FAMILY: RITES OF FRIENDSHIP (TV)
Summary
One in this series of dramas about the Lawrences, a middle-class family living in Pasadena, California. In this episode, Buddy is flustered when Carl Baker asks her to the school dance, and Willie assures her that Nancy can help her to improve her fancy footwork in a hurry. Stopping at a taco restaurant, Willie is pleased to run into his childhood friend Zeke, who has been attending college out of town, though Zeke awkwardly turns down his offer to hang out that night. At home, Nancy distractedly agrees to teach Buddy to dance, and Zeke later calls Willie for help, explaining that he has been arrested. Willie enlists Doug's help in bailing his friend out and hurries to the police station, and he is shocked to learn that Zeke was collared for punching a cop while being hauled out of a gay bar. Kate and Doug discuss Zeke's predicament, with Kate admitting that she "almost never thinks about" homosexuality, and Buddy grows curious about the family's odd behavior. Willie later confronts Zeke and demands to know why he hid the truth for so long, feeling that his best friend has betrayed him. Zeke attempts to explain himself, but is disappointed when Willie refuses to hear him out.
Nancy opines that Zeke's sexuality is not a cause for concern, and Buddy is further angered when her sister forgets about her dance-lesson promise and Kate refuses to explain the cause of Zeke and Willie's rift. Doug, serving as Zeke's lawyer, learns that he has not fully explained the situation to his own father, and Simon reacts with predictable discomfort when Zeke finally comes out to him. Doug invites Zeke back to the family home, though Willie quickly makes plans with Alice in order to avoid his friend. Zeke confides in Kate, assuring her that he is the same person despite his so-called "social disease," and she promises him that her affection for him has not changed. Learning of her dilemma, Zeke steps in and gives Buddy a dance lesson, and he is touched when she is immediately accepting of his revelation. Willie, however, remains standoffish, and he angrily orders Zeke out of the house when Zeke suggests that his unease stems from his own similar feelings.
In the morning, Kate sternly accuses Willie of behaving selfishly and urges him to go to the courthouse to support his friend. Doug congratulates Zeke when the charges against him are dropped, adding that he still considers him his "other son" despite Willie's attitude. Buddy complains that her sister ignores her and does not understand her teenage woes, but Nancy confides that she has insecurities of her own and is "all bluff" when it comes to confidence, and the two resolve to be friends again. Willie admits his worries about the validity of Zeke's comment, though Doug points out that many children have harmless "crushes" that do not affect their adult sexuality, and he adds that Zeke's struggle to conceal his secret was surely more painful than Willie's resentment at his deception. Willie reconsiders and rushes to the airport, catching Zeke just as he prepares to depart for school. He admits that he was wrong and asks to start over, and he finally listens attentively as Zeke explains that he knew at age thirteen that his feelings were not "a phase" and longed to tell his best friend the truth, but was unable to bring himself to do so for many years. They agree to rebuild their friendship as Zeke heads back to San Francisco, and back at home Buddy's siblings join forces to help her hone her dance talents. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: September 28, 1976 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:49:40
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:78848
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: LGBTQ+ Collection - Drama; Drama; Families
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1976-1980
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Aaron Spelling … Executive Producer
- Leonard Goldberg … Executive Producer
- Nigel McKeand … Producer
- Carroll Newman … Associate Producer
- Glenn Jordan … Director
- Jay Presson Allen … Created by
- Bethel Leslie … Writer
- Gerry Day … Writer
- Pete Rugolo … Music by
- John Rubinstein … Theme Music by
- Sada Thompson … Cast, Kate Lawrence
- James Broderick … Cast, Doug Lawrence
- Gary Frank … Cast, Willie Lawrence
- Kristy McNichol … Cast, Letitia "Buddy" Lawrence
- Meredith Baxter Birney (see also: Meredith Baxter) … Cast, Nancy Lawrence Maitland
- Biff McGuire … Cast, Simon Remsen
- Brian Byers … Cast, Zeke Remsen
- Robert Doran … Cast, Carl Baker
- Morgan Jones … Cast, Desk Sergeant