Roe vs. Wade (film)

This article is about the 1989 made-for-television film. For the 2020 film, see Roe v. Wade (film).

Roe vs. Wade is a 1989 television film written by Alison Cross about the landmark 1973 United States Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. It was directed by Gregory Hoblit and stars Holly Hunter and Amy Madigan.^[1]

Roe vs. Wade
VHS release promotion
Genre	Biography Drama
Written by	Alison Cross
Directed by	Gregory Hoblit
Starring	Holly Hunter Amy Madigan
Theme music composer	W.G. Snuffy Walden
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Producers	Gregory Hoblit Alison Cross Michael Manheim
Cinematography	Newton Thomas Sigel
Editors	Joe Ann Fogle Elodie Keene
Running time	100 minutes
Production companies	NBC Productions The Manheim Company
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	May 15, 1989 (1989-05-15)

Plot

Ellen Russell is a lonely, single, poorly educated Texan who finds herself pregnant with no means to support a child. To avoid giving up the child, she seeks an abortion. Denied an abortion in Texas, the young woman hires a novice lawyer to plead her case in the U.S. Supreme Court.^[2]

Cast

• Holly Hunter as Ellen Russell
• Amy Madigan as Sarah Weddington
• Chris Mulkey as Ron Weddington
• Dion Anderson as Flowers
• Terry O'Quinn as Jay Floyd
• Stephen Tobolowsky as Darryl Horwath
• Alycia Grant as Sherry Roe
• James Avery
• Maggie Baird
• Kathy Bates
• Daniel Benzali
• Kevin Cooney

Production

Roe vs. Wade was filmed on 35mm film with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and mixed in stereo.^[3]

Release

The film first aired on NBC on May 15, 1989.^[4] It was the 10th most viewed primetime television show for the week, with a 17.0 Nielsen rating, and seen in an estimated 15.3 million homes.^[5]

The German TV broadcast was edited down from 100 to 91 minutes.^[6]

Awards

41st Primetime Emmy Awards

Year	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
1989	Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special	Michael Manheim, Gregory Hoblit, Alison Cross	Won
	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special	Holly Hunter	Won
		Amy Madigan	Nominated
	Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries or Special	Gregory Hoblit	Nominated
	Outstanding Editing in a Miniseries or Special	Elodie Keane, Joe Ann Foegle	Nominated
	Outstanding Writing in a Miniseries or Special	Alison Cross	Nominated

47th Golden Globe Awards

Year	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
1989	Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Michael Manheim, Gregory Hoblit, Alison Cross	Nominated
	Best Performance by an Actress - Miniseries or Television Movie	Holly Hunter	Nominated
	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Miniseries or Television Movie	Amy Madigan	Won

References

1. Girish, Devika (April 1, 2021). "'Roe v. Wade' Review: A Physician's Change of Heart". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
2. "Roe vs. Wade (1989 TV Movie) : Plot Summary". IMDb.com. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
3. "Roe vs. Wade (1989 TV Movie) : Technical Specifications". IMDb.com. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
4. "Roe vs. Wade (1989 TV Movie) : Release Info". IMDb.com. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
5. Buck, Jerry (May 28, 1989). Jessica's rescue highest rated show for past week, News-Telegram (Sulphur Springs, Texas) (Associated Press story)
6. "Roe vs. Wade (1989 TV Movie) : Technical Specifications". IMDb.com. Retrieved May 21, 2015.

External links^[1]

• Roe vs. Wade at IMDb

1. Girish, Devika (April 1, 2021). "'Roe v. Wade' Review: A Physician's Change of Heart". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 2, 2023.