Audience Member
Mickey Rooney AND Dennis Quaid star. Rooney is amazing in this terrific look at the plight of the mentally retarded, uh, disadvantaged. A very young Dennis Quaid also stars.
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f8/BILLtelevision_movie.jpg[/img]
This 2 Emmy-winning made-for-TV movie, based on a book by Oscar-winning screenwriter Barry Morrow (from his true story), stars Mickey Rooney in the title role of a mentally-challenged adult who has spent his life holed up in a bleak institution.
"Bill is a man with mental retardation in his 60s. He ventures out into the world for the first time after spending most of his life at Grandville, a dreary inner city institution in Minneapolis, Minnesota, since age seven (when his parents sent him there). Bill is taken in by a kind family and learns what it means to love for the first time in his life.'---wikipedia
[img]https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT1e-AYCeQW9Z0jyahgX21tCCUxZFE4CAIfEK9cDpb7usdZ48w30A[/img] Bill
SEE the entire film here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feKJnIV1LDs
REVIEWS by those like us:
70%
This TV movie tells the interesting and touching true story of a man labeled as a retard. We had to watch it in our English class, and I have to say
90%
One of my top ten favorites of all time! I watched it every Thanksgiving when it would be on tv, and i enjoyed it more and more with each viewing
NOTES:
1 Bill is a 1981 CBS TV movie starring Mickey Rooney and Dennis Quaid. The film is based on the life of Bill Sackter. A sequel, Bill: On His Own, was released in 1983.
Directed by
Anthony Page
Produced by
Mel Stuart
Written by
Barry Morrow
Corey Blechman
Starring
Mickey Rooney
DENNIS QUAID
Largo Woodruff
Anna Maria Horsford
Harry Goz
Music by
William Humeke, William Kraft
Cinematography
Mike Fash
Country
United States
Language
English
Original channel
CBS
Release date
December 22, 1981
Running time
100 minutes
[img]https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTlAuzOolOauJ6YnzIrlbhpZDuUZsA2actNV-t9Q5S6sLoQ_c-ESw[/img] Dennis Quaid, upper left... Mickey Rooney, center
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/19/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A charming little television movie that was released as a run of the mill that surprisingly has quite a large success & impact.
Mickey Rooney is sensational as Bill a special man who struggles to fit in society. He comes across a young married about to have a baby who guides him through life with a helpful hand.
Rooney really pulls off his role convincingly & when he visits a young girl in hospital he likes & does a prayer for her you really are touched by his sincerity. A charming made for tv gem that offers heaps.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This TV movie tells the interesting and touching true story of a man labeled as a retard. We had to watch it in our English class, and I have to say that it wasn't half bad. It was pretty reliable and also entertaining.
PLOT:Bill Sackter (Mickey Rooney) is a simple man. He spent 46 years in the local mental institution because his mother dumped him there in desperation. Since he's been out, he's been wandering the streets and jumping from job-to-job under the care of his welfare officer, Mrs. Keating (Anna Maria Horsford). One day at the local country club, a local aspiring filmmaker named Barry Morrow (Dennis Quaid) finds Bill cleaning the kitchen and starts to become his friend. However, Barry also gets the idea to make a film about Bill. As Bill tells Barry about his life, the two start to grow closer and start to become friends. Things get disrupted, however, when Barry has to move to another job in Iowa to support his pregnant wife, Bev (Largo Woodruff). This is the true story about the life and times of Bill Sackter. It's a great plot executed very well.
ACTING:The acting in this movie is pretty good. Mickey Rooney plays a fairly respectable part as Bill Sackter, but some could also say it makes fun of him. It's kind of difficult to play someone like Bill when you come to think about it. Dennis Quaid also played a really good part as Barry Morrow, Bill's buddy and filmmaker. He did a good job. The other shiners would be Anna Maria Horsford as Mrs. Keating and Largo Woodruff as Bev Morrow.
