''Packin' It In'' is a 1983 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

comedy-drama film Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, illness, betrayal, grief, etc. ...

starring

Richard Benjamin Richard Samuel Benjamin (born May 22, 1938) is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of well-known films, including '' Goodbye, Columbus'' (1969), '' Catch-22'' (1970), '' Portnoy's Complaint'' (1972), '' Westworld'', ...

and Paula Prentiss. It was directed by

Jud Taylor Judson Taylor (February 25, 1932August 6, 2008) was an American actor, television director, and television producer. Early years Born in New York City, Taylor graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. Career Taylor is perhaps best ...

Plot

A family decide to move to Oregon.

Cast

as Gary Webber * Paula Prentiss as Diana Webber * Tony Roberts as Charlie Baumgarten * Andrea Marcovicci as Rita Baumgarten * Molly Ringwald as Melissa Webber *

Mari Gorman Mari Gorman (September 1, 1944) is an American actress perhaps best known for her work in television, particularly as a frequent guest star on the 1970s and 1980s sitcom ''Barney Miller'', but she is also known for her theater acting. She has won ...

as Brooklyn Mary *

Sam Whipple Sampson E. Whipple (September 25, 1960 – June 3, 2002) was an American actor best remembered for his role as Dr. John Ballard on the TV series '' Seven Days''. His credits include ''The Doors'', '' Airheads'', '' This Is Spinal Tap'' and ' ...

as Zack Estep * Kenneth McMillan as Howard Estep *David Hollander as Jay Webber * Philip Proctor as Cliff, Gary's Coworker

Production

Benjamin made it just after making his feature film debut as director, '' My Favorite Year''. Although set in Oregon, the film was shot in Vancouver. Benjamin and Prentiss brought their two children along on location. "That was great and there was just a nice family feeling," Benjamin said. "Paula and I have been married for 22 years. I was in a movie a few years ago called '' The Last Married Couple in America'' and now we are - at least we're one of the last in show business, anyway. We're real close and we like to work together. We have not worked together in television since we did the series called 'He and She' in 1970 and we had a great time doing that."

Reception

The ''New York Times'' said the film had "some very funny bits and pieces. But the overall conception never quite holds together. It is only sporadically as good as it should be."TV: COMEDY ABOUT FLEEING THE CITY: eviewO'Connor, John J. New York Times 7 Feb 1983: C.17

References

External links

''Packin' It In''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

''Packin' It In''
at BFI
''Packin It In''
at

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

{{Jud Taylor 1983 films 1983 television films 1983 comedy-drama films American comedy-drama television films Films directed by Jud Taylor Films scored by Mark Snow CBS films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films English-language comedy-drama films