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Bill (1981 film)

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Bill
GenreBiography
Drama
Written byCorey Blechman
Story byBarry Morrow
Directed byAnthony Page
StarringMickey Rooney
Dennis Quaid
Largo Woodruff
Anna Maria Horsford
Harry Goz
Theme music composerWilliam Kraft
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersAlan Landsburg
Bernard Sofronski
ProducerMel Stuart
Production locationsNew York City
Yonkers, New York
College of Mount Saint Vincent
CinematographyMike Fash
EditorGeorge Hively
Running time100 minutes
Production companyAlan Landsburg Productions
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseDecember 22, 1981 (1981-12-22)

Bill is a 1981 American made-for-television biographical drama film starring Mickey Rooney and Dennis Quaid based on the life of Bill Sackter.[1][2] The film was broadcast on CBS on December 22, 1981.[3] A sequel, Bill: On His Own, was released in 1983.[4] Writer/filmmaker Barry Morrow, portrayed in the film by Dennis Quaid, based the story on his life experiences with Sackter, and later became his legal guardian. Sackter, who did not have autism, would also serve as a partial inspiration for the character of Raymond Babbitt in Morrow's early draft screenplay for the 1988 film Rain Man.

Awards

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Mickey Rooney won an Emmy Award and Golden Globe for his performance, and the film also received a Golden Globe for Best TV Film.[5][6]

Premise

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Bill is a man with an intellectual disability in his 60s. He ventures out into the world for the first time after spending most of his life at Grandville, a dreary inner city institution in Minneapolis, Minnesota, since age seven (when his mother sent him there). Bill is taken in by a kind family and learns what it means to love for the first time in his life.

Cast

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bill (1981)". BFI. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017.
  2. ^ "Bill (1981) - Anthony Page | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
  3. ^ Marill, Alvin H. (November 23, 2004). Mickey Rooney: His Films, Television Appearances, Radio Work, Stage Shows, and Recordings. McFarland. ISBN 9780786420155 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "Bill: On His Own (1983)". BFI. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017.
  5. ^ "Nominees / Winners 1982".
  6. ^ "Bill".
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