Attack on Fear

Last updated
Attack on Fear
GenreCrime
Drama
Based onThe Light on Synanon by Dave Mitchell, Cathy Mitchell, Richard Ofshe
Written by T.S. Cook
Directed by Mel Damski
Starring Paul Michael Glaser
Linda Kelsey
Kevin Conway
John Harkins
Alan Fudge
Barbara Babcock
Music by Tony Berg
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producer Herbert Hirschman
CinematographyDonald M. Morgan
EditorLeonard Malek
Running time100 minutes
Production companyTomorrow Entertainment
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseOctober 10, 1984 (1984-10-10)

Attack on Fear is a 1984 American made-for-television drama film directed by Mel Damski and starring Paul Michael Glaser, Linda Kelsey, Kevin Conway and Barbara Babcock. It premiered on CBS on October 10, 1984. The teleplay by T.S. Cook is based on the 1980 book The Light on Synanon: How a Country Weekly Exposed a Corporate Cult written by Dave Mitchell, Cathy Mitchell and Richard Ofshe.

Contents

Overview

Paul Michael Glaser and Linda Kelsey portray Dave and Cathy Mitchell, the new owners of a small-circulation weekly newspaper called The Point Reyes Light in Marin County, California. Upon hearing of iniquities at the famed Santa Monica drug rehabilitation center Synanon, the Mitchells begin publishing their evidence. Despite legal pressure from Synanon and bizarre anonymously mailed threats, the Mitchells' story results in a major investigation of the revered institution. [1]

Although Attack on Fear was completed in 1982, it was not telecast until October 1984 and then only after being reshaped to satisfy Synanon's battery of attorneys.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<i>Dave</i> (film) 1993 film by Gary Ross

Dave is a 1993 American political comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman, written by Gary Ross, and starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver. Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn, Laura Linney, Ving Rhames, Charles Grodin, and Ben Kingsley appear in supporting roles. Dave was a box office success, and was met with critical acclaim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synanon</span> 1958 California drug rehab program that turned into a 1970s cult

Synanon, originally known as Tender Loving Care, was a new religious movement founded in 1958 by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich Sr. in Santa Monica, California, United States. Originally established as a drug rehabilitation program, Synanon developed into an alternative community centered on group truth-telling sessions that came to be known as the "Synanon Game", a form of attack therapy.

The 29th Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony, commemorating excellence in American daytime programming from 2001, was held on May 17, 2002 at the theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Hosted by Bob Barker, it was televised in the United States by CBS. It was also the first time the ceremonies were simulcast in Spanish.

The 27th Daytime Emmy Awards were held in 2000 to commemorate excellence in daytime programming from the previous year (1999).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">22nd Daytime Emmy Awards</span> Award ceremony for television programming of 1994

The 22nd Daytime Emmy Awards were that were held on May 19, 1995, on NBC to commemorate excellence in daytime programming from the previous year (1994). The nominees were announced on March 29, 1995. Winners are in bold.

The 19th Daytime Emmy Awards were held on June 23, 1992, hosted by Phil Donahue and Susan Lucci.

The Point Reyes Light is a weekly newspaper published since 1948 in western Marin County, California. The Light won a Pulitzer Prize in 1979 for its reporting on a cult, Synanon. The paper is owned by Tess Elliott and David Briggs.

The 25th Daytime Emmy Awards were held in 1998 to commemorate excellence in daytime programming from the previous year (1997).

The 23rd Daytime Emmy Awards were held on May 22, 1996, on CBS to commemorate excellence in daytime programming from the previous year (1995). At this ceremony, Erika Slezak set a then record with five Emmy Awards for Lead Actress. She would beat her own record in 2005. The telecast aired two-hours. The Creative Arts Emmy celebration took place on May 18, 1996.

The 20th Daytime Emmy Awards were held on May 26, 1993, hosted by All My Children stars Susan Lucci and Walt Willey.

The following are the Pulitzer Prizes for 1979.

Richard Jason Ofshe is an American sociologist and professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is known for his expert testimony relating to coercion in small groups, confessions, and interrogations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairport's Cropredy Convention appearances</span> British folk festival roster

This is a list of artists who have played at the various Fairport Convention Fairport's Cropredy Convention over the years.

<i>Phobia</i> (1980 film) 1980 film directed by John Huston

Phobia is a 1980 Canadian psychological thriller film directed by John Huston, with a screenplay written by Peter Bellwood, Lew Lehman and Jimmy Sangster; from a story by Ronald Shusett and Gary Sherman. It stars Paul Michael Glaser as an experimental psychotherapist, whose patients are targeted by a killer whose methods prey on their phobias.

David Vokes Mitchell was an American editor and publisher of a small-town newspaper, the Point Reyes Light. In 1979, while he and his former wife Cathy Casto Mitchell together published The Light, the paper became one of the few weekly newspapers to ever win a Pulitzer Prize.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's 10th Gemini Awards was held on March 3, 1996 to honour achievements in Canadian television. The awards show, which was hosted by Albert Schultz, took place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and was broadcast on CBC Television.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's 7th Gemini Awards were held in March 1993 to honour achievements in Canadian television. The awards show took place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and was broadcast on CBC Television.

References

  1. O'Connor, John J. (10 October 1984). "CBS's Attack-on-Fear - NYTimes.com". The New York Times . Retrieved April 1, 2016.