NBC MONDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES: M.A.D.D.: MOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVERS (TV)
Summary
One in this series of made-for-television dramas. In this drama, Willard Kohler drives home after drinking a few beers. Cari Lightner and her friend are in the crosswalk when Willard's car barrels over a hill, swerving towards the safety zone. Cari is struck by Willard's speeding car, suffers massive head trauma, and dies. Her father learns the incident was a hit-and-run and that the police are trying to track down the car. Arriving home from work, an unassuming Candy Lightner is griefstricken by the horrifying news, especially since her son was once hit by a car and barely survived. When Willard's wife calls the police about his damaged car, the police inspect the car and question Willard, who claims that he struck a tree and then kept driving. Upon bringing the man to the scene and seeing that the tree is not damaged, the police charge him with vehicular manslaughter. When Candy learns that Willard hit Cari while driving drunk, she is flabbergasted to learn that Willard was already on probation for a similar incident. Taking matters into her own hands, especially upon realizing that Willard may not spend time in jail for his crime, Candy begins a personal crusade to strengthen the lenient drunk driving laws. But she fails to get the political support she had hoped for. As Candy spends less time with her family to build the Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (M.A.D.D.) organization, she receives advice on lobbying the political system and persuading legislators. At the preliminary trial, Candy is shocked that the case may be dismissed based on the way the police searched Willard's car. But Candy must take time to balance her life upon realizing that her efforts with M.A.D.D. are distancing her from her family. Finally, Candy holds a press conference about her efforts and slowly develops important legislative support for M.A.D.D.'s proposals to penalize drunk drivers more harshly. As M.A.D.D. gains nationwide support, Candy is angry when Willard Kohler, the man who killed her daughter, is given a light sentence, and feels justice will be done when the judicial committee passes pending bills. Once this occurs, Candy learns that the White House wants her to speak before Congress about the efforts of M.A.D.D. Commercials deleted. This program is closed-captioned.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: March 14, 1983 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:36:10
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T85:0399
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1968-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David Moessinger … Executive Producer
- Douglas Benton … Supervising Producer
- Michael Braverman … Producer, Writer
- George M. Lehr … Associate Producer
- William A. Graham … Director
- Bruce Broughton … Music by
- Mariette Hartley … Cast, Candy Lightner
- Paula Prentiss … Cast, Lynne Wiley
- Shelby Balik … Cast, Serena Lightner and Cari Lightner
- Robert Carnegie … Cast, Doug Hamilton
- Nicolas Coster … Cast, Maurice Carver
- Lee de Broux … Cast, Officer Chesrow
- Alan Fudge … Cast, Porter
- James Gammon … Cast, Willard Kohler
- Elizabeth Huddle … Cast, Jean Moorhead
- David Huddleston … Cast, Steve Blankenship
- Tammy Lauren … Cast, Chandler Doherty
- William Lucking … Cast, Officer McKnight
- Cliff Potts … Cast, Steve Lightner
- Bert Remsen … Cast, Dick Dodridge
- Andy Romano … Cast, Harry Doherty
- Ken Swofford … Cast, Sgt. Wagner
- Grace Zabriskie … Cast, Silvie Alice Kohler
- John Rubinstein … Cast, Steve White
- Richard Backus … Cast, Dr. Schumwaith
- Teri Beckerman … Cast, Vicki
- De Hetre, Katherine … Cast, Kathy Livingston
- John Elerick … Cast, the Minister
- Brad English … Cast, Officer Sternhagen
- Matthew Faison … Cast, Jack Sapunor
- Leo V. Gordon … Cast, Officer Horvath
- John Hancock … Cast, Judge Daugherty
- Milt Kogan … Cast, Dr. Christiansen
- Janet Rasak … Cast, Sheila Evans
- Dennis Robertson … Cast, Father Michael Donnelly
- Paul Stout … Cast, Travis Lightner
- John Callahan … Cast, Officer Landers
- Robert Dunlap … Cast, Jim Schultz
- Frank R. Lugo … Cast, Hector
- Robina Suwol … Cast, Nurse Judy
- Toni Lawrence … Cast, Marilyn Sabin
- Lyvingston Holmes … Cast, Elinore
- Charles Allen Anderson … Cast, Paramedic #1
- Wendy Oates … Cast, Nurse #1
- DeVoreaux White … Cast, Jerome
- S. John Launer … Cast, Judge Sheldon Grossfeld
- Candy Lightner … Cast, the Woman Reporter
- Doug Hale … Cast, the Man Reporter
- Momo Yashima … Cast, Reporter #3
- Ruth Britt … Cast, CHP Officer Dorothy
- Donna M. Holton … Cast, Nurse #2