A Death in Canaan

A Death in Canaan
Cover to the book (first edition, 1976)
Genre	Drama
Written by	Joan Barthel Spencer Eastman Thomas Thompson
Directed by	Tony Richardson
Starring	Stefanie Powers Paul Clemens Brian Dennehy
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Producers	Robert W. Christiansen Anna Cottle
Production locations	Humboldt County, California Eureka, California Ferndale, California
Cinematography	James Crabe
Editor	Bud S. Smith
Running time	125 minutes
Production companies	Chris/Rose Productions Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	March 1, 1978 (1978-03-01)

A Death in Canaan is a 1978 American made-for-television drama film directed by Tony Richardson and starring Stefanie Powers, Paul Clemens, and Brian Dennehy.^[1] Its plot concerns the true-life story of a teenager who is put on trial for the murder of his mother in a small Connecticut town.^[1] Nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, 1978. The film is based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Joan Barthel.^[2]

The film first aired on the CBS Wednesday Night Movies on March 1, 1978, and was never officially released on any analog or digital medium for rental or sale.

Arthur Miller's one-act play Some Kind of Love Story (1984) is loosely based on the same incident. He later adapted it into a screenplay for Everybody Wins (1990) starring Debra Winger and Nick Nolte.^[3]

Cast

• Stefanie Powers – Joan Barthel
• Paul Clemens – Peter Reilly
• Tom Atkins – Lt. Bragdon
• Jacqueline Brookes – Mildred Carston
• Brian Dennehy – Barney Parsons
• Conchata Ferrell – Rita Parsons
• Charles Haid – Sgt. Case
• Floyd Levine – Thomas Lanza
• Kenneth McMillan – Sgt. Tim Scully
• Gavan O'Herlihy – Father Mark
• Yuki Shimoda – Dr. Samura
• James Sutorius – Jim Barthel
• Bonnie Bartlett – Teresa Noble
• William Bronder – Judge Revere
• Pat Corley – Judge Vincet
• Art Mehr – Drugstore Owner Art
• Charles Hallahan – Cpl. Sebastian
• Mary Jackson – Sarah Biggens
• Sally Kemp – Barbara Gibbons
• Doreen Lang – Nurse Pynne
• Lane Smith – Bob Hartman
• Michael Talbott – Trooper Miles

Location

Outdoor scenes were filmed in Ferndale and Eureka, California.^[1][4]

References

1. BFI | Film & TV Database | A DEATH IN CANAAN (1978)
2. A Death in Canaan. New York: E.P. Dutton (1976)
3. Meyers, Jeffrey. Privileged Moments: Encounters with Writers. The University of Wisconsin Press (2000).
4. Hesseltine, Cassandra. "Complete Filmography of Humboldt County". Humboldt Del Norte Film Commission. Retrieved 12 October 2017.

External links

• A Death in Canaan at IMDb