HALLMARK HALL OF FAME: THE ROOM UPSTAIRS (TV)
Summary
One in this series of dramatic specials presented by Hallmark. This movie, based on the novel by Norma Levinson, is about Leah Lazenby, a lonely woman in Boston who falls in love with a kind-hearted cellist. Leah runs a boarding house -- her deceased parents' former residence -- filled with a diverse group of borders: loopy student Mandy Janovic and her bookish husband, George; the matronly Irish woman Ellie, and her rugged husband Kevin; and ever-mousy Deena. Travis Coles then arrives to rent the one empty room in the house -- Leah's former childhood bedroom. Meanwhile, Leah goes to work at her day job, a special needs program, where she tries to help the highly-troubled Carl and the sweet, but mentally-retarded Jack. When Leah's "tycoon" brother Frank comes over one day to have her sign some estate papers, he immediately begins criticizing his sister for the life she leads. He tries to talk her into letting him sell the sprawling house at a tidy profit for them both. Slowly, the somewhat mysterious Travis begins a series of playful flirtations with his Leah. Back at the special needs center, Leah's compassionate boss, Mrs. Sanders, convinces her to take on a new case, an expelled student named Susan who can't read and has violent tendencies. Forced together with Travis for a car ride home from the airport, Leah is embarrassed to learn from him that she knows almost nothing about her boarders. Later, when a drunken Kevin makes an inappropriate pass at Leah, Travis arrives just in time to rescue her. Kevin consequently walks out on Ellie, who promptly overdoses on pills. While in the hospital, waiting for Ellie to recover, Leah and Travis find they have a lot in common. Slowly, Leah's relationship with Susan grows as well -- until an event occurs which puts her career at risk and makes her impetuously decide to sell the house. Leah is further saddened to learn that Travis is leaving on a concert tour of Canada for a few months. When, the boarders decide to throw a New Year's party, Travis surprises Leah by returning for the night. Over a bottle of champagne, they realize their love for each other and make plans for a Valentine's Day date. With Leah now reconsidering selling the house, the two must figure out if they have a future together. Tape ends abruptly. Commercials deleted.
(This tape is a work print and contains technical and audio problems. This represents the best copy currently available to the Museum.)
("Hallmark Hall of Fame" aired on NBC from 1952 to 1978; network affiliation varies after 1978.)
(Beginning with the live telecast of the opera "Amahl and the Night Visitors" on December 24, 1951, Hallmark has sponsored a series of dramatic specials which since 1952 have been titled "Hallmark Hall of Fame." From 1952 to 1955 Hallmark also presented "Hallmark Hall of Fame," a weekly half-hour dramatic anthology series hosted by Sarah Churchill. The first program, "Dr. Serocold," was televised in January 1952 under the title "Hallmark Television Theatre." This series also ran under the title "Hallmark Summer Theatre" in July and August 1952.)
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: January 31, 1987 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:24:12
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:32716
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: She Made It Collection (Marian Rees)
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV, 1987
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Marian Rees … Executive Producer
- Robert Huddleston … Producer
- Anne Hopkins … Associate Producer
- Stuart Margolin … Director
- Steve Lawson … Writer
- Norma Levinson … Based on the novel by
- Robert Folk … Music by
- Stockard Channing … Cast, Leah Lazenby
- Sam Waterston … Cast, Travis Coles
- Linda Hunt … Cast, Mrs. Sanders
- Joan Allen … Cast, Ellie
- Clancy Brown … Cast, Kevin
- Sarah Jessica Parker … Cast, Mandy Janovic
- James Handy … Cast, Frank
- Jerry O'Connell … Cast, Carl
- De'voreaux White … Cast, Jack
- Renee Estevez … Cast, Susan
- Denice Kumagai … Cast, Deena
- Maureen Webb … Cast, Resident Woman
- Sheri Houle … Cast, The Blonde
- Johnny D'Agostino … Cast, Micky
- Jim Jastrzebski … Cast, George