What the Deaf Man Heard
| What the Deaf Man Heard | |
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 What the Deaf Man Heard |
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| Creator | G.D. Gearino (novel) |
| Directed by | John Kent Harrison |
| Produced by | Richard Welsh Brent Shields |
| Written by | Robert W. Lenski |
| Starring | Matthew Modine James Earl Jones |
| Music by | J.A.C. Redford |
| Production company | Hallmark Hall of Fame |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Release date | 23 November 1997 |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
| "What the Deaf Man Heard" | |||
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| Hallmark Hall of Fame episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 47 Episode 1 |
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| Production code | 307 | ||
| Original air date | November 23, 1997 | ||
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What the Deaf Man Heard is a 1997 Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie that aired on CBS television on November 23, 1997. It concerns Sammy, a boy who pretends to be deaf and mute, when in reality he can hear and speak perfectly well. The movie starred Matthew Modine and James Earl Jones.
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[edit] Plot summary
Young 10-year-old Sammy Ayers and his mother Helen are on a bus trip. During a stop, his mother ventures into a bar, while Sammy is asleep on the bus. She is then assaulted as the bus leaves. At the last stop in Georgia, he is woken up and realizes that his mother has disappeared. He takes to heart her warning to "keep quiet." He is taken in by the bus station manager, Norm, and informally adopted by Lucille as the entire small town looks after him. As Sammy grows to adulthood, he pretends to be deaf and mute as a self-protective device. Over a 20-year period, he hears many secrets and confidences. However, when he hears something harmful he decides to take action, to protect the townspeople who have become his family, revealing his secret.
The Ira Gershwin/Kurt Weill song "My Ship" (sung by Bernadette Peters) is heard at the end of the film, as Sammy listens to a music box.
[edit] Cast
- Sammy Ayers — Matthew Modine
- Mrs. Tynan — Claire Bloom
- Lucille — Judith Ivey
- Archibald Thacker — James Earl Jones
- Norm Jenkins — Tom Skerritt
- Young Sammy — Frankie Muniz
- Helen Ayers — Bernadette Peters
- Tolliver Tynan — Jake Weber
[edit] Reception
In her New York Times review, Caryn James wrote: "Nothing seems real in What the Deaf Man Heard. Instead, its soothing, storybook quality has Hallmark written all over it."[1]
The film was the highest-rated made-for-television movie on any network since 1991 with apprximately 36 million viewers.[1][2]
The film received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Made for Television Movie and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (Judith Ivey) and won for Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Movie. It also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (Matthew Modine).
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