''Deep Family Secrets'' is a 1997 American drama television film directed by

Arthur Allan Seidelman Arthur Allan Seidelman is an American television, film, and theatre director and an occasional writer, producer, and actor. Career Born in New York City, he received his B.A. from Whittier College and an M.A. in Theatre from UCLA. He subsequentl ...

, that first aired on April 15, 1997 on the CBS television network. The film is based on the true story of Gaylynn Morris, who was found guilty for the murder of his wife Ruby Morris, after Ruby disappeared in 1989. The names were changed to Clay and Renee Chadway in the television movie.

Plot

Renee has just surprised her husband, Clay, with her younger sister, Ellen, while they are at a restaurant. This impromptu meeting persuades her that her husband is cheating on her. Devastated, Renee returns home, hesitating to talk to her husband. Soon after, Renee disappears, mysteriously. JoAnne, the couple's young daughter, does not know what to think of all these events and does not take long to bring back stories that had until then been carefully kept secret. Clay soon appears as the prime suspect in Renee's disappearance. Was she kidnapped or is it a murder?

Cast

Richard Crenna Richard Donald Crenna (November 30, 1926 – January 17, 2003) was an American film, television and radio actor. Crenna starred in such motion pictures as '' The Sand Pebbles'', '' Wait Until Dark'', '' Un Flic'', ''Body Heat'', the first thre ...

as Clay Chadway *

Angie Dickinson Angeline Dickinson (née Brown; born September 30, 1931) is an American actress. She began her career on television, appearing in many anthology series during the 1950s, before gaining her breakthrough role in '' Gun the Man Down'' (1956) wi ...

as Renee Chadway *Molly Gross as JoAnne Chadway *

Craig Wasson Craig Wasson (born March 15, 1954) is an American actor. He made his film debut in ''Rollercoaster'' (1977). He is best known for his roles as Jake Scully in Brian DePalma's ''Body Double'' (1984), and Neil Gordon in Chuck Russell's '' A Nightma ...

as Jack Winters *

Meg Foster Margaret Foster 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 ''They Live''. Early years F ...

as Ellen *Jeff Kaiser as Bobby Chadway *Scott Paetty as Sam *

Christie Lynn Smith Christie Lynn Smith is an American actress best known for her role as Deardra Farnum in the 2010 film '' The Crazies''. Career Smith grew up in the United States. Since 1991, she has guest starred in numerous television series including ''Beve ...

as Lisa Chadway *

Tony Musante Anthony Peter Musante Jr. (June 30, 1936 – November 26, 2013) was an American actor, best known for the TV series '' Toma'' as Detective David Toma, Nino Schibetta in '' Oz'' (1997), and Joe D'Angelo in ''As the World Turns'' (2000-2003). In m ...

as Lennox *

Christine Healy Christine Healy (born June 13, 1950) is an American television and film actress. She has had recurring roles in television multiple series, including '' ER'' and '' The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd.'' Her film appearances include '' Like Fathe ...

as Hadley Brood *

Christopher Titus Christopher Todd Titus (born 1964) is an American comedian, podcaster and actor. He grew up in Newark, California. Titus came to network audiences with the eponymous FOX series ''Titus'', of which he was the star, executive producer and co-crea ...

as Cowboy #1

References

External links

* {{Arthur Allan Seidelman 1997 television films 1997 films 1997 drama films CBS network films Crime films based on actual events Drama films based on actual events Films directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman American drama television films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films