''The Women's Room'' is a 1980 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 ...

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Glenn Jordan and starring

Lee Remick Lee Ann Remick (; December 14, 1935 – July 2, 1991) was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film ''Days of Wine and Roses (film), Days of Wine and Roses'' (1962) and was nominated fo ...

Ted Danson Edward Bridge Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1982–1993), for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe A ...

Colleen Dewhurst Colleen Rose Dewhurst (June 3, 1924 – August 22, 1991) was a Canadian-American actress mostly known for theatre roles. She was a renowned interpreter of the works of Eugene O'Neill on the stage, and her career also encompassed film, early dra ...

and

Tovah Feldshuh Terri Sue "Tovah" Feldshuh (born December 27, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and playwright. She has been a Broadway star for fifty years, earning four Tony Award nominations. She has also received two Emmy Award nominations for ''Holoca ...

. In spite of Esther Shapiro's (ABC's vice president for miniseries) struggle with the (predominantly male) network to release the film despite its feminist content, "''The Women's Room'' finally aired, and it received a huge 45 share (the highest rated movie on TV that week), prompted a raft of positive mail, and won an Emmy". The film is an adaptation of the

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

'' The Women's Room'' by

Marilyn French Marilyn French (; November 21, 1929 – May 2, 2009) was an American radical feminist author, most widely known for her second book and first novel, the 1977 work '' The Women's Room''. Life French was born in Brooklyn to E. Charles Edwards, ...

Premise

A married mother of two leaves her philandering husband and enrolls in graduate school.

Cast

as Mira Adams *

as Val *

Patty Duke Anna Marie Duke (December 14, 1946 – March 29, 2016), known professionally as Patty Duke, was an American actress. Over the course of her acting career, she was the recipient of an Academy Awards, Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ...

as Lily * Kathryn Harrold as Bliss *

as Iso *

Tyne Daly Ellen Tyne Daly (; born February 21, 1946) is an American actress whose six-decade career included many leading roles in movies and theater. She has won six Emmy Awards for her television work, a Tony Award, and is a 2011 American Theatre Hall of ...

as Adele *

Lisa Pelikan Lisa Pelikan (born July 12, 1954) is an American stage, film, and television actress. Born in Berkeley, California, Pelikan studied drama at the Juilliard School on a full scholarship. She subsequently made her Broadway theatre, Broadway debut i ...

as Kyla * Heidi Vaughn as Samantha *

Mare Winningham Mary Megan Winningham, known professionally as Mare Winningham ( ; born May 16, 1959), is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe ...

as Chris *

as Norman *

Gregory Harrison Gregory Neale Harrison (born May 31, 1950) is an American actor. He is known primarily for his roles as Dr. George Alonzo "Gonzo" Gates, the young surgeon assistant of Dr. Trapper John McIntyre (played by Pernell Roberts) on the CBS series '' Tr ...

as Ben Volper *

Jenny O'Hara Jenny O'Hara (born February 24, 1942) is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for Dixie in ''My Sister Sam'' (1986–1988), Janet Heffernan in ''The King of Queens'' (2001–2007), and Nita in ''Big Love'' (2006– ...

as Mrs. Martinelli *

Christopher Pennock Christopher Cadwalader Pennock (June 7, 1943 – February 12, 2021) was an American actor, writer and illustrator. Pennock began acting on stage after graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He had been active for over 40 years ...

as Harley *

Al Corley Alford Corley is an American actor, singer, and producer. Corley is best known as the first actor to play Steven Carrington in the 1980s soap opera ''Dynasty (1981 TV series), Dynasty'' and for his 1984 hit single "Square Rooms". Career In the l ...

as Tad Ford

Critical reception

Critic

Tom Shales Thomas William Shales (November 3, 1944 – January 13, 2024) was an American writer and television critic. He was a television critic for ''The Washington Post'' from 1977 to 2010, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1 ...

found the film to be annoying and a "stinker." John J. O'Connor found the film to be a successful adaptation of the book and thoroughly enjoyed the movie, stating that "No one will be bored.""TV View: 'The Women's Room'--Devastatingly on Target" by John J. O'Connor, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', September 14, 1980

References

External links

* American television films Films based on American novels 1980 television films 1980 films 1980s feminist films American Broadcasting Company original films Films directed by Glenn Jordan Films scored by Billy Goldenberg 1980s English-language films Films with screenplays by Carol Sobieski {{US-tv-drama-film-stub