CBS SATURDAY NIGHT MOVIES: GAMES MOTHER NEVER TAUGHT YOU (TV)
Summary
One in this series of movie presentations. This made-for-television movie concerns a woman's struggles to prove herself in a male-dominated company without sacrificing her personal life or morals. Laura and David Bentells live in Los Angeles, where David works as an art history professor and Laura as an executive secretary for a marketing company. Laura is aware that her boss, Mr. Shirmer, plans to leave the office, but she is unsure of how his departure will affect her job. Mr. Shirmer tells Laura that he is being promoted to the board of directors in New York and offers to sponsor her as a project director in New York, and she is thrilled by the opportunity. Her husband, David, is initially unwilling to discuss her job opportunity because he would have to leave his tenured position. But he realizes how important the job is to Laura, and he knows that he would have the chance to take a break from teaching to pursue his career in art. So the Bentells move to New York and they are elated by their new life. But when Laura arrives in her new workplace, all the employees, from the all-male team of project directors to her incompetent secretary, make clear that she will have to struggle to survive in the competitive environment. After several days of rude remarks, open hostility, and plots to ruin her credibility, Laura is ready to resign. Meanwhile, David is excited about New York and is making plans to rent a large loft and tackle the art market. Just when Laura is ready to give up, Mr. Shirmer expresses confidence in her abilities, and her new boss, Mr. Kelsey, gives her an assignment that she is eager to tackle. Laura also befriends one of her coworkers, Steve, and runs into an old friend from Los Angeles who now works for the company. Laura tries to balance her job and her home life, but the pressures from work soon become overwhelming, and David makes clear that their marriage is suffering as a result. Matters become more complicated when Laura uncovers a shady business deal in the company, and then must go on a business trip that forces her to cancel a romantic weekend with David. Ultimately, Laura must re-evaluate her marriage and her professional life, realizing that she will have to stand up for herself and set boundaries in order to make her hectic life work. Although she could lose everything she has, Laura takes a stand to save her marriage and her personal integrity. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: November 27, 1982 Saturday 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:36:24
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T84:0278
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1978-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Andrew Gottlieb … Supervising Producer
- Tristine Rainer … Producer
- Paul A. Levin … Assistant Producer
- Lee Philips … Director
- Liz Coe … Writer
- Betty Lehan Harragan … Suggested by the book by
- Mark Snow … Music by
- Loretta Swit … Cast, Laura Bentells
- Sam Waterston … Cast, David Bentells
- David Spielberg … Cast, Alan Porter
- Ed Grover … Cast, Pete Kelsey
- Bill Morey … Cast, Duke Shirmer
- Christopher Allport … Cast, Steve Clark
- Robert Brown … Cast, Warren Faber
- Basil Hoffman … Cast, Dwayne Hilson
- Betty Kennedy … Cast, Ginger
- Elaine Giftos … Cast, Vivian Nortray
- Eileen Heckart … Cast, Martha Brewster
- Carol Locatell … Cast, Kitty
- Zane Buzby … Cast, the Saleswoman
- Al Anton … Cast, Patrick
- Mary Armstrong … Cast, Helen
- Natalie Core … Cast, Babs
- Anne E. Curry … Cast, Carol
- Von Drueding, June … Cast, the Receptionist
- Starlet DuPois … Cast, Ann
- Michael Ensign … Cast, Jennings Lachman
- Philip Baker Hall … Cast, Lester Green
- Dee Dee Rescher … Cast, Rita
- Pearl Shear … Cast, Doris