Sarah, Plain and Tall | |
---|---|
Based on | Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan |
Screenplay by |
|
Directed by | Glenn Jordan |
Starring | |
Composer | David Shire |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producer | Glenn Jordan |
Cinematography | Mike Fash |
Editor | John Wright |
Running time | 98 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | CBS |
Release | February 3, 1991 |
Sarah, Plain and Tall is an American drama television film that premiered on CBS on February 3, 1991, as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology series. It is directed and produced by Glenn Jordan from a teleplay by Patricia MacLachlan and Carol Sobieski, based on the book of the same name by MacLachlan. The film stars Glenn Close, who also serves as an executive producer, and Christopher Walken. It tells the story of a Maine spinster who goes to Kansas in the early 1900's in response to a widower's newspaper advertisement seeking a wife. [1]
The film was nominated for nine Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special and Miniseries, winning one for its editing. It also received two Golden Globe Award nominations, for Best Miniseries or Television Movie and Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Movie for Close. It was followed by two sequels, Skylark and Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter's End .
The story is set in Kansas in 1910. Jacob Witting is a widowed farmer who is still saddened by the death of his wife, Katherine, during childbirth six years before. Since then, the task of taking care of his farm and two children, Anna and Caleb, is too difficult for him to handle alone. He advertises in the newspaper for a mail-order bride. Sarah Wheaton of Maine responds describing herself as "plain and tall". She travels to Kansas to become his wife.
Upon arriving, Sarah proves to have good sense, an interest in helping with even the most physically demanding chores, and a quiet, warm personality. But she grows homesick because miles and miles of Kansas farmland prove no substitute for Maine's ocean vistas. She is under no obligation to marry Jacob and is free to leave if she so desires; much of the story's suspense depends on whether or not she will decide to stay.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 80% of 5 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10. [2] John J. O'Connor of The New York Times praised the story for "the kind of clean, simple line that television handles most skillfully", but opined that it "proceeds charmingly to a conclusion that is far from surprising." O'Connor concluded his review by writing, "Sarah, Plain and Tall delivers an affecting portrait of that rare phenonmenon in popular mythology: the good stepmother." [1] Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret News stated that the film "deals with emotions - love, loss, loneliness, yearning - on a very mature level" and called it "a television treasure." [3] Patricia Brennan of The Washington Post described it as "a beautifully filmed story set at the turn of the century in the Kansas farmlands." [4]
According to Nielsen ratings, Sarah, Plain and Tall was the top-rated program of the week, attracting viewers in about 21.5 million homes. [5]
Glenda Veronica "Glenn" Close is an American actress and singer. In a career spanning over six decades, she has garnered numerous accolades, including three Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. She has been nominated eight times for an Academy Award, sharing the record for most nominations in acting categories without a win with Peter O'Toole. In 2016, she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame, and in 2019, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Christopher Walken is an American actor. Prolific in film, television, and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades. He has earned an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards. His films have grossed more than $1.6 billion in the United States alone.
Lee Ann Remick was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film Days of Wine and Roses (1962).
Patricia Helen Heaton is an American actress, producer and comedienne. She began her career appearing in a recurring role in the ABC drama series, Thirtysomething (1989–1991), and later appearing in the comedy films Memoirs of an Invisible Man and Beethoven. Heaton went to star in the short-lived sitcoms Room for Two (1992–93), Someone Like Me (1994) and Women of the House (1995) before landing the role of Debra Barone in the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond.
Nancy Ann Travis is an American actress. She began her career on Off-Broadway theater, before her first leading screen role in the ABC television miniseries Harem opposite Omar Sharif. Her breakthrough came in 1987, playing Sylvia Bennington in the comedy film Three Men and a Baby. She later starred in its sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady (1990).
Skylark is a genus of birds. It may also refer to particular species in that genus, such as the Eurasian skylark.
Hallmark Hall of Fame, originally called Hallmark Television Playhouse, is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City–based greeting card company. It is the longest-running prime-time series in the history of television; it began airing in 1951 and is still currently in production. Since 1954, all of its productions have been broadcast in color. It was one of the first video productions to telecast in color, a rarity in the 1950s. Many television films have been shown on the program since its debut, though the program began with live telecasts of dramas and then changed to videotaped productions before finally changing to filmed ones.
Sarah, Plain and Tall is a children's book written by Patricia MacLachlan and the winner of the 1986 Newbery Medal, the 1986 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and the 1986 Golden Kite Award. It explores themes of loneliness, abandonment, and coping with change.
Rose Red is a 2002 American television miniseries scripted by horror novelist Stephen King, directed by Craig R. Baxley, and starring Nancy Travis, Matt Keeslar, Julian Sands, Kimberly J. Brown, David Dukes, Melanie Lynskey, Matt Ross, Emily Deschanel, Judith Ivey, and Kevin Tighe. It was filmed in Lakewood, Washington. The plot focuses on a reputedly haunted mansion located in Seattle, Washington, named Rose Red. Due to its long history of supernatural events and unexplained tragedies, the house is investigated by parapsychologist Dr. Joyce Reardon and a team of gifted psychics.
Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter's End is a 1999 Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-television drama film and is the third of three television films based on the series of children's books by Patricia MacLachlan: Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991) and its sequel Skylark (1993). Though they do not share a title, the events in the film Winter's End are taken from MacLachlan's book Caleb's Story, though in order to appeal to a more adult audience than the children's books the events are expanded and the tone made slightly more serious. The film premiered on CBS on November 21, 1999.
Patricia Marie MacLachlan was an American children's writer. She was noted for her novel Sarah, Plain and Tall, which won the 1986 Newbery Medal.
Skylark is a children's historical novel and a sequel to the Newbery Medal-winning novel Sarah, Plain and Tall. It follows the lives of the Witting family after Sarah Wheaton's arrival. It was adapted into a film of the same name.
O Pioneers! is a 1992 American drama television film produced and directed by Glenn Jordan and written by Robert W. Lenski, based on the 1913 novel of the same title by Willa Cather. It originally aired as a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation on February 2, 1992 on CBS, and stars Jessica Lange. It was also the film debut for Anne Heche, who had a small supporting role in the film.
Decoration Day is an American drama television film that premiered on NBC on December 2, 1990, as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology series. It is directed by Robert Markowitz and written by Robert W. Lenski, based on the novella of the same name by John William Corrington. The film stars James Garner, Judith Ivey, Bill Cobbs, Ruby Dee, and Laurence Fishburne. It follows Albert Sidney Finch, a retired Georgia judge deciding to help his boyhood friend, a black World War II veteran from whom Finch has been estranged for 30 years.
William Edwin Self was an American television and film producer who began his career as an actor.
Skylark is a 1993 Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-television drama film and is a sequel to Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991).
Christopher Walken is an American actor, whose career has spanned over 50 years with appearances in theater, film, and television. He has appeared in over 100 movies and television shows, including A View to a Kill, At Close Range, The Deer Hunter, King of New York, Batman Returns,Pulp Fiction, Sleepy Hollow, True Romance, and Catch Me If You Can, as well as music videos by recording artists such as Madonna and Fatboy Slim.
Glenn Jordan is a retired American television director and producer.
Carol Sobieski was an American screenwriter whose work included the scripts for Annie (1982) and Fried Green Tomatoes (1991).
Caroline? is a 1990 American made-for-television drama film based on E. L. Konigsburg's novel Father's Arcane Daughter starring Stephanie Zimbalist, Pamela Reed and George Grizzard. The film is directed by Joseph Sargent and aired on CBS on April 29, 1990, part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology series. The film won three Primetime Emmy Awards.