ABC NOVEL FOR TELEVISION: THE THORN BIRDS, EPISODE 2 (TV)
Summary
The second episode of this sweeping miniseries based on the novel by Colleen McCullough. This drama presents the saga of the Cleary family of New South Wales, Australia, and the forty year relationship between the beautiful and willful Meggie Cleary and the handsome ambitious Father Ralph de Bricassart. In this part, the following events occur in 1930: in Sydney, Father Ralph visits with archbishop Contini-Verchese -- a papal legate who serves as a link between the Australian church hierarchy and the Vatican -- and Contini-Verchese is immediately fascinated by Ralph's grace and humility; the bishop pointedly suggests that an Australian cardinalship is on the horizon; Stuart tells his sister Meggie she must stop dreaming of a life with Ralph; the Cleary family celebrates Christmas dinner at Drogheda with the MacQueens, and snobbish, pious Sarah MacQueen devastates the Clearys by revealing that Frank is serving a life sentence in Melbourne for killing a man in a bar brawl; in the aftermath of the terrible news, Paddy tearfully embraces Meggie and apologizes for the distance he and her mother have always maintained from her; Meggie visits Frank in prison, and though she suggests an appeal, Frank tells Meggie she must forget about him and get on with her own life; Frank tells Meggie of his constant guilt for ruining his mother's life just by being born -- and Meggie angrily counters that Fiona has spoiled her own life; Ralph is appointed Contini-Verchese's secretary by the Vatican; the entire Cleary family, their friends and the ranch staff work desperately to save Drogheda from a raging brush fire -- a fire that is stopped short by rain just as it is about to engulf their house; the morning after the fire, the family forms a search party to find the missing Paddy; Stuart finds his dead father -- killed in the fire -- only to lose his own life when he is suddenly charged by a wild boar; Meggie is inconsolable when the remaining family comes upon the double tragedy; Ralph travels back to Drogheda to comfort the Clearys and as he tries to console Meggie, they kiss and come close to making love -- which Ralph cuts short and blames Meggie for having initiated; all gather for the funeral of Paddy and Stuart; as Ralph comforts her, Fiona's dam of stoicism and control finally gives, and she explodes in cry of grief; Meggie overhears as Ralph urges Fiona to think more of her daughter and help her find a husband and Fiona bitterly reveals she tries to forget she even has a daughter, because a daughter is but a younger version of herself; Meggie bitterly tells Ralph that his beloved God has taken everyone she has ever loved from her; a gang of hired sheep shearers arrive at Drogheda, and one of them -- the charismatic Luke O'Neill -- takes an interest in Meggie; Luke flirts with Meggie but she is haughty and cool, which only serves to heighten his interest in her; Contini-Verchese tells Ralph he would like him to accompany him to a conference in Athens -- and notes that he closely studies Ralph in an effort to learn what makes him tick; Luke and Meggie's brother Bob battle each other in a good-natured shearing competition in which O'Neill has agreed to work at Drogheda free for a month if he loses; Bob wins the contest and Luke stays on at the ranch after the other shearers leave; Meggie begins to warm up to Luke -- a Protestant -- and goes with him to a dance; Fiona suggests to her sons that O'Neill may be a fortune hunter, who may be after a trust fund that Father Ralph set up for Meggie; Contini-Verchese tells Ralph he now believes his only failing is ambition -- a failing, he says, is rewarded by the Church; Luke asks Meggie to marry him; Ralph accompanies Contini-Verchese to the Vatican; Fiona informs Meggie that Ralph is to be made a bishop and Meggie tells her mother she plans to marry Luke O'Neill. Includes commercials, promos, and an "ABC News Brief" with Sam Donaldson. (This program contains scenes from the first episode at the beginning of the program, and scenes from the following episode at the end.)
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: March 28, 1983 Monday 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:58:17
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T85:0004
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Literature - Adaptations; Romance; Australia; Clergy - Priests
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV, 1983
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - American Greetings Easter cards
- TV - Commercials - American airlines
- TV - Commercials - Burger King restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Centrum vitamin supplements
- TV - Commercials - Chevron gas stations
- TV - Commercials - Crest toothpaste
- TV - Commercials - Dow Ziplock food storage bags
- TV - Commercials - E.F. Hutton brokerage
- TV - Commercials - Era Plus liquid detergent
- TV - Commercials - Finesse shampoo
- TV - Commercials - Glendale Federal bank
- TV - Commercials - Great Western Savings bank
- TV - Commercials - Hanes pantyhose
- TV - Commercials - Heineken beer
- TV - Commercials - Holiday Spa health clubs
- TV - Commercials - Jeep Scrambler automobile
- TV - Commercials - L'Oreal lipstick
- TV - Commercials - L'eggs Sheer Elegance pantyhose
- TV - Commercials - Levolor window blinds
- TV - Commercials - Louis Feraud Fantasque perfume from Avon
- TV - Commercials - Pepto Bismol stomach medicine
- TV - Commercials - Permalens contact lenses
- TV - Commercials - Pine Power kitchen cleanser
- TV - Commercials - Purolator Courier delivery service
- TV - Commercials - Renault Alliance automobile
- TV - Commercials - Renault Fuego automobile
- TV - Commercials - Riunite wine
- TV - Commercials - Summer's Eve disposable douche
- TV - Commercials - Tampax tampons
- TV - Commercials - Wendy's restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Yuban coffee
- TV - Promos - "ABC News"
- TV - Promos - "ABC News Nightline" promo
- TV - Promos - "Baby Makes Five"
- TV - Promos - "Benson"
- TV - Promos - "Channel 7 Eyewitness News" (KABC-TV, Los Angeles)
- TV - Promos - "Condo"
- TV - Promos - "Good Morning America" (voice-over only)
- TV - Promos - "Happy Days" (voice-over only)
- TV - Promos - "Laverne & Shirley" (voice-over only)
- TV - Promos - "Ryan's Four"
- TV - Promos - "The Sting" (telecast of feature film)
CREDITS
- David L. Wolper … Executive Producer
- Edward Lewis … Executive Producer
- Stan Margulies … Producer
- Irving Lazar … Associate Producer
- Daryl Duke … Director
- Colleen McCullough … Based on the novel by
- Carmen Culver … Writer
- Henry Mancini … Music by
- Richard Chamberlain … Cast, Ralph de Bricassart
- Rachel Ward … Cast, Meggie Cleary
- Jean Simmons … Cast, Fiona "Fee" Cleary
- Richard Kiley … Cast, Paddy Cleary
- Bryan Brown … Cast, Luke O'Neill
- Christopher Plummer … Cast, Archbishop Contini-Verchese
- John Friedrich … Cast, Frank Cleary
- Allyn Ann McLerie … Cast, Mrs. Smith
- Richard Venture … Cast, Harry Gough
- Stephanie Faracy … Cast, Judy
- Barry Corbin … Cast, Pete
- Stephan Burns … Cast, Jack Cleary
- Brett Cullen … Cast, Bob Cleary
- Antoinette Bower … Cast, Sarah MacQueen
- Dwier Brown … Cast, Stuart Cleary
- de Lancie, John … Cast, Alastair MacQueen
- Bill Morey … Cast, Angus MacQueen
- Holly Palance … Cast, Miss Carmichael