''Adam'' is a 1983 American made-for-television film starring Daniel J. Travanti and

JoBeth Williams Margaret JoBeth Williams (born December 6, 1948) is an American actress. She rose to prominence appearing in such films as '' Kramer vs. Kramer'' (1979), '' Stir Crazy'' (1980), ''Poltergeist'' (1982), '' The Big Chill'' (1983), '' The Day After' ...

. It aired on October 10, 1983, on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

. On its original air date, it was seen by an audience of 38 million people. It was rebroadcast on April 30, 1984, and rebroadcast again on April 29, 1985. At the end of each broadcast, a series of missing children's photographs and descriptions were displayed on the screen for viewers, and a telephone number was also given for viewers to call if they had any information about them. The 1985 photograph series was introduced by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

in a pre-recorded message, "...maybe your eyes can help bring them home." A

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

, ''Adam: His Song Continues'' followed on September 29, 1986, also starring Travanti and Williams. The first part of the film portrays the story of the kidnapping and murder of Adam Walsh on July 27, 1981, along with its effects on the marriage of

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and Revé Walsh. The second part focuses on the Walshes' attempts to pass national child protection laws in the wake of Adam's murder, and the formation of awareness groups surrounding child disappearances. The film was written by Allan Leicht and directed by

Michael Tuchner Michael John Tuchner (24 June 1932 – 17 February 2017) was a British film and theatre director. Born in Berlin, to German-Jewish parents, he was seven years old when his family moved to Britain with the rise of the Nazis. He eventually read ...

Production

Filming was conducted both in and around

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. The scenes portrayed at the Hollywood Mall in

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...

, were filmed at the now defunct Westwood Mall in Houston, at the

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears ( ), is an American chain of department stores and online retailer founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosen ...

which was one of its former anchor stores. The mall closed in 1998 and was converted into offices. The Sears where some scenes were filmed closed in 2017 and was converted to an automobile dealership service center. The Lamaze scene where Revé went into premature labor was filmed at the Woman's Hospital of Texas. The three broadcasts of the film were followed by pictures and descriptions of missing children as of each of the respective broadcasts. A hotline was also active, to take calls regarding the children. This was ultimately credited with finding 13 of 55 children from the 1983 broadcast, including future rapper

Bizzy Bone Bryon Anthony McCane II (born September 12, 1976),Whitburn, Joel (2008) ''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2006'', Record Research, , p. 97 better known by his stage name Bizzy Bone, is an American rapper, singer and the youngest member o ...

, and 19 of 51 children shown in the 1984 broadcast. As of two days after the 1985 showing, 3,522 calls had been made to the hotline, and 5 of 54 featured missing children had already been found.

Cast

* Daniel J. Travanti as John Walsh *

as Revé Walsh *

Martha Scott Martha Ellen Scott (September 22, 1912 – May 28, 2003) was an American actress. She was featured in major films such as Cecil B. DeMille’s '' The Ten Commandments'' (1956), and William Wyler's ''Ben-Hur'' (1959). Martha played the mother of ...

as Gram Jean Walsh *

Richard Masur Richard Masur (born November 20, 1948) is an American character actor who has appeared in more than 40 films. From 1995 to 1999, he served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). He is best known for playing David Kane on '' One ...

as Jay Howell *

Paul Regina Paul Joseph Regina Jr. (October 25, 1956 – January 31, 2006) was an American actor and occasional screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Cliff Waters in the sitcom ''Brothers'' (1984–1989), as well as his roles as Felix Echeverria in ...

as Joe Walsh *

Mason Adams Mason Adams (born Mason Abrams; February 26, 1919 – April 26, 2005) was an American actor. From the late 1940s until the early 1970s, he was heard in numerous radio programs and voiceovers for countless television commercials, the latter ...

as Ray Mellette * Tony Frank as Lt. Richard Hynds * John M. Jackson as Det. Jim Gibbons * Alex Harvey as Det. Jack Hoffman * Jim O'Donnell as himself * Elaine O'Donnell as herself

Awards

1984 Primetime Emmy Award nominations: * Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special (

Alan Landsburg Alan William Landsburg (May 10, 1933 – August 13, 2014) was an American Screenwriter, television writer, Television producer, producer, and Television director, director. He was the founder and CEO of Alan Landsburg Productions and the Landsbu ...

, Joan Barnett, executive producers;

Linda Otto Linda Otto (April 4, 1940 – June 27, 2004) was a producer and casting director as well as a director. She was active from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Biography Early life Linda Otto was born on April 4, 1940. Career As a casting director ...

, producer) * Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special ( Daniel J. Travanti) * Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special (

) * Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special (Allan Leicht)

References

External links

* {{Michael Tuchner Films directed by Michael Tuchner 1983 television films 1983 films American films based on actual events Films set in Florida Drama films based on actual events 1983 drama films Films shot in Houston NBC original films Crime films based on actual events Films about child abduction in the United States Alan Landsburg Productions films Films set in 1981