rick Wallace Rick Wallace (born February 12, 1948) is an American film director and television producer. He has worked on '' Smallville'', ''L.A. Law'', ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'' and ''The Closer'', as well as many other programs. Partial filmography Direct ...

and starring

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

(in her television film debut),

Jeffrey DeMunn Jeffrey DeMunn (born April 25, 1947) is an American stage, film and television actor known for playing Captain Esteridge in '' The Hitcher'' (1986), Sheriff Herb Geller in ''The Blob'' (1988), Andrei Chikatilo in ''Citizen X'' (1995), Harry Terwil ...

Swoosie Kurtz Swoosie Kurtz ( ; born September 6, 1944) is an American actress. She is the recipient of an Emmy Award and two Tony Awards. Kurtz made her Broadway theatre, Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of ''Ah, Wilderness''. She has received five Tony ...

Scott Schwartz Scott Schwartz (born May 12, 1968) is an American actor best known for his roles as a child actor in '' The Toy'', ''A Christmas Story'' and ''Kidco''. Life and career Schwartz co-starred opposite Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason in 1982's ' ...

and

Corey Haim Corey Ian Haim (December 23, 1971 – March 10, 2010) was a Canadian actor. He starred in a number of 1980s films, such as '' Lucas'', ''Silver Bullet'', ''Murphy's Romance'', ''License to Drive'' and '' Dream a Little Dream''. His role alongsi ...

. It was broadcast on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

on October 28, 1985. The film is based on the 1982 book ''Intensive Care'' written by Mary-Lou Weisman which tells the true story of the Weismans' experience and struggle to raise their son Peter, who had

muscular dystrophy Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affe ...

. For her performance, Minnelli won a

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 Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television.

Synopsis

Mary-Lou and Larry Weisman first learned that their younger son, Peter, had

when he was two-and-a-half years old. The doctor told them that the child's muscles would slowly atrophy, and he would eventually die of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. Mary-Lou and Larry fought to make the next thirteen years that Peter lived intensely loving and fulfilling. And, in the process, they learned a lot about themselves, their marriage, their sons and the importance of the quality of life over the quantity of life.

Cast

as Mary-Lou Weisman *

as Larry Weisman *

as Patricia *

as Adam Weisman *

as Peter Weisman * Henry G. Sanders as Fred

Production

''A Time to Live'' was filmed from August 12 to September 1985 on location in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

, Canada.

Awards and nominations

Home media

In 1986, ''A Time to Live'' was released on VHS by Vista Home Video.''A Time to Live'' videocassette
at

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

, retrieved April 29, 2016.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Time to Live 1985 television films 1985 films 1985 drama films American biographical drama films American films based on actual events NBC network original films Medical-themed films Muscular dystrophy ITC Entertainment films Films shot in Montreal American drama television films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films