External links
- Orphan Train at IMDb
- Orphan Train at the TCM Movie Database
| Orphan Train | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Millard Lampell |
| Story by | Dorothea G. Petrie |
| Directed by | William A. Graham |
| Starring | Jill Eikenberry Kevin Dobson Linda Manz Melissa Michaelsen |
| Music by | Laurence Rosenthal |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Tony Converse Roger Gimbel Dorothea G. Petrie Marian Rees |
| Production locations | Black Hills of South Dakota Savannah, Georgia |
| Cinematography | Terry K. Meade |
| Editor | Aaron Stell |
| Running time | 153 minutes |
| Production company | EMI Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | December 22, 1979 |
Orphan Train is an American TV movie directed by William Graham which was broadcast on CBS on December 22, 1979. [1] It is based on the Orphan Train Movement, associated with the early days of Children's Aid and similar organizations.
Emma Simms, niece of the late Reverend Simms, witnesses the execution by hanging of a teenage boy for theft and assaulting a policeman. Miss Simms is horrified that the city would kill someone that young and remembers her uncle's dream to take such children out west for a better life. She decides that she will raise the funds and take the children herself. She acquires a train car with the help of Frank Carlin, a reporter who wants to travel with them and chronicle the story of the orphan train.
The children traveling include Ben and Tony, Liverpool, JP (who is in fact a girl named Josephine), Sara, Mouse, Bruce, Annie, and Dutch, a young boy who speaks no English. As the train travels, they are delighted to see the mountains and hills, but Mr. Carlin informs them that the west will not be the fantasy life they dreamed it would be.
The train approaches its first stop of Kilgore, only to find that the Reverend Miss Simms wrote to about the children has left the area and there are no families waiting.
The next day, the train reaches the next train station, at which many people are gathered to see the children. Mouse, Dutch, and Bruce find homes. Meanwhile, JP seems uninterested in looking for a family, preferring to help Mr. Carlin take more photographs. She is disappointed that he will be going to California soon and hints that she would like to come with him. That night, Sara talks to Miss Simms, who reveals that her parents are dead, and Sara concludes that she is an orphan just like the children on the train.
The train reaches its next stop, Clayhorn, where a line of townspeople awaits their arrival, but before they can get off the train, Mr. Jed Clayhorn states that none of the children will be welcome in his town. He tells the townspeople that the children are beggars and troublemakers.
At the next stop, Deer Creek, Illinois, the town is having a celebration of their arrival with music, food, and dancing. Several more children are adopted, including Annie. Liverpool and Sara agree that they should both try to find families until they are grown up. A family wants to take Ben, but he will not leave Tony. Mr. Carlin gives JP a dress to wear and nicknames her Josie. The visit ends with a town square dance. Mr. Carlin leaves to take a stage to St Louis, promising to write a good story with a happy ending and saying a tearful goodbye to JP.
Soon after the train pulls away, a thunderstorm begins. Ahead, the tracks are severely damaged, and the conductor tells Miss Simms that a key part of the train is broken, and help may not arrive for days. The town of Mildred is only fifteen miles ahead. Miss Simms and the remaining children walk there for one last chance to get a family and get help. The townspeople hurry to meet them, embracing the children and welcoming them into their town.
The film's budget was $2.85 million. It was filmed on location in Georgia and South Dakota. [2]
