Friendly Fire (1979) (TV)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

David Greene

Writers:

C.D.B. Bryan (book)
Fay Kanin (writer)

Release Date:

22 April 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

When they try to learn how how their son died in Vietnam, the Mullens meet lies and evasion on all sides.

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam | Iowa | Based On True Story | Based On Book

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Carol Burnett	...	Peg Mullen
Ned Beatty	...	Gene Mullen
Sam Waterston	...	C.D. Bryan
Dennis Erdman	...	Michael E. Mullen
Timothy Hutton	...	John Mullen
Fanny Spiess	...	Mary Mullen
Sherry Hursey	...	Patricia Mullen
Michael Flanagan	...	Father Shimon
Hilly Hicks	...	Willis Huddleston
William Jordan	...	Col. Byron Schindler
Vernon Weddle	...	Col. Georgi
Jack Rader	...	Sgt. Fitzgerald
Robert Wahler	...	Alan Hulting
David Keith	...	Leroy Hamilton
Bernard Behrens	...	Dietrich

Runtime:

147 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Stockton, California, USA

Company:

Marble Arch Productions

Trivia:

On a second tour of duty in Vietnam in 1970, Lieutenant-Colonel Norman Schwarzkopf, 37, was heading the Americal Division's 1st. Battalion, 6th Infantry, 198th Brigade, when a section of its company became trapped in a mine field. Schwarzkopf was the first to arrive at the scene in a helicopter and oversaw the immediate evacuation of the wounded. The factual events that unfold in this telefeature are based on the book by C.D.B. Bryan. Schwarzkopf's pseudonymous character, Col. Byron Schindler, is portrayed here by William Jordan.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "American Masters: Carol Burnett: A Woman of Character" (2007)

Friendly Fire

I saw this movie many years ago on television and I was deeply moved by it. I don't agree with the comment another reader posted that the Mullens were trying to start a revolution about their son's death. What they were mad about, and rightly so in my opinion was the apparent cover-up the military did on the death. They only wanted the real truth about how their son died not a lot of lies which is what they got. I thought Carol Burnett was marvelous in her role. Up until that time, I had never seen her in anything but a comedic role and it was refreshing to see her in a dramatic role. Ned Beatty, as usual, was his stoic self. I would have liked to have seen his character display a bit more emotion but that was how the male society was at that time, very unemotional. Has this movie ever been released on video or DVD? I would love to get a copy.