The Death of Richie
Encyclopedia
The Death of Richie is a made-for-TV movie drama which premiered on the NBC
television network on January 10, 1977. The film is unrated.
The Death of Richie is based on "Richie", a true story written by Thomas Thompson about the 1972 death of George Richard "Richie" Diener, Jr. at the hands of his father, who was ultimately not charged with the shooting death of his son.
The story then cuts from the cemetery and to a car swerving erratically on a street, focusing on a young man, 17-year-old Richie Werner (Robby Benson
), who is doing drugs in the car with his three friends. The driver, Brick, is then pulled over for his erratic driving. The police officer tells Brick he is willing to let him off the hook as a favor...and that he expects favors in return for those he does favors for. Brick agrees.
This is the beginning of a series of episodes that bring Richie into conflict with his father, George (Ben Gazzara
), a stern man who loves his son, but has trouble expressing his feelings. Eileen Brennan
plays Richie's loving but weak mother Carol, and Lance Kerwin
plays his younger brother Russell, whom Richie, despite his demons, is very protective of.
Both men make genuine attempts to meet each other halfway, yielding some success, with Richie getting a job (but loses it later after Brick and his thugs show up at Richie's job) and George helping his son get closer to Shiela (Cynthia Eilbacher), a girl from school that Richie likes. However, the relationship between George and Richie worsens as social pressures and personal failings drive Richie deeper into his drug addiction.
The interaction between father and son continues to deteriorate, largely due to Richie's escalating drug abuse and his father's unwillingness to enter family counseling.
The movie's climax comes when George intervenes by informing the police of his son's activities, in a desperate attempt to save his life at all costs. Richie confronts his father in a drug-induced rage (from ingestion of what is referred to as "reds", usually slang for barbiturates
), threatening him with an awl. George retreats to the basement in the family's home, where Richie follows him. George retrieves a revolver from his toolbox and aims it at Richie, but does not fire it, cocking the hammer back in an attempt to convince his son that he is not bluffing. Richie screams repeatedly for his father to shoot him. George manages to overpower Richie by knocking the awl from his hand, but Richie retreats upstairs and returns to the basement with a pair of scissors and taunts his father over and over again, daring him to shoot him, approaching him closer, thinking that George doesn't have the nerve to do it.
With a steady hand, George pulls the trigger. A blinding flash from the gun's barrel then morphs into a bouquet of flowers on a mahogany casket in the same cemetery, surrounded by the same mourners in black. Following Psalm 23
, a brief eulogy is read by Shiela:
The movie ends with a brief written epilogue over a still shot of George placing a rose on Richie's casket, stating that a grand jury voted unanimously not to indict George Werner for the shooting death of his son, and that he lives as a free man.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television network on January 10, 1977. The film is unrated.
The Death of Richie is based on "Richie", a true story written by Thomas Thompson about the 1972 death of George Richard "Richie" Diener, Jr. at the hands of his father, who was ultimately not charged with the shooting death of his son.
Plot
The film opens with a scene of a burial in a large suburban cemetery, with mourners, many of them young people, surrounding a casket while a minister prays. An older couple dressed in black is closest to the casket, suggesting that they are the deceased's parents. The grief-stricken father weeps openly as he is comforted by his wife.The story then cuts from the cemetery and to a car swerving erratically on a street, focusing on a young man, 17-year-old Richie Werner (Robby Benson
Robby Benson
Robby Benson is an American film and television actor, television director, educator and singer.-Early life:Benson was born Robin David Segal in Dallas, Texas, the son of Freda Ann , a singer, actress, and business promotions manager, and Jerry Segal, a writer...
), who is doing drugs in the car with his three friends. The driver, Brick, is then pulled over for his erratic driving. The police officer tells Brick he is willing to let him off the hook as a favor...and that he expects favors in return for those he does favors for. Brick agrees.
This is the beginning of a series of episodes that bring Richie into conflict with his father, George (Ben Gazzara
Ben Gazzara
-Early life:Gazzara was born Biagio Anthony Gazzara in New York City, the son of Italian immigrants Angelina and Antonio Gazzara, who was a laborer and carpenter. Gazzara grew up on New York's tough Lower East Side. He actually lived on E. 29th Street and participated in the drama program at...
), a stern man who loves his son, but has trouble expressing his feelings. Eileen Brennan
Eileen Brennan
Eileen Brennan is an American actress of film, television, and theater. Brennan is best known for her role as Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the TV adaption and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy...
plays Richie's loving but weak mother Carol, and Lance Kerwin
Lance Kerwin
Lance Kerwin is an American actor, perhaps best remembered for his starring role in the TV series James at 15. Since the mid-1990s, however, Kerwin has not acted, instead focusing on his Christian religious beliefs, having become a pastor...
plays his younger brother Russell, whom Richie, despite his demons, is very protective of.
Both men make genuine attempts to meet each other halfway, yielding some success, with Richie getting a job (but loses it later after Brick and his thugs show up at Richie's job) and George helping his son get closer to Shiela (Cynthia Eilbacher), a girl from school that Richie likes. However, the relationship between George and Richie worsens as social pressures and personal failings drive Richie deeper into his drug addiction.
The interaction between father and son continues to deteriorate, largely due to Richie's escalating drug abuse and his father's unwillingness to enter family counseling.
The movie's climax comes when George intervenes by informing the police of his son's activities, in a desperate attempt to save his life at all costs. Richie confronts his father in a drug-induced rage (from ingestion of what is referred to as "reds", usually slang for barbiturates
), threatening him with an awl. George retreats to the basement in the family's home, where Richie follows him. George retrieves a revolver from his toolbox and aims it at Richie, but does not fire it, cocking the hammer back in an attempt to convince his son that he is not bluffing. Richie screams repeatedly for his father to shoot him. George manages to overpower Richie by knocking the awl from his hand, but Richie retreats upstairs and returns to the basement with a pair of scissors and taunts his father over and over again, daring him to shoot him, approaching him closer, thinking that George doesn't have the nerve to do it.
With a steady hand, George pulls the trigger. A blinding flash from the gun's barrel then morphs into a bouquet of flowers on a mahogany casket in the same cemetery, surrounded by the same mourners in black. Following Psalm 23
Psalm 23
In the 23rd Psalm in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, the writer describes God as his Shepherd. The text, beloved by Jews and Christians alike, is often alluded to in popular media and has been set to music....
, a brief eulogy is read by Shiela:
The movie ends with a brief written epilogue over a still shot of George placing a rose on Richie's casket, stating that a grand jury voted unanimously not to indict George Werner for the shooting death of his son, and that he lives as a free man.
Additional information
- Though the shooting scene was kept short in order to meet the more restrictive censorship limits of NBC at the time, a brief scream is heard from Richie after the gunshot. This would be edited out in future airings of the movie.
- The alternative title of the movie is "Richie", the title of the book by Thomas Thompson, the movie's base.
- The family's surname is Diener in the book. In the movie, it is Werner.
- George Diener, the real life father, died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 52.
- Carol Diener, Richie's mother, died in 1995.
- Richie's younger brother Russell has had a troubled adulthood. A NY State Dept of Corrections inmate search reveals two recent incarcerations for Russell, both for DWI's. He was paroled in 2004.