DANCING AT THE HARVEST MOON (TV)
Summary
This made-for-television drama film, based on the novel by K.C. McKinnon, follows a poetry professor's journey of self-discovery after a personal upheaval.
The story begins as Maggie Webber attends her friend Fran's bridal shower and chats with her daughter Diane about her own upcoming 25th wedding anniversary. Maggie is then stunned to find that her husband Tom is having an affair with a young paralegal, Bridget, with whom he admits he has fallen in love. Three months later, Maggie struggles with her newly single life as she discovers that Bridget was not Tom's first dalliance; she decides to take a sabbatical from work and spend time at Little Bear Lake, a tranquil small town where she met her first love, Patrick Flemming, during one blissful summer in her teen years. Diane warns her not to expect too much of a potential reunion. Upon arriving in town, Maggie is disappointed to see that the Harvest Moon, the dance hall/café where she once worked as a waitress, is now closed. Former owners Harriet and Gil Finnigan happily greet Maggie, but when she reunites with Claire, the Finnigans' daughter and her old friend, Claire reveals that Patrick married some time after Maggie's departure and has since died.
Though disappointed, Maggie decides to renovate and reopen the dance hall within eight weeks' time, in honor of the real harvest moon. Learning that she must find a co-signer to secure the necessary loan, Maggie resentfully calls Tom, who pushes her to sell their former home. She then meets John, Patrick's handsome young son, and banker Paul Stanton agrees to give her the loan without the co-signer because of the town's longtime fondness for the Harvest Moon. John, who notes that his father named him after Keats, convinces Maggie to hire him as her foreman, and construction quickly gets underway. Maggie admits to Claire that John, who has a girlfriend, Amy, "shakes her up" because of his uncanny similarities to Patrick; when John accidentally tumbles off the roof, he and Maggie bond and discuss their favorite books as she patches him up. Maggie begins to fret as the bills mount, though Paul tells her that John has promised to find ways to reduce construction costs. One evening, John and Maggie find themselves alone in the semi-finished dance hall and share a kiss as they dance together; Maggie flees the scene and hurries home to burn Patrick's letters, disturbed by her own strong feelings.
Claire encourages her to follow her heart, pointing out that John is clearly a better choice than Tom ever was. Diane soon calls and reveals that Bridget is pregnant with Tom's child. As the local news cites the exciting renovations, Amy confronts John about their uncertain relationship, declaring that she intends to move to Chicago for school and wondering if he is willing to commit to her. Maggie and Claire decide to become business partners as Maggie reconsiders Tom's pleas to sell their old house. On the night of the harvest moon, the reopening is a grand success as the entire town shows up to celebrate. Paul and Claire strike up a flirtation as John arrives and shares a dance with a nervous Maggie; the two end up talking late into the night, with John admitting that he finds himself irresistibly drawn to her. Maggie finally confesses that she and Patrick had a love affair, albeit an "innocent" one, during her first summer at Little Bear Lake, and though taken aback, John resolves not to let it impact his feelings.
The town takes notice as the pair openly gives into their feelings for one another, and Maggie confesses to Claire that she is "truly in love" with the younger man. John's mother Julia confronts her and voices her discomfort with her late husband's "first love" romancing her son, arguing that Maggie is using him for selfish reasons. Feeling guilty, Maggie tells John that she has "substituted" him for his father and that their relationship cannot continue. Claire is upset to learn that Maggie intends to leave town and remain a silent partner only in the Harvest Moon. Later, however, Maggie reads an old letter from Patrick, sent after her departure from Little Bear Lake, and she is struck by his words about how they must both "live lives fully." She returns to John, deciding that they should follow their hearts, despite disapproval from others; the two then happily reunite. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: October 20, 2002 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:28:28
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:83829
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Romance
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV, 2002
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Robert Lee … Executive Producer
- Salli Newman … Producer
- Lawrence E. Neiman … Associate Producer
- Christopher Franke … Music by
- Bobby Roth … Director
- Peter Nelson … Writer
- K.C. McKinnon … Based on the novel by
- Jacqueline Bisset … Cast, Maggie Webber
- Eric Mabius … Cast, John Flemming
- Susan Anspach … Cast, Julia Flemming
- Nan Martin … Cast, Harriet Finnigan
- Eugene Roche … Cast, Gil Finnigan
- Nick Mancuso … Cast, Tom Webber
- Carmen Argenziano … Cast, Paul Stanton
- Bonnie Root … Cast, Diane Webber
- Valerie Harper … Cast, Claire
- Cari Shayne … Cast, Amy
- Rob Nilsson … Cast, Dean Jim Rogers
- Shannon Day … Cast, Fran
- Navi Rawat … Cast, Jennifer
- Josh Holland … Cast, Young Patrick
- Kristen Kerr … Cast, Young Maggie
- Billy Vera … Cast, Himself
- Gina Gallego … Cast, TV Anchor
- Brian Leckner … Cast, Goalie