''Little Mo '' is a 1978 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

biographical film telling the life story of

Maureen Connolly Maureen Catherine Connolly-Brinker (née Connolly; September 17, 1934 – June 21, 1969), known as "Little Mo", was an American tennis player, the winner of nine major singles titles in the early 1950s. In 1953, she became the first woman to win ...

(September 17, 1934 – June 21, 1969), the 1950s American tennis player who was the first woman to win all four

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

tournaments during the same calendar year, before an accident ended her tennis career at age 19. It stars

Glynnis O'Connor Glynnis O'Connor (born November 19, 1956) is an American actress of television, film, radio, and theater. She first gained wide attention in the mid-1970s with leading roles in the television version of ''Our Town'' and in the short-lived series ...

Michael Learned Michael Learned (born April 9, 1939) is a distinguished American actor, known for her role as Olivia Walton in the long-running CBS drama series ''The Waltons'' (1972–1981). She has won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in ...

, Anne Baxter, Mark Harmon (as her husband

Norman Brinker Norman Eugene Brinker (June 3, 1931 – June 9, 2009) was an American restaurateur who was responsible for the creation of new business concepts within the restaurant field. He served as president of Jack in the Box, founded Steak and Ale, and h ...

) and

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

Cast

Main cast

as Eleanor 'Teach' Tennant * Anne Baxter as Jessamyn Connolly *

as Maureen Connolly * Claude Akins as Gus Berste * Anne Francis as Sophie Fisher * Mark Harmon as Norman Brinker *

Martin Milner Martin Sam Milner (December 28, 1931 – September 6, 2015) was an American actor and radio host. He is best known for his performances on two television series: '' Route 66'', which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964, and ''Adam-12'', which a ...

as Wilbur Folsom *

as Nelson Fisher *

Tony Trabert Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leag ...

as Himself *

Ann Doran Ann Lee Doran (July 28, 1911 – September 19, 2000) was an American character actress, possibly best known as the mother of Jim Stark (James Dean) in ''Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955). She was an early member of the Screen Actors Guild and serv ...

as Aunt Gert * Fred Holliday as Dr. Bruce Kimball *

Len Wayland Len or LEN may refer to: People and fictional characters * Len (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lén, a character from Irish mythology * Alex Len (born 1993), Ukrainian basketball player * Mr. Len, American hip hop DJ *Le ...

as Johnson * Justin Lord as Maxwell * Maggie Wellman as Susan * Jean Kar as Nancy Chaffee * Cindy Brinker as Susan Partridge * K.C. Kiner as Laura Lou Jahn * Tory Fretz as Doris Hart * Stacy Keach Sr. as Chamber of Commerce President * Beatrice Manley as Duchess of Kent *

Jason Kincaid Jason Kincaid is an American professional wrestler best known for his time in Evolve, Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) in Japan and Ring Of Honor. He is also known for competing on the United States independent scene and within the National Wrestl ...

as Ben *

Tracey Gold Tracey Gold (born May 16, 1969) is an American actress and former child star known for playing Carol Seaver on the 1980s sitcom ''Growing Pains''. Acting career Tracey Gold became an actress at the age of four, first appearing in a Pepsi print ...

as Cindy Brinker * Missy Gold as Brenda Brinker *

Howard Culver Howard Culver (June 4, 1918 – August 4, 1984) was an American radio and television actor, best known as hotel clerk Howie Uzzell during the entire run of TV's ''Gunsmoke''. On radio he starred in the title role of the Western adventure series '' ...

as Tennis Match Announcer

Supporting cast

* Ian Abercrombie as Dr. Noyes (uncredited)

Historical inaccuracies

It is strongly implied that Connolly's dramatic Wimbledon match versus Britain's Sue Partridge was the first singles match that Connolly played that year at the 1952 Wimbledon tournament. It was actually a fourth-round match. The final scene, in which Connolly and her former coach (Eleanor Tennant) are dramatically reunited at a public tennis court near the end of Connolly's life, never occurred.

External links

* 1978 television films 1978 films 1970s biographical films American biographical films Biographical films about sportspeople Cultural depictions of American women Cultural depictions of tennis players Films directed by Daniel Haller Films set in the 1950s NBC network original films Sports films based on actual events Tennis films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films {{US-tv-film-stub