The_Miracle_Worker_(1979_film) Knowpia

*The Miracle Worker*
The Miracle Worker
Genre	Drama
Based on	The Miracle Worker; by William Gibson
Screenplay by	William Gibson
Directed by	Paul Aaron
Starring	Melissa Gilbert; Patty Duke; Charles Siebert; Stanley Wells; Diana Muldaur
Music by	Billy Goldenberg
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Sandy Gallin; Raymond Katz
Producers	Fred Coe; Barbara Abeles Cowan (associate producer); Alan David (assistant producer)
Production locations	Big Sky Ranch - 4927 Bennett Road, Simi Valley, California
Cinematography	Ted Voigtlander
Editor	Gerald Lee Taylor
Running time	98 minutes
Production company	Half-Pint Productions
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	October 14, 1979

The Miracle Worker is a 1979 American made-for-television biographical film based on the 1959 play of the same title by William Gibson, which originated as a 1957 broadcast of the television anthology series Playhouse 90. Gibson's original source material was The Story of My Life, the 1903 autobiography of Helen Keller. The play was adapted for the screen before, in 1962.

The film is based on the life of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan's struggles to teaching her. It starred Patty Duke (who played Helen Keller in the original 1962 film, for which she won the Oscar) as Annie Sullivan and Melissa Gilbert as Helen Keller. It produced a TV sequel, Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues in 1984.

Plot edit

Young Helen Keller, blind, deaf, and mute since infancy, is in danger of being sent to an institution. Her inability to communicate has left her frustrated and violent. In desperation, her parents seek help from the Perkins Institute, which sends them a "half-blind Yankee schoolgirl" named Annie Sullivan to tutor their daughter. Through persistence and love, and sheer stubbornness, Annie breaks through Helen's walls of silence and darkness and teaches her to communicate.

Cast edit

Melissa Gilbert as Helen Keller
Patty Duke as Annie Sullivan
Charles Siebert as Captain Arthur H. Keller
Diana Muldaur as Kate Adams Keller
Stanley Wells as James Keller
Anne Seymour as Aunt Evelyn
Hilda Haynes as Viney
Byron Green as Percy
Noniece Williams as Martha
Titos Vandis as Anagnos
Jonathan Gilbert as voice of Jimmy Sullivan (Anne's younger brother who died in childhood while both were living at Tewksberry Hospital Almshouse).

Production edit

Melissa Gilbert heavily campaigned Meredith Baxter to play the role of Anne Sullivan.^{[citation needed]}

British actress, Lynne Frederick, had expressed interest playing Anne Sullivan. Despite her lengthy and accomplished body of work, the producers told Frederick that she was "far too pretty" for the part.^{[citation needed]}

Patty Duke, who played Anne Sullivan, previously played the role of Helen Keller in the 1962 film of the same title.

Awards and nominations edit

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
1979	American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Television Special	Gerald Lee Taylor	Nominated	^[1]
1980	Directors Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Specials/Movies for TV/Actuality	Paul Aaron	Nominated	^[2]
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Television Film		Nominated	^[3]
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Drama or Comedy Special	Fred Coe, Sandy Gallin, and Raymond Katz	Won	^[4]
		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special	Patty Duke	Won
		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special	Melissa Gilbert	Nominated
		Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or a Special	Ted Voigtlander	Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling	Larry Germain and Donna Barrett Gilbert	Won

References edit

^ "Gerald Lee Taylor". emmys.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
^ "32nd DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
^ "The Miracle Worker – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
^ "The Miracle Worker". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2021.