SCORE:The score in here is pretty basic, but it's also pretty slow and touching, including a catchy song sung by Mickey Rooney and Dennis Quaid.
OTHER CONTENT:This TV movie is actually pretty good. It tells the interesting story of Bill Sackter, a real man who was committed to an institution just because he had trouble reading as a boy. After viewing the documentary about Bill and doing a little more research, I realize that this movie is all true for the most part. However, there are some details left out or changed that throw the story of just a little bit. Also, this movie has the spirit of a TV movie; there's so much more that could have been done if it had been adapted into a real theatrical film. The movie does capture a lot of the true story, however, and holds a pretty strong emotional impact.
OVERALL,a good TV movie with a great plot, pretty good acting, touching but basic score, mostly true events included in the movie, and a pretty strong emotional impact, but there are some details left out and it all seems like more could have been done.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/21/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This TV movie tells the interesting and touching true story of a man labeled as a retard. We had to watch it in our English class, and I have to say that it wasn't half bad. It was pretty reliable and also entertaining.
PLOT:Bill Sackter (Mickey Rooney) is a simple man. He spent 46 years in the local mental institution because his mother dumped him there in desperation. Since he's been out, he's been wandering the streets and jumping from job-to-job under the care of his welfare officer, Mrs. Keating (Anna Maria Horsford). One day at the local country club, a local aspiring filmmaker named Barry Morrow (Dennis Quaid) finds Bill cleaning the kitchen and starts to become his friend. However, Barry also gets the idea to make a film about Bill. As Bill tells Barry about his life, the two start to grow closer and start to become friends. Things get disrupted, however, when Barry has to move to another job in Iowa to support his pregnant wife, Bev (Largo Woodruff). This is the true story about the life and times of Bill Sackter. It's a great plot executed very well.
ACTING:The acting in this movie is pretty good. Mickey Rooney plays a fairly respectable part as Bill Sackter, but some could also say it makes fun of him. It's kind of difficult to play someone like Bill when you come to think about it. Dennis Quaid also played a really good part as Barry Morrow, Bill's buddy and filmmaker. He did a good job. The other shiners would be Anna Maria Horsford as Mrs. Keating and Largo Woodruff as Bev Morrow.
SCORE:The score in here is pretty basic, but it's also pretty slow and touching, including a catchy song sung by Mickey Rooney and Dennis Quaid.
OTHER CONTENT:This TV movie is actually pretty good. It tells the interesting story of Bill Sackter, a real man who was committed to an institution just because he had trouble reading as a boy. After viewing the documentary about Bill and doing a little more research, I realize that this movie is all true for the most part. However, there are some details left out or changed that throw the story of just a little bit. Also, this movie has the spirit of a TV movie; there's so much more that could have been done if it had been adapted into a real theatrical film. The movie does capture a lot of the true story, however, and holds a pretty strong emotional impact.
OVERALL,a good TV movie with a great plot, pretty good acting, touching but basic score, mostly true events included in the movie, and a pretty strong emotional impact, but there are some details left out and it all seems like more could have been done.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/16/23
Full Review
Audience Member
One of my top ten favorites of all time! I watched it every Thanksgiving when it would be on tv, and i enjoyed it more and more with each viewing - Mickey Rooney is pitch perfect as Bill Sackter a special man who touched many people in his life and who i am sure is still in there hearts today!Dennis Quaid plays Barry Morrow a man who befriends Bill and starts to make a film about Bill's life, from his time being in an asylum for well over half his life to him living on his own and working at his coffee shop. There are so many touching parts in this film that by the end you will have tears in your eyes - i cannot tell you enough how good this movie is - just find it and watch it...There is a great companion piece called"A Friend indeed- the Bill Sackter story" that tells the real story of Bill and is loaded with great moments throughout his life... R.I.P. 'WILD' BILL SACKTER
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This was a cute movie.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/15/23
Full Review
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