''The Children Nobody Wanted'' is a 1981 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 ...

based on the true story of child advocate Tom Butterfield (1940–1982), the youngest

bachelor A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymo ...

to become a legal

foster parent Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state- certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family me ...

in the state of

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, and his creation of the Butterfield Ranch.

Plot

Working in a state mental hospital, nineteen-year-old Tom Butterfield (

Fredric Lehne Fredric George Lehne (born February 3, 1959) is an American actor of film, stage, and television. Acting since 1978, he has appeared in more than 200 films, mini-series, and television episodes, as well as stage productions across the United St ...

), befriends an abandoned eight-year-old boy for whom authorities cannot find a foster family. Compelled by the child’s plight, Butterfield and supportive girlfriend Jennifer Williams ( Michelle Pfeiffer) transform a dilapidated country club in

Marshall, Missouri Marshall is a city in Saline County, Missouri, Saline County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,065 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Saline County. The Marshall Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Saline County. It ...

, into the Butterfield Ranch for homeless boys.

Cast

(credited as Fred Lehne) as Tom Butterfield * Michelle Pfeiffer as Jennifer Williams * Matt Clark as Bill Westbrook *

Noble Willingham Noble Henry Willingham, Jr. (August 31, 1931 – January 17, 2004) was an American television and film actor who appeared in more than thirty films and in many television shows, including a stint opposite Chuck Norris in ''Walker, Texas Ranger ...

as McNaulty *

Anne Haney Anne Ryan Haney ( Thomas; March 4, 1934 – May 26, 2001) was an American stage and screen actress. She was best known for her roles in ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' and ''Liar Liar'', as well as Alberta Meechum on the sitcom ''Mama's Family''. Early yea ...

as Mrs. Lightheart *Joey Turley as Joey *

Barbara Barrie Barbara Barrie (born Barbara Ann Berman; May 23, 1931) is an American actress and author. Her film breakthrough came in 1964 with her performance as Julie in the landmark film ''One Potato, Two Potato'', for which she won the Best Actress Awar ...

as Hanna *

Jerry Hardin Jerry Hardin (born November 20, 1929) is an American actor. Hardin has appeared in film and television roles, including the character nicknamed Deep Throat in ''The X-Files''. Hardin was born in Texas and studied acting at London's Royal Academ ...

as Dr. Watson * F. William Parker as George Meuschke *

Earl Boen Earl Boen () is an American retired film, television and voice actor, best known as criminal psychologist Dr. Peter Silberman in ''The Terminator'' (1984), '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), '' Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'' (2003) and ...

as Madden *Ryan Barcroft as Andrew *Patrick Holcer as Dwayne *James Spinks III as Zim *Van Stapleton as Bobby *Gary Riefle as Pete *John Murphy as Danny *Ron Christopher Nielsen as Ray *Jeffrey Todd Nielsen as Billy *Sonja Lanzener as Nurse *Gary Houston as Sadistic Orderly *

Megan Mullally Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is best known for playing Karen Walker on the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award no ...

(credited as Megan Mullaley) as Sharon *Charlene Romero as Miss Cornwall *Joseph M. Leahy as Real Estate Man *Dick Solowicz as Sheriff *

Chelcie Ross Chelcie Claude RossAccording to the State of California. ''California Birth Index, 1905-1995''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. Searchable at http://www.familytreelegends.com/records ...

as Ralph *Everett Smith (credited as Everett F. Smith) as Walter Wilson * Nathan Davis as Orville *Sarah Hains as Registrar *Joel Fahnestock as Little Girl (Jill) *Ted Noose as Angry Businessman *David Schmidt as Jason *Steven Butterfield as Delford *Judith Penrod as Jennifer today (voice)

Tom Butterfield

Butterfield began the lengthy process of developing his story for the screen, moving to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in 1978. By this stage, his ranch was a non-for-profit organisation and received almost $1 million a year for four homes in Marshall. "When I was in college," he once said, "I didn't intend to be a foster parent or get into

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

and start a boys home." He added at the time of the telemovie's production, "I didn’t really start out twenty years ago with the intent to make a movie."Tom Butterfield Dead at Age 42
, ''The Nevada Daily Mail'', 14 December 1982, p. 7. He continued to work in Los Angeles to raise funds for Butterfield Youth Services Inc., until being hospitalised on 15 November 1982 for acute

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 ...

and respiratory problems. He died at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...

in Los Angeles on 13 December 1982 following a

biopsy A biopsy is a medical test commonly performed by a surgeon, interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiologist. The process involves extraction of sample cells or tissues for examination to determine the presence or extent of a diseas ...

to clean out a congested lung, which caused his body to go into shock. He was forty-two.

Production significance

The movie was Michelle Pfeiffer's first starring role and added to her acting resume and small screen presence. Agent John LaRocca "landed her roles in three television films" in 1981. Audiences were exposed to Pfeiffer in ''

Callie and Son Callie is a given name, nickname and surname. It is an English feminine given name that is a form of Carrie and a diminutive of Caroline. Notable people who are known by this name include the following: People Given name * Callie Brownson (born 1 ...

'' (13 October 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 ...

) and the remake of ''

Splendor in the Grass ''Splendor in the Grass'' is a 1961 American period drama film produced and directed by Elia Kazan, from a screenplay written by William Inge. It stars Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty (in his film debut) as two high school sweethearts, naviga ...

'' (26 October on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

) as well as ''The Children Nobody Wanted''. Pfeiffer would continue to appear on television in one-off performances of established programmes, but ''The Children Nobody Wanted'' was her final

made-for-television movie 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 ...

and signified the end of her association with LaRocca. Switching agents secured Pfeiffer’s leading role in ''

Grease 2 ''Grease 2'' is a 1982 American musical romantic comedy film and the sequel to the 1978 film ''Grease'', adapted from the 1971 musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Originally titled ''More Grease'', the film was produced ...

'' (1982). The production also marked

's acting debut. The film is available on Region 1 DVD, upon whose cover a solitary Pfeiffer appears.''Warner Bros.'' http://www.warnerbros.com/tv/on-air/children-nobody-wanted-tv-movie, accessed 4 January 2015.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Children Nobody Wanted 1981 television films 1981 films 1981 drama films American drama films CBS network films Films scored by Barry De Vorzon Films directed by Richard Michaels 1980s American films