BURNING BED, THE (TV)
Summary
This made-for-television drama tells the story of Francine Hughes, a battered wife and mother of three children who endured twelve years of abuse before setting fire to her sleeping husband's bed. The events of the Hughes' marriage unfold in a series of flashbacks as Francine, in jail awaiting her murder trial, discusses her case with her lawyer, Aryon Greydanus. As a naive teenager, Francine meets Mickey Hughes and is intrigued by the older boy's "wild" reputation. The intensity of Mickey's ardor sweeps the inexperienced girl off her feet, and soon they are married and having children. Mickey's charming nature masks a dark side -- a streak of paranoid possessiveness mixed with off-hand brutality -- that causes trouble, exacerbated by his unemployment and alcoholism. Francine makes numerous attempts to leave as the abuse becomes progressively more vicious, but Mickey's family, Francine's own mother, uncaring policemen, and hapless social agencies repeatedly send her back to the always ostensibly repentant Mickey. Francine reaches her breaking point during an ugly night of violence, after Mickey forbids her to study at a local college. In the trial, Greydanus guides Francine through her harrowing testimony on the night's events, imploring the jury to see Francine's actions from her perspective: as a desperate, terrified woman attempting to save her own life and protect her children. Commercials deleted. This program is closed-captioned.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by The Marc Haas and Helen Hotze Haas Foundation, 1998.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: October 8, 1984 Monday 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:34:30
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:22278
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Domestic violence; Women's Collection - Drama
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV, 1984
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Jon Avnet … Executive Producer
- Steve Tisch … Executive Producer
- Carol Schreder … Producer
- Rose Leiman Goldemberg … Co-Producer, Writer
- Robert Greenwald … Director
- Faith McNulty … Based on the Book by
- Charles Gross … Music by
- Fawcett, Farrah (See also: Fawcett-Majors, Farrah) … Cast, Francine Hughes
- Paul LeMat … Cast, Mickey Hughes
- Richard Masur … Cast, Aryon Greydanus
- Grace Zabriskie … Cast, Flossie Hughes
- Penelope Milford … Cast, Gaby
- Christa Denton … Cast, Christy age 12
- James Callahan … Cast, Berlin Hughes
- Gary Grubbs … Cast, the District Attorney
- David Friedman … Cast, Jimmy age 10
- David Andrews … Cast, Wimpy Hughes
- Dixie K. Wade … Cast, Hazel
- Heather Rich … Cast, Christy age 6
- Justin Gocke … Cast, Jimmy age 4
- Elizabeth Lyn Fraser … Cast, Nicole
- Ben Fuhrman … Cast, Henry Eckworth
- Kimberly Dashiell … Cast, Ann
- Fred D. Scott … Cast, Mr. Barlow
- Patricia George … Cast, the Female Deputy
- Hoolihan Burke … Cast, the Matron
- Sherry McFarland … Cast, Ellen
- Gilmer McCormick … Cast, the Salesperson
- Anna L. Pagan … Cast, Clair
- Sonny Davis … Cast, the Assistant Prosecutor
- Delana Michaels … Cast, Miss Connor
- Greg Norberg … Cast, Ernest
- Jeremy Ross … Cast, Judge Hotchkiss
- James Hampton … Cast, Police Witness
- Virgil Frye … Cast, Virg
- Freddie Dawson … Cast
- Jeffrey Lampert … Cast