The Ryan White Story

• Director: John Herzfeld
• AMG Rating:
• Genre: Drama
• Movie Type: Docudrama, Biopic
• Themes: Living With AIDS, Dying Young
• Main Cast: Lukas Haas, Judith Light, George C. Scott
• Release Year: 1988
• Country: US
• Run Time: 96 minutes

Plot

Ryan White was the teenaged hemophiliac who contacted AIDS through a blood transfusion, then was barred from attending school in Kokomo, Indiana. All but ostracized by the community, Ryan's mother (Judith Light) engages the services of a high-powered attorney (George C. Scott) to win back her son's basic rights. While the film ends with Ryan triumphing over his human adversaries, no effort is made to sugarcoat the situation. Even after he has been welcomed by another school, we see how the boy is shunned by certain students and their parents; nor is there any glossing over the fact that Ryan's days are numbered, despite the boy's enthusiastic plans for the time he has left (young White died shortly after this TV movie was first telecast in 1989). Despite its inherent sadness, The Ryan White Story is a celebration of an exceptional young human being whose short life touched so many others in a positive, uplifting manner. While Lukas Haas portrays the title character, the real Ryan White appears in the small role of Chad, another hemophiliac AIDS victim. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast

Kurek Ashley - Jim; Cliff Bemis; Nat Benchley - David Rosselot; Michael Bowen; Amelia Burnette - Girl; Bonnie Cook - Katherine Angelone; Nikki Cox - Andrea; George Dzundza; Casey Ellison; Michael Gwynne; Lukas Haas - Ryan White; Bob Hannah - David Carter; Mert Hatfield - Union Representative; J. Michael Hunter - Jeffery Squired, M.D.; Mark Joy; Valerie Landsburg; Judith Light - Jeanne; Terry Loughlin - J.O. Smith; Mark Jeffrey Miller - Jake; Richard Olsen - Judge Brubaker; Sarah Jessica Parker; Mitchell Ryan; Alan Sader - Reverand Williams; Peter Scolari; Grace Zabriskie - Jeanne White; John Herzfeld - Florist; Michael Ruff - Obnoxious Kid; George C. Scott - Charles Vaughan Sr.; Steve Shaw - Announcer; Robert Albertia - Judge Noland; Joyce Bowden - Reporter; Jim Grimshaw - Policeman; Lucius Houghton - Charlie Cropper; Steve Howard - Ron Colby; Rebecca Koon - Housewife; Lorri Lindberg - Factory Worker; Rick Marshall - Houseowner; Larry Sprinkle - Reporter; Jon Thompson - Cicero Principal; Kathy Wagner; Helen Baldwin - Marcia Rosselot

Credit

Randy Stone - Casting, John Herzfeld - Director, Robert Florio - Editor, Alan Landsburg - Executive Producer, Mike Post - Composer (Music Score), Norman Baron - Production Designer, Steven Shaw - Cinematographer, Linda Otto - Producer, John Herzfeld - Screenwriter, Phil Penningroth - Screenwriter

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