''Amos'' is a 1985 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

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

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 ...

and written by Richard Kramer. It is based on the 1983 novel ''Amos: To Ride a Dead Horse'' by Stanley Gordon West. The film stars

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. ...

Elizabeth Montgomery Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery (April 15, 1933 – May 18, 1995) was an American actress whose career spanned five decades in film, stage, and television. She portrayed the good witch List of Bewitched characters#Samantha Stephens, Samantha Step ...

Dorothy McGuire Dorothy Hackett McGuire (June 14, 1916 – September 13, 2001) was an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for '' Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947) and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actr ...

Pat Morita Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005) was an American actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, before becoming known to television audiences for his recurring role as diner owner Matsuo "Arnold" Takah ...

James Sloyan James Sloyan is an American actor. Early years Sloyan left the United States at an early age to live abroad in Rome, Capri, Milan, Switzerland, and Ireland. His career in show business began upon his return to the United States, in 1957, when ...

and

Ray Walston Herman Ray Walston (November 2, 1914 – January 1, 2001) was an American actor. He started his career on Broadway theatre, Broadway earning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Mr. Applegate in ''Damn Yankees'' (1956 ...

. The film premiered on

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

on September 29, 1985.

Plot

The opening of the movie reveals a couple having breakfast, then going on a road trip or outing, when suddenly Amos (Kirk Douglas), who is driving, and his wife are involved in a major accident that claims her life and severely injures him. Amos wakes up in a hospital, to realize that his wife died as a result of the accident and his home has been sold. Amos is sent to the Sunset Nursing Home. There, he meets an old baseball friend and gets in a relationship with a female resident, Hester. The head nurse, Daisy Daws (Elizabeth Montgomery), is notorious for running the facility with strict rules that are enforced by Roland, an orderly (male CNA). Daisy also has an affair with the local Sheriff so none of the residents dare to complain about her. Even when a County Commissioner, Burt, pays a surprise visit, he is only told good things about the facility and Daisy. One night, Daisy administers an overdose of barbiturates to Amos' roommate, while Amos pretends to be sleeping. He watches it happen and can't do anything about it. Later, after the remains are picked up by morticians, Amos questions Daisy of why she did that and she threatens to do the same to him unless he puts his life insurance policy in her name. Amos' grandson pays him a visit and offers to let his grandfather come live with him, but Amos does not want to abandon his friends in the nursing home. Amos then sneaks into Daisy's bedroom to steal a syringe, needle, and the barbiturates which were used to euthanize her residents. He picks a fight with Roland so that he suffers bruises and other skin injuries, injects himself with the barbiturates and is found dead the next morning. Just before he administered his own lethal injection, Amos had written a letter to the state that Daisy forced him to put his life insurance on her name, he fears she will kill him, and if he dies, an autopsy should be performed and that the benefits from his life insurance policy should be shared between his grandson and Hester. Faced with the letter that Amos wrote and the results of the autopsy (which reveals "enough barbiturates to kill seven people"), the Sheriff arrests Daisy despite her screams and threats to expose his infidelity.

Cast

as Amos Lasher *

as Daisy Daws *

as Hester Farrell *

as Tommy Tanaka *

as Sheriff John Thomas *

as Johnny Kent *

Jerry Hausner James Bernard Hausner (May 20, 1909 – April 1, 1993),DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 122-123. known professionally as Je ...

as Sol Kessler *

Don Keefer Donald Hood Keefer (August 18, 1916 – September 7, 2014) was an American actor known for his versatility in performing comedic, as well as highly dramatic, roles. In an acting career that spanned more than 50 years, he appeared in hundreds of ...

as Winston Beard *

Camila Ashland Camila Ashland (March 24, 1911 – September 12, 2008) was an American actress, best known for her role in '' V'' and ''V The Final Battle''. Also as Minnie Du Val in ''Dark Shadows''. Ashland was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured ...

as Mildred Lasher *

Frances Bay Frances Evelyn Bay (née Goffman; January 1, 1919 – September 15, 2011) was a Canadian and American character actress and comedian. In a career that spanned 35 years, she acted in a variety of roles both in film and television. Bay was inducted ...

as Lydia *

Frederick Coffin Frederick D. Coffin (January 16, 1943 – July 31, 2003) was an American film actor, singer, songwriter, and musician. Early life Coffin was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1943 to actress Winifred Deforest Coffin and writer Dean Coffin, and was one ...

as Roland * Lois de Banzie as Dorothy Dearborn *

Helen Martin Helen Dorothy Martin (July 23, 1909 – March 25, 2000) was an American actress of stage and television. Martin's career spanned over 60 years, appearing first on stage and later in film and television. Martin is best known for her roles as Wanda ...

as Mrs. McKenzie *

Royce Wallace Royce K. Wallace (May 9, 1925 – November 24, 1992) was an American actress, singer and dancer who had a long, distinguished career beginning in the 1940s through the late–1980s. Biography Born in Buffalo, Nebraska or Pleasanton, Nebraska or ...

as Helen *Pamela Dunlap as Leah *

Jack Blessing Jack Blessing (July 29, 1951 – November 14, 2017) was an American film and television actor. He was notable for his roles as MacGillicuddy on '' Moonlighting'' and as Jack Powers in the sitcom ''George Lopez''. He also had a recurring role ...

as Scott Lasher *

Jordan Charney Jordan Charney (born April 1, 1937) is an American character actor known for ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Network'' (1976) and ''Hill Street Blues'' (1981). Early life and career Charney was born in Brooklyn, New York,1985 television films 1985 films 1985 drama films Bryna Productions films 1980s English-language films CBS films Films directed by Michael Tuchner Films produced by Kirk Douglas American drama television films 1980s American films English-language drama films