''Uncle Joe Shannon'' is a 1978 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 Joseph Hanwright and written by

Burt Young Gerald Tommaso DeLouise (April 30, 1940 – October 8, 2023), known professionally as Burt Young, was an American actor. He played Rocky Balboa's brother-in-law and best friend Paulie Pennino in the ''Rocky'' film series, his performance in the f ...

, who also stars. The film was produced by

Robert Chartoff Robert Irwin Chartoff (August 26, 1933 – June 10, 2015) was an American film producer and philanthropist. Early life and education Chartoff was born on August 26, 1933, in New York City, the son of Bessie and William Chartoff. His family was ...

and

Irwin Winkler Irwin Winkler (born May 25, 1931) is an American film producer and director. He is the producer or director of over 58 motion pictures, dating back to 1967's '' Double Trouble'', starring Elvis Presley. The fourth film he produced, '' They Shoo ...

and distributed by

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

Plot

A trumpet player, Joe Shannon believes he has little left to live for when he tragically loses both his wife and child. Only a new relationship with a disadvantaged boy is keeping him from sinking into depression's permanent depths.

Cast

as Joe Shannon *

Doug McKeon Doug McKeon (born June 10, 1966) is an American actor who first attracted attention as a child actor. Early life and career McKeon was born on June 10, 1966, in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, and raised in Oakland, New Jersey, where he attended ...

as Robbie *

Madge Sinclair Madge Dorita Sinclair CD (née Walters; April 28, 1938 – December 20, 1995) was a Jamaican actress best known for her roles in '' Cornbread, Earl and Me'' (1975), ''Convoy'' (1978), ''Coming to America'' (1988), '' Trapper John, M.D.'' (1980� ...

as Margaret * Jason Bernard as Goose *

Bert Remsen Herbert Birchell "Bert" Remsen (February 25, 1925 – April 22, 1999) was an American actor and casting director. He appeared in numerous films and television series. Biography Remsen was born in Glen Cove, New York, on Long Island, the son of ...

as Braddock *

Allan Rich Benjamin Norman Schultz (February 8, 1926 – August 22, 2020), known professionally as Allan Rich, was an American character actor. Early live and career Rich was born to a Jewish family in Astoria, Queens, and his family moved to the Bronx whe ...

as Dr. Clark * Adrienne Larussa as Peggy

Reception

Jennifer Dunning of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote that Young's screenplay was unsurprising and overly sentimental. She found the film to be "full of odd improbabilities," though she commended director Joseph Hanwright in his debut for drawing good performances from the cast. Dunning also reported of the cinematography, "Bill Butler's cameras capture the slick night surfaces and ruined faces of the street people of Los Angeles so that, clichés in themselves, they have the impact of sudden revelation."

References

External links

* 1978 films 1978 drama films American drama films Films scored by Bill Conti Films about music and musicians United Artists films Films produced by Robert Chartoff Films produced by Irwin Winkler 1978 directorial debut films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films {{1970s-US-film-stub