''Blind Alleys'' was a play written by

David Henry Hwang David Henry Hwang (born August 11, 1957) is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor at Columbia University in New York City. He has won three Obie Awards for his plays '' FOB'', '' Golden Child'', and '' Yell ...

and Frederic Kimball, filmed and aired as a 1985 television special produced by

WCVB-TV WCVB-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Hearst Television. The station's studios are located on TV Place (off Gould Street near the I-95/ MA 128/Highland Avenue ...

for

Metromedia Metromedia (also often MetroMedia) was an American media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and controlled Orion Pictures from 1988 to 1997. Metromedia was established in 1956 after the DuMon ...

. It is the story of two people once linked by an interracial marriage setting up for their daughter's wedding. The film features

Pat Morita Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his roles as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on '' Happy Days'', Mr. Miyagi in ''The Karate Kid'' film series, Captain Sam Pak on the sitc ...

Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nomina ...

, and co-writer Kimball.

Plot summary

Fran and Kenji, a US Army veteran, were married for twenty years after eloping together, until Kenji ran away a couple of years ago. As the play begins, their daughter is scheduled to be married in a few days at the bowling alley owned together by Fran and Woody, Fran's friend and business partner, but she will not proceed with the wedding if her father is not present to give her away. Fran finds Kenji, who is working at a nursing home for elderly Japanese-Americans. Kenji and Fran argue, and she kicks him in the shins before leaving. Stricken by guilt, Kenji shows up at the wedding, where he is accosted by the groom's small-town parents; the groom's father, a dealer of John Deere farm equipment, is worried about competition from Japanese manufacturers. Kenji has a temper tantrum and attempts to wreck the bowling alley.

Cast

as Fran *

as Kenji * Frederic Kimball as Woody *

June Angela June Angela Profanato (born August 18, 1959) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her best-known role is that of Julie, the mainstay member of the Short Circus band that was featured in the PBS children's television series ''The Electric ...

as the daughter

Production

The film was directed by Bill Cosel and David Wheeler; it was co-written by pre-eminent Asian American dramatist Hwang and Kimball. The film was videotaped in Boston in June 1984. The film is not available on DVD or videocassette.

References

External links

* {{David Henry Hwang 1985 in American television 1985 television plays 1985 television specials Fiction about interracial romance Metromedia