Friendly Fire (1979 film)
| Friendly Fire | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
Drama War |
| Written by |
Fay Kanin (based on the book by C. D. B. Bryan) |
| Directed by | David Greene |
| Starring | Carol Burnett, Ned Beatty, Sam Waterston, Timothy Hutton |
| Music by | Leonard Rosenman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Martin Starger |
| Producer(s) |
Philip Barry Jr. Fay Kanin |
| Cinematography | Harry J. May |
| Editor(s) | Michael Economou |
| Running time | 147 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Marble Arch Productions Martin Starger Productions |
| Distributor | ABC |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release |
|
Friendly Fire is an American television movie first broadcast on the ABC network on April 22, 1979. Watched that night by an estimated 64 million people,[1] Friendly Fire went on to win four Emmy awards, including Outstanding Drama Special.[2] The film was directed by David Greene.[3]
The movie tells the real-life story of Peg Mullen (played by Carol Burnett), a woman from rural Iowa who works against government obstacles to uncover the truth about the death of her son Michael, a soldier killed by American "friendly fire" in the Vietnam War in 1970. Mullen's husband Gene is played by Ned Beatty.
Friendly Fire is based on the 1976 book of the same name, written by C. D. B. Bryan,[4] which in turn was adapted from a series of New Yorker magazine articles Bryan had written about the Mullens and their ordeal.[5]
Cast
- Carol Burnett — Peg Mullen
- Ned Beatty — Gene Mullen
- Sam Waterston — C. D. B. Bryan
- Dennis Erdman — Michael E. Mullen
- Timothy Hutton — John Mullen
- Fanny Spiess — Mary Mullen
- Sherry Hursey — Patricia Mullen
- Michael Flanagan — Father Shimon
- Hilly Hicks — Willis Huddleston
- William Jordan — Col. Byron Schindler
- Vernon Weddle — Col. Georgi
- Jack Rader — Sgt. Fitzgerald
- Robert Wahler — Alan Hulting
- David Keith — Leroy Hamilton
References
- ↑ Brown, Les (25 April 1979). "ABC's 'Friendly Fire' Drew 64 Million". The New York Times. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
- ↑ http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0151561.html
- ↑ "Friendly Fire". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
- ↑ Bryan, Courtlandt Dixon Barnes (1976). Friendly Fire (1st ed.). New York City: Penguin Adult HC/TR. ISBN 978-0399116889.
- ↑ http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa/findingaids/html/MullenPeg.htm