''Adam at 6 A.M.'' is a 1970 American

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Robert Scheerer Robert Scheerer (December 28, 1929 – March 3, 2018) was an American film and television director, actor, and producer. Scheerer was born in Santa Barbara, California, on December 28, 1929. Scheerer's work in films began with his dancing, inc ...

. It stars

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the ...

, Lee Purcell,

Joe Don Baker Joe Don Baker (February 12, 1936 – May 7, 2025) was an American actor, known for playing "tough guy" characters on both sides of the law. He established himself as an action star with supporting roles in the Westerns '' Guns of the Magnificent ...

Louise Latham Johnie Louise Latham (September 23, 1922 – February 12, 2018) was an American actress, perhaps best known for her portrayal of Bernice Edgar in Alfred Hitchcock's 1964 film '' Marnie''. Background Latham was born on September 23, 1922, in Hami ...

, Charles Aidman, Grayson Hall,

Marge Redmond Marjorie Redmond (December 14, 1924 – February 10, 2020) was an American actress and singer. Early life Marjorie Redmond was born in Cleveland, Ohio in December 1924 and was raised in Lakewood by J.V. Redmond, a fire chief, and his wife, Mar ...

, and

Dana Elcar Ibsen Dana Elcar (October 10, 1927 – June 6, 2005) was an American television and film character actor. He appeared in about 40 films as well as in the 1960s television series ''Dark Shadows'' as Sheriff George Patterson and the 1980s and 1 ...

. The film did not receive much attention when it was released. The film was filmed almost entirely on location in the small Midwest town of

Excelsior Springs, Missouri Excelsior Springs is a city in Clay and Ray counties in the U.S. state of Missouri and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The population was 10,553 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately northeast of central Kansas City, Miss ...

, as well as

Cameron, Missouri Cameron is a city in Clinton, DeKalb and Caldwell counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 8,513 at the 2020 census. The Clinton and Caldwell counties portion of Cameron are part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, while ...

and

Orrick, Missouri Orrick is a town in Ray County, Missouri, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 753 at the 2020 census. History The first community in the area was Albany when it was established by Ely Carte ...

Plot

Adam Gaines, a

semantics Semantics is the study of linguistic Meaning (philosophy), meaning. It examines what meaning is, how words get their meaning, and how the meaning of a complex expression depends on its parts. Part of this process involves the distinction betwee ...

professor at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, becomes complacent in his life and hears about the death of a relative in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. He drives cross-country to attend the funeral and pay his respects, deciding to spend the summer there working as a laborer. Along the way, he meets Jerri Jo Hopper and falls in love, developing new friendships with the town locals. Now, he must decide which direction he wants his life to take—whether to stay in Missouri or return to California.

Cast

as Adam Gaines * Lee Purcell as Jerri Jo Hopper *

as Harvey Gavin *

as Verna Hopper * Charles Aidman as Harry Hopper * Grayson Hall as Inez Treadley *

as Cleo *

as Van Treadley * Ed Call as Orville *

Carolyn Conwell Carolyn Conwell (May 16, 1930 – October 22, 2012) was an American actress. Conwell studied under Herbert Berghof in New York and Jeff Corey in Los Angeles. She appeared in many theatre productions, including ''Hamlet'' and ''A Streetcar Named ...

as Mavis * Butch Youngblood as Elwood * Greg Joseph as Ed * Timothy Blake as Girl at Party *

Richard Derr Richard Derr (June 15, 1917 – May 8, 1992) was an American actor who worked with stage, movie, and television drama, performing in both supporting and main roles. Early years Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Derr graduated from Norristown Hi ...

as Roger Gaines * Pat Randal as Pearlie * Jo Ella Deffenbaugh as Marylist * Sharon Marshall as Rosalie * David Sullivan as Leroy * Del Monroe as Mutt Peavine *

Meg Foster Margaret "Meg" Foster (born May 10, 1948) is an American film and television actress. Some of her many roles were in the 1979 TV miniseries version of '' The Scarlet Letter'', and the films '' Ticket to Heaven'', ''The Osterman Weekend'' and '' ...

as Joyce *

Anne Gwynne Anne Gwynne (born Marguerite Gwynne Trice; December 10, 1918 – March 31, 2003) was an American actress who was known as one of the first scream queens because of her numerous appearances in horror films. Gwynne was also one of the most popular ...

as Gladys Gaines * Ned Wertheimer as Dr. Peters

Production

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late ...

's film company, Solar Productions, signed a multi-picture deal with

Cinema Center Films Cinema Center Films (CCF) was the theatrical film production company of the CBS Television Network from 1967 to 1972. Its films were distributed by National General Pictures. The production unit was located at CBS Studio Center in the Studio City ...

. This was its first production. Michael Douglas got his first paycheck, about $3,400 (), for ''Adam at 6 A.M.'' He also received the orange Porsche that he drove in the film directly from Steve McQueen.

References

External links

* * * 1970 films 1970 drama films American drama films 1970s English-language films Films about educators Films directed by Robert Scheerer Films scored by Dave Grusin Films set in Missouri Films shot in Missouri Cinema Center Films films National General Pictures films 1970 directorial debut films 1970s American films English-language drama films {{1970s-US-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Production

See also

References

External links