''The Gathering'' is a 1977 American made-for-television movie about a dying executive who arranges a final Christmas reunion with his estranged wife and adult children. It was directed by Randal Kleiser and stars

Edward Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' a ...

and Maureen Stapleton.

Plot

Adam Thornton (Edward Asner), an ill-tempered executive who walked out on his family, learns that he only has a little time left to live. He decides that he wants to make peace with them and have one last reunion. He confides this information to his estranged wife, Kate (Maureen Stapleton). But when his doctor says that it won't be good for him to travel, she suggests that he should call his four adult children and invite them all for

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

. He agrees only with the provision that they not be told of his illness and imminent death. The only problem is that most of them are not exactly fond of him because he walked out on Kate and has a stubborn nature. Of them, he is most nervous about seeing Bud (Gregory Harrison), whom he hasn't spoken to since having an argument with him regarding the Vietnam War and his move to Canada several years before.

Cast

as Adam * Maureen Stapleton as Kate *

Rebecca Balding Rebecca Balding (September 21, 1948 – July 18, 2022) was an American actress best known for her appearances on ''Soap'' and ''Charmed''. Life and career Balding was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. She attended the University of Kansas. She ha ...

as Julie * Sarah Cunningham as Clara *

Bruce Davison Bruce Allen Davison (born June 28, 1946) is an American actor and director. Davison is well known for his starring role as Willard Stiles in the cult horror film '' Willard'' (1971) and his Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning perfor ...

as George * Veronica Hamel as Helen *

Gregory Harrison Gregory Neale Harrison (born May 31, 1950) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Chandler in the 1987 film '' North Shore'', as Dr. George Alonzo "Gonzo" Gates, the young surgeon assistant of Dr. Trapper John McIntyre (played by Per ...

as Bud Jr. *

James Karen James Karen (born Jacob Karnofsky; November 28, 1923 – October 23, 2018) was an American character actor of Broadway, film and television. Karen is known for his roles in ''Poltergeist'', ''The China Syndrome'', ''Wall Street'', ''The Return ...

as Bob Block *

Lawrence Pressman Lawrence Pressman (born David M. Pressman; July 10, 1939) is an American actor, probably best known for roles on '' Doogie Howser, M.D.'', ''Ladies' Man'', a recurring role on '' Profiler'', the title character on '' Mulligan's Stew'' and as a ...

as Tom * John Randolph as Dr. Hodges *

Gail Strickland Gail Strickland is an American actress who had prominent supporting roles in such films as ' (1975), '' Bound for Glory'' (1976), ''Who'll Stop the Rain'' (1978), ''Norma Rae'' (1979), and '' Protocol'' (1984), and appeared regularly on various ...

as Peggy * Edward Winter as Roger * Stephanie Zimbalist as Toni

Sequel

The film was followed by the 1979 sequel ''The Gathering, Part II'', which picked up two years after Adam's death (Asner did not appear in it), and largely concerned Kate's relationship with a new man ( Efrem Zimbalist Jr.).

Awards

* Nomination for and won Emmy for Outstanding Special - Drama or Comedy * Nomination for Emmy – Outstanding Art Direction for a Dramatic Special - Jan Scott (art director) Anne D. McCulley (set Director) * Nomination for Emmy – Outstanding Directing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy - Randal Kleiser * Nomination for Emmy – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special - Maureen Stapleton * Nomination for Emmy – Outstanding Writing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy - Original Teleplay -

James Poe James Wilber Poe (October 4, 1921 – January 24, 1980) was an American film and television screenwriter. He is best known for his work on such films as ''Around the World in 80 Days'' (for which he jointly won an Academy Award for Best Ada ...

(writer)

Home media releases

The film was released on DVD Christmas 2009 by

Warner Archive The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inten ...

. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.

References

External links

* *
''The Gathering'' at Rotten Tomatoes.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gathering, The 1977 films 1977 television films 1970s Christmas drama films 1970s Christmas films ABC network original films American Christmas drama films American television films Christmas television films Films about death Films about dysfunctional families Films directed by Randal Kleiser Films set in Cleveland Films shot in Ohio Films with screenplays by James Poe Hanna-Barbera films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films