The Gathering

This feature length film made for television is a Christmas story with a difference. Adam Thornton (Ed Asner) walked out on his family years ago to focus his energies on his business career, leaving a wife and four children - two sons and two daughters. Thornton is a gruff, hard-headed man who finds out just before Christmas that he has a terminal illness and only a few weeks to live. On telling his estranged wife, Kate (Maureen Stapleton), it is agreed that a family reunion should take place over Christmas, but only on the proviso that his imminent death is not disclosed to his now four adult children. The story avoids a “sugary-sweet” tone by exploring the interaction between Thornton and each of his family members as he attempts to tentatively reconcile the past. He soon discovers that not everyone is totally forgiving but it is his wife who is the anchor, who holds the family together. Ed Asner and Maureen Stapleton are excellent in their roles and are accompanied by a very able support cast including Sarah Cunningham, Bruce Davison, Veronica Hamel, Gregory Harrison, Lawrence Pressman, John Randolph, Gail Strickland, Stephanie Zimbalist. (Awards: Emmy for Outstanding Special - Drama or Comedy, 1978)