NBC MONDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES: ROE VS. WADE {PART 1 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
This television film chronicles the events leading to the controversial Roe v. Wade Supreme Court hearing in December of 1971, and the subsequent legalization of abortion. Holly Hunter plays Ellen Russell, a poor single mother of one who becomes pregnant with her second child and finds herself without the option of having an abortion in her home state of Texas. After fleeing the unsanitary environs of an illegal abortion clinic, she goes to see an adoption lawyer who is impressed by her character and suggests that she meet two lawyers, Linda and Sarah, who have been looking for a plaintiff willing to contest the state's abortion laws. Ellen agrees to register a formal grievance against Dallas district attorney Henry Wade, and she is dubbed "Jane Roe" in court papers in order to protect her privacy. Taking on "Jane's" case is Sarah Weddington, a young lawyer with no court experience but a passionate commitment to the abortion rights of women. When Linda, her close friend and partner in the case, drops out due to emotional stress, Sarah forges ahead, though the demands of the case are taking a toll on her marriage. Meanwhile, "Jane" has her baby, which she gives up for adoption, attempts suicide during a deep post-birth depression, and confronts her feelings of anger towards Sarah and Linda who, in her view, were not up front about the amount of time the case would take. Battling lack of funding, feelings of guilt about Jane, and the last-minute withdrawal from the case of a lawyer who was supposed to write a critical portion of her argument, Sarah finds herself in the Supreme Court, up against Jay Floyd, lawyer for the defense, a man every bit as committed to outlawing abortions as Sarah is to legalizing them. In the end, Sarah's arguments delineating a Constitutional right to privacy prove persuasive, she wins the case, and all state laws prohibiting abortion are stricken down. Commercials deleted. This program is closed-captioned.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: May 15, 1989 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:47:20
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:27097
- GENRE: Drama, historical recreation
- SUBJECT HEADING: Abortion - Drama; Privacy, right of
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV, 1989
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Michael Manheim … Executive Producer
- Gregory Hoblit … Producer, Director
- Alison Cross … Co-Producer, Writer
- W.G. Snuffy Walden … Music by
- Holly Hunter … Cast, Ellen Russell ("Jane Roe")
- Amy Madigan … Cast, Sarah Weddington
- Kathy Bates … Cast, Jessie
- James Gammon … Cast, Jimmy
- Chris Mulkey … Cast, Ron
- Micole Mercurio … Cast, Ellen's Mother
- Dion Anderson … Cast, Flowers
- Annabella Price … Cast, Linda
- David Wohl … Cast, Terry
- Terry O'Quinn … Cast, Jay Floyd
- Stephen Tobolowsky … Cast, Horwood
- Daniel Benzali … Cast
- Jerry Hardin … Cast
- Ken Jenkins … Cast
- George Murdock … Cast
- James Avery … Cast
- Paul Lambert … Cast
- Kenneth Tigar … Cast
- Ward Costello … Cast
- Wendy Cutler … Cast
- Katherine Cortez … Cast
- Jeff Allin … Cast
- David L. Crowley … Cast
- Morgen Drasnin … Cast
- Maggie Baird … Cast
- Kevin Cooney … Cast
- Jeff Perry … Cast
- Jim Antonio … Cast
- Susan Forristal … Cast
- Glenn Morshower … Cast
- Angela Paton … Cast
- David Selburg … Cast
- Teddi Siddal … Cast
- Dierk Torsek … Cast
- Thomas Oglesby … Cast
- Randal Patrick … Cast
- Karole Selmon … Cast
- Ali Grant … Cast
- Marnie Andrews … Cast
- Jay Floyd
- Norma McCorvey
- Jane Roe
- Henry Wade
- Sarah Weddington