Thursday's Child (1983 film)

Thursday's Child
DVD cover for Thursday's Child
Genre	Teen drama
Based on	Thursday's Child novel by Victoria Poole
Written by	Gwen Bagni-Dubov
Directed by	David Lowell Rich
Starring	Rob Lowe Gena Rowlands Don Murray Jessica Walter
Music by	Lee Holdridge
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Gregory Harrison Franklin R. Levy Ronald Parker
Producer	Peter Katz
Cinematography	Charles F. Wheeler
Editor	J. Terry Williams
Running time	100 minutes
Production companies	Catalina Productions Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions Viacom Productions
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	February 1, 1983 (1983-02-01)

Thursday's Child is a 1983 American made-for-television drama film starring Rob Lowe, Gena Rowlands and Don Murray, directed by David Lowell Rich and based on the book by Victoria Poole.

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Plot

Sam Alden is the 17-year-old high school star player in football who seems to have it all. However, his family notices that he is often bothered with fits of coughing. Worried, his parents decide to take him to the hospital, where they are shocked to find out that he has a life-threatening heart disease. Sam has trouble dealing with his illness, but he pretends to still be a joyful teenager to not have his parents worrying even more than they already do. His health is deteriorating, though, and it is eventually revealed that he needs a heart transplant if he wants to survive. This is the beginning of a long journey, which is mentally and physically exhausting. Sam has countless operations, and tests. The search for a donor seems endless to him. Even before the final operation, Sam is forced to deal with several setbacks in his life.

Cast

Rob Lowe as Sam Alden
Gena Rowlands as Victoria Alden
Don Murray as Parker Alden
Jessica Walter as Roz Richardson
Tracey Gold as Alix
Glenn Morrissey as Pokie
Ken Stovitz as Charlie
Heidi Bohay as Ruthie
Elizabeth Keifer as Tina
Larry Poindexter as Malcolm
Robin Gammell as Dr. Schroeder
Alan Fudge as Dr. Baumbartner
Thomas Hill as Dr. Owens
Stephen Keep as Dr. Reston
Curt Lowens as Dr. Wakely

Release

For Rob Lowe, this film meant his official introduction to the screen.^[1] The film was shot in 1982 and slated to premier in December 1982. However, it was postponed two times (because of the death of Sam Poole, the real "Sam Alden", around Christmas, 1982) and it eventually premiered in February 1983.^[2]

The film was generally well received and was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards. Lowe was nominated in the category Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV and Gena Rowlands in the category Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV.