In the Custody of Strangers
Encyclopedia
In the Custody of Strangers is a 1982
ABC
made-for-TV drama film
. It was directed by Robert Greenwald
and written by Jennifer Miller
. The film stars Martin Sheen
, Jane Alexander
and Emilio Estevez
, the latter in his feature film debut. The film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television but lost to Brideshead Revisited
.
So, Danny and his father are at odds a lot and, as a result, the teen indulges in a lot of trouble, particularly a night of joyriding drunk and hitting a police car, which is what lands him in trouble. The dad supposes that maybe a night in jail is just what the kid needs to straighten up, but, due to events that happen while Danny is incarcerated, he ends up spending six weeks in jail on assault charges. Meanwhile, his father gets a job in Ohio and the family has to move. At his trial the assault charges are dropped and he is charged only with drunk driving and operating without a license. He is sentenced as time served and released. His parents realize the mistake of leaving their son in jail and tell the people in the courtroom that they really need to change how they treat children that come to them. Danny returns home to his family and their home but is forever changed by his time in jail.
1982 in television
The year 1982 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1982.For the American TV schedule, see: 1982-83 American network television schedule.-Events:...
ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
made-for-TV drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
. It was directed by Robert Greenwald
Robert Greenwald
Robert Greenwald is an American film director, film producer, and political activist.-Early life:Greenwald was born and raised in New York City, the son of Ruth and Harold Greenwald. He attended the city's High School of Performing Arts...
and written by Jennifer Miller
Jennifer Miller
Jennifer Miller is an American circus entertainer, writer, and professor at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. She has lived as a woman with a beard for most of her life. She is a juggler and fire eater. Miller lives in New York City....
. The film stars Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen
Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
, Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander is an American actress, author, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts. Although perhaps best known for playing the female lead in The Great White Hope on both stage and screen, Alexander has played a wide array of roles in both theater and film and has committed...
and Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez is an American actor, film director, and writer. He started his career as an actor and is well-known for being a member of the acting Brat Pack of the 1980s, starring in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire...
, the latter in his feature film debut. The film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television but lost to Brideshead Revisited
Brideshead Revisited (TV serial)
Brideshead Revisited is a 1981 British television serial produced by Granada Television for broadcast by the ITV network. The teleplay is based on Evelyn Waugh's novel Brideshead Revisited...
.
Plot synopsis
Danny Caldwell (Emilio Estevez) is an angry small-town teen whose father has been laid off and can't find work. His mother Sandy (Jane Alexander) works in order to provide for the family of five. Caldwell, frustrated with the town, tries to get work or leave the town to find a decent job, but often butts heads with his father (played by real-life father, Martin Sheen), whose staunch perception is that allowing his son to go to work is a threat to his masculinity. In other words, a father should provide for the family, not his wife, and certainly not the boy.So, Danny and his father are at odds a lot and, as a result, the teen indulges in a lot of trouble, particularly a night of joyriding drunk and hitting a police car, which is what lands him in trouble. The dad supposes that maybe a night in jail is just what the kid needs to straighten up, but, due to events that happen while Danny is incarcerated, he ends up spending six weeks in jail on assault charges. Meanwhile, his father gets a job in Ohio and the family has to move. At his trial the assault charges are dropped and he is charged only with drunk driving and operating without a license. He is sentenced as time served and released. His parents realize the mistake of leaving their son in jail and tell the people in the courtroom that they really need to change how they treat children that come to them. Danny returns home to his family and their home but is forever changed by his time in jail.