''First, You Cry'' is a 1978 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 ...

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

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 ...

starring

Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), which ...

Anthony Perkins Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an American actor, director, and singer. Perkins is best remembered for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's suspense thriller '' Psycho'', which made him an influentia ...

, Jennifer Warren,

Richard Dysart Richard Allen Dysart (March 30, 1929 – April 5, 2015) was an American actor. He is best known for his role as Leland McKenzie in the television series '' L.A. Law'' (1986–1994), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award from four consecutive no ...

and

Don Johnson Donnie Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor, producer and singer. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series ''Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Emm ...

, directed by George Schaefer. It is based on the 1976 autobiography ''First, You Cry'' written by

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...

correspondent Betty Rollin in which she recalls her battle with breast cancer. The film was broadcast 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 November 8, 1978.

Synopsis

TV news correspondent Betty Rollin (Moore) is giving a television report on the dangers of breast cancer, hoping that it will make women more aware of preventative measures. At home, Betty's husband Arthur Heroz (Perkins), a successful author, comments on how a lump in Betty's left breast has grown appreciably harder since she had it examined some time ago. Betty promises to make a follow-up exam. The subsequent checkup, however, leads to a diagnosis of cancer. Following a period of fear and denial, Betty agrees to a biopsy, which, due to the cancer's spread, leads to an immediate mastectomy. Upon leaving the hospital, Betty tries to deal with her varied emotions, along with those of her self-involved spouse, former lover, mother and friends. When she can't perform simple tasks like putting on a robe, Betty falls into depression. She sees herself as "damaged goods", leading to dramatic intimacy issues with Arthur. Betty returns to work, but feels only awkwardness with colleagues. Things worsen when Betty finally looks at her scar, and assumes that all men will now be repulsed by her body. When husband Arthur becomes increasingly distant, she reunites with former beau David (Crenna). She goes to live with him in Philadelphia, quitting her job and leaving her friends behind. After a period of bliss, however, Betty still finds herself unhappy. She then decides to write a book about her travails, leading to an overhaul of her life, both professionally and personally.

Cast

as Betty Rollin *

as Arthur Heroz * Jennifer Warren as Erica Wells *

as Dr. Brennerman *

as Daniel Easton *

Florence Eldridge Florence Eldridge (born Florence McKechnie, September 5, 1901 – August 1, 1988) was an American actress. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play in 1957 for her performance in '' Long Day's Journey into Night''. E ...

as Mrs. Rollin *

Patricia Barry Patricia Barry (born Patricia Allen White, November 16, 1921 – October 11, 2016) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Although Barry has numerous credits performing in stage productions and in films, the majority of her work wa ...

as Anne * Antoinette Bower as Marsha *

Richard Crenna Richard Donald Crenna (November 30, 1926 – January 17, 2003) was an American film, television and radio actor. Crenna starred in such motion pictures as ''The Sand Pebbles'', ''Wait Until Dark'', ''Un Flic'', ''Body Heat'', the first three ' ...

as David Towers *

Vivi Janiss Vivi may refer to: People * Vivi Bach (1939–2013), Danish actress and singer * Vivi Fernandez (born 1977), Brazilian model * Vivi Flindt (born 1943), Danish ballerina * Vivi Friedman (1967–2012), Finnish film director * Vivi Gioi (1917–1975 ...

as Martha

Production

''First, You Cry'' was shot from February 14 to March 16, 1978: exterior scenes were filmed on location in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and interior scenes were filmed at CBS Studio Center in

Studio City, California Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 192 ...

Award nominations

*Nominated: 1979 Golden Globe Award – Best Motion Picture Made for Television *Nominated: 1979 Primetime Emmy Award – Outstanding Drama or Comedy Special *Nominated: 1979 Primetime Emmy Award – Outstanding Film Editing for a Limited Series or a Special (James Galloway) *Nominated: 1979 Primetime Emmy Award – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special (Mary Tyler Moore) *Nominated: 1979 Primetime Emmy Award – Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series or a Special (Peter Matz) *Nominated: 1979 American Cinema Editors – Best Edited Television Special (James Galloway) *Nominated: 1979

Directors Guild of America Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Catego ...

– Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Specials/Movies for TV/Actuality (George Schaefer)

In popular culture

The film was parodied on the November 17, 1979 episode of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' hosted by

Bea Arthur Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress and comedian. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Arthur began her career on stage in 1947, attracting critical acclaim before achieving ...

, in a sketch titled "First He Cries". In the sketch, a husband (played by

Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan delivery. He rose to fame on ''The National Lampoon Radio Hour'' (1973–1974) before becoming a national presence on '' Saturday Nig ...

) is distraught over his wife's (played by Gilda Radner) mastectomy. The sketch was controversial and received over 200 calls and 300 letters of complaint. Betty Rollin herself wrote a letter in support of the sketch.

Home Media

MTM Home Video released the film ''First, You Cry'' in 1993 on VHS tape. As of this posting, the telefilm has not been reissued on DVD.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:First, You Cry 1978 television films 1978 films 1970s biographical drama films American biographical drama films Films based on biographies Drama films based on actual events Films about cancer Biographical films about journalists CBS network films Films directed by George Schaefer Films shot in New York City Films shot in Los Angeles MTM Enterprises films 1978 drama films 1970s English-language films American drama television films 1970s American films