''The Boy Who Drank Too Much'' is a 1980 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 ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

based on a novel by Shep Greene. The film was initially broadcast on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

and sponsored by

Xerox Xerox Holdings Corporation (; also known simply as Xerox) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut (ha ...

, and starred

Scott Baio Scott Vincent James Baio (; born September 22, 1960) is an American actor. He is known for playing Chachi Arcola on the sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1977–1984) and its spin-off '' Joanie Loves Chachi'' (1982–1983), the title character on ...

as a high school hockey player struggling with

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

. While its approach is that of a typical

after school special The American Broadcasting Company coined the term Afterschool Special in 1972 with a series of television films, usually dealing with controversial or socially relevant issues, that were generally broadcast in the late afternoon and meant to be ...

, the film was presented as a prime time made-for-TV movie, which was seen February 6, 1980 at 9:00 pm ET/ PT. Taking a form of a 20th-century

morality play The morality play is a genre of medieval and early Tudor drama. The term is used by scholars of literary and dramatic history to refer to a genre of play texts from the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries that feature personified concepts ( ...

, the film dealt with a serious issue of alcoholism, that might confront youth in a prescriptive manner.

Plot

Baio stars as Buff Saunders, a teen hockey player well-liked and respected among his coaches and teammates. He battles to hide the truth from his elders and peers that, like his father, he is an alcoholic. He struggles to remain clean and sober in order not to lose his position on the team and the respect of his friends.

Cast

.....Buff Saunders *

Lance Kerwin Lance Kerwin (born November 6, 1960) is an American actor, known primarily for roles in television and film during his childhood and teen years in the 1970s. He played lead roles in the TV series '' James at 15'', and the made-for-TV films ''T ...

.....Billy Carpenter *

Ed Lauter Edward Matthew Lauter Jr. ( ; October 30, 1938 – October 16, 2013) was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He appeared in more than 200 films and TV series episodes in a career that spanned over 40 years. Early life Lauter was born and ...

.....Gus Carpenter * Mariclare Costello.....Louis Carpenter *Stephen Davies.....Alan *

Toni Kalem Toni Z. Kalem (born August 29, 1956) is an American actress, screenwriter and director. Kalem is best known for her portrayal of Angie Bonpensiero on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. Kalem grew up in Springfield Township, Union County, New Je ...

.....Tina *Katherine Pass.....Donna Watson * Dan Shor.....Art 'Artie' Collins *Michele Tobin.....Julie * Don Murray.....Ken Saunders *The Madison Pergolders ockey team*Brian Borgrud

Production

Filming for the movie took place in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

Home Media

MTM Home Video released the film on VHS in 1993 as a part of the "MTM Home Video Movie Collection."

References

External links

*
The Boy Who Drank Too Much at Internet Archive
* * 1980s English-language films 1980 television films 1980 films 1980 drama films Films about alcoholism Films about dysfunctional families Films shot in Wisconsin Films shot in Los Angeles CBS network films Films scored by Michael Small MTM Enterprises films Films directed by Jerrold Freedman {{US-tv-drama-film-stub