Episodes
All My Sons
January 19, 1987
Two families, related by friendship and love, face up to the consequences of greed and avarice in the post-war years. Love and death play equal roles in determining the outcome of events.
The Prodigious Hickey
January 26, 1987
In 1905, at the prestigious Lawrenceville School, chief prankster William 'Hickey' Hicks comes up with a scheme to make his shy, unpopular roommate a legend.
The Wide Net
February 2, 1987
William Wallace searches for his pregnant wife, Hazel, who has withdrawn from him, using a net in the Pearl River during the vernal equinox, a ritualistic search that delves into the mysteries of relationships and the feminine.
Smooth Talk
February 9, 1987
Bored with family life, 15-year-old Connie spends her summer at the mall and with friends, but her carefree attitude is shattered by a dangerous encounter with a menacing stranger who shows up at her home.
A Mistaken Charity
February 16, 1987
Two elderly, impoverished women are forced from the family farm by well-meaning neighbors. Ensconced and miserable at a Home for Elderly Ladies, the duo begin their journey back home.
Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart
March 2, 1987
A widowed mother, convinced by a fortune teller she will die soon, pressures her youngest daughter to marry, while the daughter feels guilty about leaving her alone, creating a subtle conflict and bonding experience.
Eleanor: In Her Own Words
March 9, 1987
A one-woman show featuring Lee Remick as former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who gives forth with her views — many controversial at the time and which infuriated the right wing of both parties, as they still do today — on integration, women's rights, communism, and other important subjects of the day.
The Innocents Abroad
March 23, 1987
Reporter Mark Twain tours Europe and the Holy Land for a San Francisco newspaper in 1867.
Story of a Marriage: Courtship
April 13, 1987
In the early 1900s, a young couple in love struggle with their deeply divided families. Elizabeth Vaughn hails from a wealthy, strict Methodist household. Horace Robedaux is viewed by her family as having poor prospects, as he has been largely on his own since age 12, works humble jobs, and is an Episcopalian who enjoys dancing.
Story of a Marriage: On Valentine's Day
April 13, 1987
When Elizabeth and Horace elope, the resulting familial estrangement establish independent life, build a marriage, and navigate early parenthood.
Story of a Marriage: 1918
May 4, 1987
During the height of World War I, Horace faces immense pressure to enlist, all while the deadly Spanish Influenza outbreak descends on the small Texas community.
Charley's Aunt
May 11, 1987
Charley Wyckham and Jack Chesney pressure fellow student Fancourt Babberly to pose as Charley's Brazilian Aunt Donna Lucia. Their purpose is to have a chaperone for their amorous visits with Amy and Kitty, niece and ward of crusty Stephen Spettigue. Complications begin when Fancourt, in drag, becomes the desire of old Spettigue and Sir Francis Chesney.
Gal Young 'Un
May 18, 1987
In 1930s rural Florida, a middle-aged widow marries a younger, charming bootlegger who uses her for her money and property, leading to a story of exploitation and resilience as she confronts him and his young mistress.
The House of Blue Leaves
May 25, 1987
Zoo attendant Artie Shaughnessy dreams of being a successful songwriter. What his mistress, Bunny Flingus, who lives downstairs from his Queens apartment won't tell him — and what his insane wife, Bananas, tries to get through to him — is that Artie's songs stink.
Blue Window
June 1, 1987
In an affluent area of downtown New York City, a Sunday evening dinner party is hosted by Libby, an insecure thirty-something widow who lost her husband in an unfortunate accident. Her guest of honor is downstairs neighbor Alice, a successful novelist, and Alice's lesbian lover, Boo, a family therapist. The other guests are Griever, Libby's best friend from group therapy; Norbert, Libby's gentle skydiving instructor; Tom, an old high-school boyfriend of Libby's now working as a jazz musician and composer, and Emily, Tom's current live-in girlfriend.
Dottie
June 8, 1987
Middle-aged recluse Dottie McCann, suffering from agoraphobia, is forced to confront her illness when she must make the difficult journey to travel to see her estranged sister, who is dying of leukemia.
Waiting for the Moon
June 15, 1987
A fictionalized portrait of one of history's great literary couples, Gertrude Stein & Alice B. Toklas. During a 1930s summer in France, Alice tends to ailing Gertrude; they visit Fernande Olivier, Guillaume Apollinaire, and others; and Hemingway pops in.
