AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE: RACHEL RIVER (TV)
Summary
One in this series of dramas. Set during a harsh Midwestern winter in a small, rural Minnesota community, this drama concerns the inhabitants of Rachel River, who confront and come to terms with their longings and fears in a series of self-revelatory encounters following the death of an elderly recluse. The fiercely independent Mary, a young divorcée with two children, struggles to preserve her integrity while staving off the devastation of loneliness; Jack, the decorous and kindhearted undertaker, is infatuated with Mary; Harriet, an aging Scandinavian woman, must cope with the loss of her farm and her husband's decline into a coma; and Marlyn, the doltish deputy sheriff, awkwardly reaches out for companionship. These solitary lives touch one another, intersect, and are transformed. Unencumbered by the turmoil of the psyche is the simple-minded Momo, who moves benignly and unheeded through Rachel River. Includes promos for the following week's "American Playhouse" production, "Smooth Talk," and for "Mystery: Strong Poison."
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: June 21, 1989
- RUNNING TIME: 1:28:51
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:24376
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Minnesota; Villages
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1982-
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Promos - "American Playhouse"
CREDITS
- Lindsay Law … Executive Producer
- Timothy Marx … Producer
- Nan Simons … Associate Producer
- Sandy Smolan … Director
- Carol Bly … Based on the stories of
- Judith Guest … Writer
- Arvo Part … Music by
- Nick Benedict … Cast, Christopher Burnette
- Ailene Cole … Cast, Svea
- Don Cosgrove … Cast, Casket Salesman
- Jon De Vries … Cast, Baker
- Ron Duffy … Cast, Duane
- Michael Gallagher … Cast, Will
- Jo Henderson … Cast, Estona
- Zeljko Ivanek … Cast, Momo
- Richard Jenkins … Cast, Cordell
- Courtney Kjos … Cast, Annie Graving
- Viveca Lindfors … Cast, Harriet
- Craig T. Nelson … Cast, Marlyn
- Alan North … Cast, Beske
- James Olson … Cast, Jack
- Oliver Osterberg … Cast, Arne
- Pamela Reed … Cast, Mary Graving
- Richard Riehle … Cast, Merv
- Joel Thingvall … Cast, Mortician