Promises in the Dark (film)

Promises in the Dark
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jerome Hellman
Written by	Loring Mandel
Produced by	Jerome Hellman
Starring	Marsha Mason Ned Beatty Susan Clark Michael Brandon Kathleen Beller
Cinematography	Adam Holender
Edited by	Bob Wyman
Music by	Leonard Rosenman
Production company	Jerome Hellman Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Orion Pictures
Release date	November 2, 1979 (1979-11-02)
Running time	118 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$5 million

Promises in the Dark is a 1979 American drama film produced and directed by Jerome Hellman and written by Loring Mandel. The film stars Marsha Mason, Ned Beatty, Susan Clark, Michael Brandon, Kathleen Beller and Paul Clemens. It was released by Warner Bros. and Orion Pictures on November 2, 1979.

For their performances, Marsha Mason earned a nomination for Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama and Kathleen Beller received a nomination for Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama, Comedy or Musicals at the 37th Golden Globe Awards. Mason was also nominated that same year for the Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical Golden Globe award for her work in Chapter Two.

Plot

Numbed by career demands and a recent divorce, Dr. Alexandra Kendall hides behind a hard shell of professional detachment. Then she treats Buffy Koenig, a dying 17-year-old cancer patient who reawakens Kendall to life's possibilities. Eventually, Buffy's deteriorating condition forces Dr. Kendall to weigh the consequences of keeping a promise that she had made.

Cast

Actor	Role
Marsha Mason	Dr. Alexandra Kendall
Ned Beatty	Bud Koenig
Susan Clark	Fran Koenig
Michael Brandon	Dr. Jim Sandman
Kathleen Beller	Elizabeth (Buffy) Koenig
Paul Clemens	Gerry Hulin
Donald Moffat	Dr. Walter McInerny
Philip Sterling	Dr. Frucht
Bonnie Bartlett	Nurse Farber
James Noble	Dr. Blankenship
Arthur Rosenberg	Emergency Room Doctor
Peggy McCay	Miss Pritikin
Robert Doran	Alan
Lenora May	Sue
Alexandra Johnson	Ellie
Fran Bennett	Emergency Room Nurse
Eloise Hardt	Woman in Restaurant
Bernie Kuby	Tony in Bud's Office
Karen Anders	Secretary in Bud's Office
Edith Fields	Mrs. Gans
Alice Beardsley	Mrs. Keyes

Production

Writer Loring Mandel conceived the story for Promises in the Dark while he was employed as head writer for the daytime drama Love of Life. When the soap's executive producer Darryl Hickman rejected the idea, Mandel quit the show and developed the plot into a feature screenplay.

The project was initially in development at United Artists, with Elizabeth Ashley cast in the starring role, John Schlesinger set to direct and Arnold Schulman and Jerome Hellman producing. However, with the exception of Hellman, no one remained with the project, which was inactive for many years. Arthur Krim, chairman of the newly formed Orion Pictures, selected the script as one of the company’s first projects on the strength of Hellman’s previous productions, such as Midnight Cowboy and Coming Home. In addition to serving as producer, Hellman directed the film.

Promises in the Dark was filmed partly on location at Manchester Memorial Hospital in Manchester, CT.

External links

• Promises in the Dark at IMDb
• Promises in the Dark at the TCM Movie Database
• Promises in the Dark at AllMovie
• Promises in the Dark at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films