''Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy'' is a 1977 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 film that originally aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. Based upon the biography by

Hank Searls Henry Hunt Searls (August 10, 1922 – February 17, 2017) was an American author and screenwriter. His novels included ''The Crowded Sky'' (1960), which was adapted as the 1960 movie of the same name; ''The Pilgrim Project'' (1964), which was ad ...

called ''The Lost Prince: Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy'', the film chronicles the life of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the older brother of

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

who was killed in action in World War II, leaving behind aspirations to become the first Irish-Catholic president. ''Young Joe'' stars

Peter Strauss Peter Lawrence Strauss (born February 20, 1947) is an American television and film actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s. He is five-time Golden Globe Awards nominee. Early life Strauss was born in C ...

in the titular role and was directed by Richard T. Heffron.

Cast

...

Joe Kennedy Jr. Joe Kennedy Jr. (1923 – April 17, 2004) was an American jazz violinist and educator. Kennedy was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He performed and recorded with pianist Ahmad Jamal and was director of jazz studies at Virginia Tech from 1984 t ...

Barbara Parkins Barbara Parkins (born May 22, 1942) is a Canadian-American former actress, singer, dancer and photographer. Early life Parkins was born in Vancouver, British Columbia.Stephen Elliott Stephen Elliott may refer to: Entertainment *Stephen Elliott (actor), (1918–2005), American actor * Stephen Elliott (author) (born 1971), American author and activist Sport *Steve Elliott (footballer, born 1958), English footballer *Steve Ellio ...

... Joe Kennedy *

Darleen Carr Darleen Carr (born Darlene Farnon) is an American actress, singer, and voice-over artist. She is also known as Darlene Carr or Darleen Drake. She has two sisters, both actresses ( Shannon Farnon and Charmian Carr). Early years Carr was born i ...

... Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy *

Simon Oakland Simon Oakland (August 28, 1915 – August 29, 1983) was an American actor of stage, screen, and television. During his career, Oakland performed primarily on television, appearing in over 130 series and made-for-television movies between ...

... Delaney * Asher Brauner ... Mike Krasna *

Lance Kerwin Lance Kerwin (born November 6, 1960) is an American actor, known primarily for roles in television and film during his childhood and teen years in the 1970s. He played lead roles in the TV series '' James at 15'', and the made-for-TV films ''T ...

... Joe Jr. (age 14) * Peter Fox ... Simpson * Steve Kanaly ... Ray Pierce *

Robert Englund Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing the supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger in the '' Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. Classically trained at the Royal Academy o ...

... Willy * Gloria Stroock ...

Rose Kennedy Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald Kennedy (July 22, 1890 – January 22, 1995) was an American philanthropist, socialite, and matriarch of the Kennedy family. She was deeply embedded in the " lace curtain" Irish American community in Boston. Her father ...

* Tara Talboy ... Elinor * Ben Fuhrman ... Hank Riggs *

James Sikking James Barrie Sikking (born March 5, 1934) is a former American actor, most known for his role as Lt. Howard Hunter on the 1980s TV series ''Hill Street Blues''. Early years Sikking was born in Los Angeles on March 5, 1934 to Andy and Sue (né ...

... Commander Devril * Ken Swofford ... Greenway * Sam Chew Jr. ... Jack Kennedy *

Patrick Labyorteaux Patrick Francis Labyorteaux (born July 22, 1965) is an American actor, television producer and television writer. In many of his earlier credits, his last name is spelled as "Laborteaux". He is best known for his roles of Andrew "Andy" Garvey on ...

...

Teddy Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

* Shane Kerwin ...

Bobby Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, a ...

* Margie Zech ... Jean Kennedy * Kirsten Larkin ...

Rosemary Kennedy Rose Marie "Rosemary" Kennedy (September 13, 1918 – January 7, 2005) was the eldest daughter born to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. She was a sister of President John F. Kennedy and Senators Robert F. and Ted Kennedy. ...

* Rosanne Covy ... Eunice Kennedy * Deirdre Berthrong ... Pat Kennedy * Lawrence Driscoll ... Anderson * Michael Irving ... Billy Harrington * Gardner Hayes ... English Major

Production

The production was filmed in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. Strauss, then highly popular due to his starring appearances in the television miniseries '' Rich Man, Poor Man'', said he had turned down a million-dollar offer to continue with a third year of that miniseries before taking on the role of Joe Kennedy, and that he had researched it heavily.Howard Pearson
"A candid visit with Peter Strauss"
'' Deseret News'', June 17, 1977. The production received attention when it was discovered that Bill Foulon, an escaped convict from the

Oregon State Penitentiary Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP), sometimes called Oregon State Prison, is a maximum security prison in the northwest United States in Salem, Oregon. Originally opened in Portland in 1851, it relocated to Salem fifteen years later. The 2, ...

, had managed to secure work as an

extra Extra or Xtra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper * ''Extra!'', an American me ...

on the film, and later (while still on the run) called the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' to talk about his experience.

Reception

Reviews of the film were mixed. ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the Alle ...

'' columnist Win Fanning gave it a strongly positive review, saying that Strauss had "acquitted himself brilliantly" in portraying Kennedy as a "driven young man". Kay Gardella of the '' New York Daily News'' gave it a moderately positive review, though she commented that Strauss, as Kennedy, had done a better job of "imitating Jack Kennedy" than Sam Chew, the actor who had actually played the future president. On the other hand, Chris Stoehr of ''

The Milwaukee Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently ...

'' thought that Strauss had been "trapped" in a bad production with "unforgivably bad lines" and a failure to show the viewer Joe Kennedy's special qualities. Author Lawrence J. Quirk later summarized the film's reception as "respectful but yawning", and noted that it had been a disappointment for Strauss and several other actors who had seen it as a career opportunity when they joined the production.

Awards

''Young Joe'' received three nominations at the 1978 Primetime Emmy Awards, including one for Outstanding Special - Drama or Comedy, and won one, for sound mixing."Young Joe, The Forgotten Kennedy"
Emmys.com (accessed 2015-04-30).

References

External links