Desperate Lives
| Desperate Lives | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Robert Michael Lewis |
| Produced by | Lew Hunter (producer) Arthur Fellows (executive producer) Terry Keegan (executive producer) |
| Written by | Lew Hunter |
| Starring | Tom Atkins Diane Ladd Doug McKeon Helen Hunt Diana Scarwid |
| Music by | Bruce Broughton |
| Cinematography | Joseph F. Biroc (as Joe Biroc) |
| Editing by | Les Green |
| Studio | Fellows-Keegan Company Lorimar Television |
| Distributed by | CBS |
| Release date(s) | March 3, 1982 |
| Running time | 96 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Desperate Lives is a 1982 CBS Schoolbreak Special made-for-TV film about drug use in a high school. The film has a very strong anti-drug message.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
The Cameron family seems, on the surface, to be the perfect family, but things are not as they seem. Their two teenage kids, Scott and Sandy, fall in with the wrong crowds at their high school, both eventually getting involved with drug experimentation. In a disturbing turn of events, Sandy, after ingesting angel dust made by her boyfriend in the school's chemistry lab, winds up suddenly jumping through a glass window of the school (purposely cutting her arms with the cut glass in the process) and is subsequently paralyzed from the fall. A caring councilor, Eileen Phillips, sees the problem that is going on in the school and, after other tragic incidents involving two other students (one of which involves Scott and his girlfriend smoking drugs and crashing their car off a cliff) and when no one else on the staff is willing to do anything about it, takes the steps to deal with and confront the problem. The aftermath of this tragedy makes Scott and Sandy's parents realize that even their "perfect" kids can be affected by drugs. At a school assembly, Eileen Phillips storms in and confronts the students about the increasing drug use, sending a message to the crowd about the effects of what the drug problem is doing to the kids and the tragedies that resulted because of it.
[edit] Cast
- Diana Scarwid as Eileen Phillips
- Doug McKeon as Scott Cameron
- Helen Hunt as Sandy Cameron
- William Windom as Dr. Jarvis
- Art Hindle as Stan
- Tom Atkins as John Cameron
- Norman Alden as Coach
- Tricia Cast as Susan Garber
- Sam Bottoms as Ken Baynes
- Diane Ladd as Carol Cameron
- Grant Cramer as Steve
- Michele Greene as Julie Jordan
- Terry Alexander as Robert Walsh
- Joyce Brothers as Mrs. Watson (as Dr. Joyce Brothers)
- Aggie Terry as Cindy
- Katherine Kelly Lang as Mary
- Susan McClung as Sarah
- Clayton Rohner as Monte
- Jennifer Parsons as Olivia (as Jenny Parsons)
- Mykelti Williamson as Jack (as Mykel T. Williamson)
- Viola Kates Stimpson as Grandmother
[edit] Production Notes
The theme song to "Desperate Lives" was written and sung by Rick Springfield.
[edit] DVD Release
Desperate Lives was released on DVD in April 21, 2010 and is still available to buy on Amazon.com.
