| James at 15 | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | James at 16 |
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Dan Wakefield |
| Written by | Wally Dalton Bill Nuss Dan Wakefield Shelley Zellman |
| Directed by | Marc Daniels Joseph Hardy Peter Levin Ernest A. Losso Ernest Pintoff James Sheldon George Tyne |
| Starring | Lance Kerwin Linden Chiles Lynn Carlin Kim Richards Deirdre Berthrong |
| Theme music composer | John Ford Coley |
| Opening theme | "James" performed by Lee Montgomery |
| Composer(s) | Miles Goodman Jimmie Haskell J.A.C. Redford |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Joseph Hardy Martin Manulis |
| Producer(s) | Ernest A. Losso Ronald Rubin |
| Running time | 60 mins. (approx) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | October 27, 1977 – June 29, 1978 |
James at 15 (also known as James at 16) was an American drama series that aired on NBC in the 1977-1978 season. The series was preceded by the 1977 made-for-TV movie James at 15, intended as a pilot for the series. Both were written by Dan Wakefield, a journalist and fiction writer whose novel Going All the Way, a tale of coming of age in the 1950s, had led to his being contacted by David Sontag of Twentieth Century Fox when an NBC programming executive expressed interest in a show about a teenage boy.[1]
Contents |
Synopsis
Protagonist James Hunter (Lance Kerwin) was the son of a college professor (Linden Chiles) who moved his family across the country to take a teaching job, transplanting James from Oregon to Boston, Massachusetts.[1] James, who had Walter Mitty-like dreams and dabbled in photography, had a hard time fitting into his new surroundings.
Wakefield said he chose Boston both because he wanted to write about a city he knew well and also because he was tired of television's tendency to give programs a Los Angeles setting.[1] To update his own memories of growing up, the writer spoke with adolescents from the Boston area.
Cast
- Lance Kerwin as James Hunter
- Linden Chiles as Paul Hunter, James' father
- Lynn Carlin as Joan Hunter, James' mother
- Kim Richards as Sandy Hunter, James' sister
- Deirdre Berthrong as Kathy Hunter, James' sister
- David Raynr as Ludwig "Sly" Hazeltine, James' friend
- Susan Meyers as Marlene Mahoney, James' friend
TV movie
The movie premiered to high ratings, topping the ratings for the week of September 5-11, 1977,[2][3] with a 42% share of the viewing audience,[4] quickly prompting NBC to approve a series.[2] Associated Press writer Jerry Buck said of the pilot movie that it "captures the essence of growing up in America," adding, "It makes up for all the drivel we've had to put up with, such as Sons and Daughters and Hollywood High."[1]
Critical reception and controversy
The show was highly praised for its realism and sensitivity, with a New York Times reviewer applauding the program's avoidance of stereotyping characters: "Sly, a jiving black student ... has solidly middle-class parents deeply involved in classical music" and a lower-middle-class classmate discovers that her father makes more money as a plumber than James' professor father.[2] Tom Shales of The Washington Post said:
Not perfect, not revolutionary, not always deliriously urgent, James at 15 is still the most respectable new entertainment series of the season. Consistently, it communicates something about the state of being young, rather than just communicating that it wishes to lure young viewers. And if it romanticizes adolescence through the weekly trials and triumphs of its teen-age hero, at least it does so in more ambitious, inquisitive and authentic ways than the average TV teeny-bop.[5]
Critics also approved of its handling of James' first sexual experience, with a Swedish exchange student (Kirsten Baker) in the episode which aired February 9, 1978— at which point the show assumed the name James at 16. However, head writer Wakefield quit in a dispute with NBC over the use of the euphemism responsible for 'birth control' in the episode, as well as the network's insistence that James should feel remorse over his decision.[citation needed] Behind the scenes, the show's original executive producers, Martin Manulis and Joe Hardy, were replaced by Ron Rubin in December, 1977. Despite the critical acclaim, the show lasted only one season.
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Primetime Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series | Irene Tedrow (For episode "Ducks") |
| Directors Guild of America Award | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series' - Night | Joseph Hardy (For episode "Friends") |
Legacy
Kevin Williamson, the creator of Dawson's Creek, cited this show as a major influence on him and named it as an inspiration for his show:[6] "'Dawson's Creek' came out of my desire to do 'James at 15' for the '90s. It was very provocative and way ahead of its time."[7]
Notes
- ^ a b c d Jerry Buck, Associated Press. "'James at 15' relives youth," The Dallas Morning News, September 2, 1974, page 4.
- ^ a b c John O'Connor, New York Times News Service. "New shows put kids in spotlight," The Dallas Morning News, October 25, 1977, page 7.
- ^ Rena Pederson. "'Washington' no 'Roots'" (TV column), The Dallas Morning News, September 14, 1977, page 15: "... NBC landed James at 15 and Laugh-In in first and second place."
- ^ Rena Pederson. "8 to air game — on tape" (TV column), The Dallas Morning News, October 5, 1977, page 14: "And James at 15, which scored a whopping 42 share of the audience with its pilot earlier in September, will move into the Man from Atlantis spot on Oct. 27."
- ^ Tom Shales. "Facing the death of an old pal," The Washington Post, December 15, 1977, p. B1.
- ^ Ed Bark. "New WB show has racy edge: 'Creek' is full of kids in grown-up situations," The Dallas Morning News, July 30, 1997, page 31A.
- ^ Kinney Littlefield. "Drama's creator is addiction to adolescence: 'Scream' screenwriter Kevin Williamson translates teen angst to the tube with `Dawson's Creek,' The Orange County Register, January 18, 1998, page F9.
External links
- James at 15 at the Internet Movie Database (pilot TV-movie)
- James at 15 at the Internet Movie Database (series)
- James at 15 at TV.com
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