JAMES AT 15 (FIFTEEN) {A.K.A. JAMES AT 16} {PILOT} (TV)
Summary
The pilot movie for this drama series about an imaginative teenager's personal experiences and fantasies as he copes with his family's move from Oregon to Boston. James Hunter, a sophomore living in a small town in Oregon, has a crush on Lacey Stevens, a girl in his grade, but she pays him no attention. He periodically imagines himself in various fantasy situations, revealing much about his desires and fears. He pursues his other interests as well, particularly his role on the swim team and his interest in photography. He earns some respect from football player Rip Lindeman after one of James's photos of him from a football game makes it into the local newspaper. That night, James overhears an argument between his parents and learns that his father has taken a teaching position requiring that the family move to Boston, upsetting him. Lacey gets dumped by her boyfriend and starts growing closer to James. James's parents tell him and his younger sister Sandy about the upcoming move during a camping trip. They try to get the kids enthused about the idea, but they are not happy with the prospect of give up their lives in Oregon and starting over. However, they will not be leaving until the end of the school year. Lacey and James start become boyfriend and girlfriend, proclaiming that they love each other. James tries to get advice from his dad about falling in love, and he says that these things take time, and that James should "hang loose." James gives Rip the photos he asked for and asks him for advice on "scoring;" Rip recommends being aggressive, but cautions James to practice safe sex. James and Lacey have difficulty finding privacy, particularly since neither of them has a car. James's parents contemplate talking to him about sex. The Hunter family goes out to dinner and Mr. Hunter says that they will have to move up their departure to Boston to the spring, since the man he is replacing has fallen ill. Sandy and especially James are angry at this change of plans, since this means they will be leaving in only a couple of months. James talks the matter over with Lacey, who is similarly upset. He becomes terse with his parents over the matter. His friend Richie tells him he is going to miss him, and believes that Lacey will forget about him once he is in Boston, although James insists otherwise. Thanksgiving comes around and the Hunter family is joined by James's older sister Kathy for the occasion. Kathy reveals that she has applied for a foreign student exchange program in Zaire, much to the shock of the rest of the family. James takes the opportunity to ask Kathy for further romantic advice, and she says he is "confused" about what he really feels, and that all relationships have to have mutual trust and respect. James and Lacey devise a plan to head to his family's campsite in the mountains in order to get some privacy, and set up a sleeping bag there. However, the lack of intruders is outweighed by the extreme cold, foiling their attempts at intimacy. James promises to return from Boston and get a job in town during the summer, so that they can try again when the weather is warm. Lacey promises to wait for him. The day of the move arrives and the Hunter family finishes packing. Richie says his goodbyes. Lacey arrives, distraught from James's departure. He takes one last photograph of her and promises to return for her. They arrive at their townhouse in Boston, which does not yet have electricity. James attends his first day in school, feeling very much out of place. He is tricked by two other boys into leaving when they convince him that he can't attend class without a tie and jacket, like everyone else is wearing. James takes the opportunity to look around the area and write a letter to Lacey. The next day James is forced to wear his father's oversized jacket to school, and the other kids make fun of him. One of them, Roland, decides to be nice to James and sets him straight on a few things: the jacket and tie is only for the first day of the semester, and he tells James that their gym facility can be reached by the T. James attempts to navigate the Boston subway system, but just ends up getting lost. One of the school's guidance counselors tells James that he will be attending the school's "learning center" in order to get him caught up on the curriculum. James is displeased at this prospect, believing such a place is for "dumb kids." He comes home to find his parents arguing again; there was a mix-up with the moving van, leaving them without most of their possessions. James decides he is going to run away and return to Oregon to pick up Lacey before fleeing to Canada with her. Sandy gives him some money she's saved up for bus fare, and vows to keep his plan secret from their parents. However, they manage to get some information out of Sandy after James sneaks out. During his bus trip, James gets out at a gas station to make a call to Lacey. He discovers that Lacey has fallen in love with Rip in his absence. Heartbroken, James decides to take his camping gear and get off the bus in order to hitchhike to Canada himself. On the road, James encounters a young woman named Robin, who turns out to be friendly. She proposes that they work together to help each other out, and he agrees. They manage to get a ride, but get themselves out of the car when the driver starts making advances on Robin. That night they sleep in an abandoned barn, and James learns that Robin is an art student who is taking time off of college to hitchhike. James makes a brief, clumsy attempt to seduce Robin, but both of them quickly decide that it is a bad idea. The next day, Robin tells James more about her hitchhiking and they sit down to eat lunch together. At Robin's suggestion, they decide to be friends without any romantic undertones. They are joined by another hitchhiker calling himself Tiger, and Robin takes a liking towards him. However, James starts to get frustrated at them. They reach a farm owned by friends of Robin's and have dinner there. However, they are unwilling to allow James to stay the night, as they are afraid of getting arrested for harboring an underage runaway. James decides to leave, and Robin and Tiger go with him so that he won't be alone. They crash at a bus depot, and James talks to Robin about her growing fondness for Tiger. She says that under the right circumstances they might be lovers, and that it won't be any less significant for its impermanence. Robin's comments cause James to rethink his decision to go to Canada, and he decides to remain at the bus depot while they leave. Robin leaves him with some money and a promise that she'll get in contact with him someday. James ultimately decides to return to his family in Boston, who are all relieved to see him unharmed. He starts his schooling in earnest and finds a kinship with Mrs. Larson, the teacher at the learning center. He discovers that she is coincidentally also the coach of the swim team, and he impresses her by beating the other members of the team in a practice lap. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: September 5, 1977 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:49:02
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:78958
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1977-1978
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Martin Manulis … Producer
- Joseph Hardy … Director
- Dan Wakefield … Writer
- Richard Baskin … Music by, Theme Music by
- Lee Montgomery … Theme Music by
- Lance Kerwin … Cast, James Hunter
- Linden Chiles … Cast, Paul Hunter
- Lynn Carlin … Cast, Joan Hunter
- Kim Richards … Cast, Sandy Hunter
- Melissa Sue Anderson … Cast, Lacey Stevens
- Vincent Van Patten … Cast, Rip Lindeman
- Deirdre Berthrong … Cast, Kathy Hunter
- Marc McClure … Cast, Richie
- Anne Seymour … Cast, Miss Moger
- K. Callan … Cast, Lacey's Mother
- Michael Biehn … Cast, Tony
- Kate Jackson … Cast, Robin
- Dennis Rucker … Cast, Tiger
- Jenifer Shaw … Cast, Mrs. Larson
- John Devlin … Cast, Salesman
- Tom Lacy … Cast, Counselor
- Benny Medina … Cast, Roland
- Lanny Horn … Cast, Tom
- Raymond Singer … Cast, Jonah