THURSDAY'S CHILD

US, 1983, 100 minutes, Colour.
Gena Rowlands, Don Murray, Jessica Walter, Rob Lowe.
Directed by Robert Lowell Rich.

Thursday's Child is a better than average story of a terminal illness. However, it has a happy ending since it deals with heart transplants.

The film is directed by David Lowell Rich, a veteran of many movies and telemovies. It has a particularly strong cast with Gena Rowlands and Don Murray as the parents, Jessica Walter as Rowlands' sister and the film introduces Rob Lowe as the terminally ill son. It was a particularly good role for him to begin his career.

The film is familiar in its treatment of family life, a serious illness, its effect on the whole family, the hospital and medical aspects of illness. However, it transcends the expected with the strength of its performances and its sense of hope.

1.Entertaining telemovie? Family, illness, stress? Heart transplants? Surgery, recuperation? Hope? Designed for the wide television audience?

2.New England settings, home, school? California and the hospitals? The American atmosphere? Musical score?

3.The strong cast, the strong dialogue? The tradition of American telemovies and dramatisations of illnesses?

4.The title, the theme of hope, Thursday's Child has far to go.

5.The portrait of the family, Vicki and Parker, the long marriage, the family reunion? The arrival of the children? Vicki at home, her strong personality? Parker and his business? The interaction of the family, enjoying one another's company? Sam in the context of his family?

6.The portrait of Vicki, motherly, smothering? Strong, nervy, prone to breakdown? Her control of the family? Her outbursts? Non-acceptance of the illness? Pampering her son? Devotion in hospital? The harsh reactions with the doctors? The hopes for the transplant? The visits to California, her anger at Christmas, transformed? Joy, struggling with Sam? The new lease of life? The contrast with Parker, strong, a man of action, calling the doctors (and overstepping the mark by calling the doctor at home)? Support of his wife, balancing her? His concern about his children? In California, the loneliness at home? Questioning God, prayer, asking why?

7.Rob Lowe as Sam, the athlete, joking at home, popular at school? Driving the car, the lack of energy, climbing the mountain, dancing? The collapse? The examinations, the time in hospital, heart disease? Going back to school, collapsing? His trying to bear with his disease? The range of tests, the truth, knowing how long he could live? His getting used to it? The possibility of the transplant? To California, in the motel? Waiting? The physical tests, psychological tests? In readiness, the operation? Success, the rejection symptoms, treatment? Pain? His relationship with his brothers and sisters? With his parents, not wanting his mother to smother him? His birthday, phone calls? Christmas? The success of the operation? The other patients, the little boy and his helping him? The return home, his physical activity?

8.Vicki's sister, her telling the truth, supporting the family, wise?

9.The background of school, the teachers, the friends and their help? The doctors, opinions, tests, possibilities? Consultations? The pressure from parents? The surgery and its success? Responding to emergencies?

10.The girlfriend of the donor, coming to the hospital, the encounter with Vicki, learning what Sam was like? Her sadness and grief, contented to hear about Sam?

11.The ending, the short years of success - yet the possibility of enjoying life for a little longer? The development of heart transplants during the '80s - and giving hope to people? The atmosphere of hope of the movie?