| A Father for Charlie | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | H. Haden Yelin |
| Directed by | Jeff Bleckner |
| Starring | |
| Music by | David Shire |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Patricia Finnegan |
| Cinematography | Alan Caso |
| Editor | Alan Shefland |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | January 1, 1995 (1995-01-01) |
A Father for Charlie (alternate title:High Lonesome[1]), is atelevision film that premiered onCBS on January 1, 1995. The film was directed byJeff Bleckner and written by H. Haden Yelin.[2] It starsLouis Gossett Jr. as Walter Osgood, the only black farmer in the highly-prejudiced town of High Lonesome in theOzarks, at the height of theGreat Depression in 1932. Despite the racist abuse he endures from the townspeople and theKu Klux Klan, Walter forms an unlikely friendship with Charlie, the 10-year-old son of his white tenant farmer.[3][4]
A Father for Charlie was filmed inSouthern California.[2]
Marion Garmel ofThe Indianapolis Star gave the film a favorable review, writing that it has "a wonderful spunkiness that makes you cheer for the human spirit."[3] Also giving the film a positive review in theLos Angeles Times, Ray Loynd praised Yelin's writing for "turn[ing] material that appears to be dangerously fraught with sentiment and giv[ing] it thrust and life."[5]Variety's Alan Rich found the film highly unoriginal, but noted that "[t]he very predictability lends the viewers a comforting caress."[2] John Voorhees ofThe Seattle Times praised Gossett Jr.'s performance which he felt made the film worth watching.[6]Chicago Tribune's Sid Smith thought the portrayal of racism was "heavy-handed," but found the film "ultimately irresistible."[4]
A Father for Charlie earned a 14.8 nationalNielsen rating, equalling 14.1 million households, making it the eighth highest-ratedprime time program for the week of December 26, 1994 to January 1, 1995.[7] In terms of total viewers, the film was the sixth most-watched prime time program with an audience of 22.9 million.[8]