The Miracle Worker (1979 film)
| The Miracle Worker | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Paul Aaron |
| Produced by |
Fred Coe Barbara Abeles Cowan (Associate Producer) Alan David (Assistant Producer) Sandy Gallin (Executive Producer #1) Raymond Katz (Executive Producer #2) |
| Screenplay by | William Gibson |
| Based on |
The Miracle Worker by William Gibson |
| Starring |
Melissa Gilbert Patty Duke Charles Siebert Stanley Wells Diana Muldaur |
| Music by | Billy Goldenberg |
| Edited by | Gerald Lee Taylor |
Production company |
Half-Pint Productions |
| Distributed by | NBC |
Release dates | October 14, 1979 |
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Miracle Worker is a 1979 American made-for-television biographical film based on the 1959 play of the same title by William Gibson, which originated as a 1957 broadcast of the television anthology series Playhouse 90. Gibson's original source material was The Story of My Life, the 1902 autobiography of Helen Keller. The play was adapted for the screen before, in 1962.
The film is based on the life of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan's struggles to teach her. It starred The Patty Duke Show actress Patty Duke (who played Helen Keller in the original 1962 film, for which she won the Oscar) as Annie Sullivan and also starred Little House on the Prairie actress Melissa Gilbert as Helen Keller. It produced a TV sequel, Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues in 1984.
Plot
Young Helen Keller (Melissa Gilbert), blind, deaf, and mute since infancy, is in danger of being sent to an institution. Her inability to communicate has left her frustrated and violent. In desperation, her parents seek help from the Perkins Institute, which sends them a "half-blind Yankee schoolgirl" named Annie Sullivan (Patty Duke) to tutor their daughter. Through persistence and love, and sheer stubbornness, Annie breaks through Helen's walls of silence and darkness and teaches her to communicate.
Cast
- Melissa Gilbert as Helen Keller
- Patty Duke as Annie Sullivan
- Charles Siebert as Captain Arthur H. Keller
- Diana Muldaur as Katherine Adams Keller
- Stanley Wells as James Keller
- Anne Seymour as Aunt Evelyn
- Hilda Haynes as Viney
- Byron Green as Percy
- Noniece Williams as Martha
- Titos Vandis as Anagnos
- Jonathan Gilbert as Jimmy
References
External links
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