When the Bough Breaks (1986 film)

When the Bough Breaks is a 1986 television film directed by Waris Hussein and starring Ted Danson. The screenplay by Phil Penningroth was adapted from Jonathan Kellerman's 1985 novel of the same name. Danson, who also co-produced, plays the crime-solving forensic psychologist Alex Delaware, a character who appears in a series of novels by Kellerman.

When the Bough Breaks
Genre	Thriller
Based on	When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman
Written by	Phil Penningroth
Directed by	Waris Hussein
Starring	Ted Danson Richard Masur Rachel Ticotin
Music by	Paul Chihara
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Executive producer(s)	Ted Danson Dan Fauci
Producer(s)	Rick Husky Kenneth R. Koch (co-producer)
Cinematography	James Crabe
Editor(s)	Michael Jablow
Running time	100 min.
Production company(s)	TDF Productions Taft Entertainment Television
Distributor	NBC
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	October 12, 1986 (1986-10-12TU.S.)

Plot

Alex Delaware, a Los Angeles psychiatrist, testifies for the prosecution in the trial of an accused child molester. Later the defendant, who is out on bail, is found dead in the psychiatrist's office, in what appears to be a suicide. Shaken, the psychiatrist moves to the mountains outside of L.A. Not long afterwards a detective he knows, Milo Sturgis, comes to him for help. A seven-year-old girl saw someone kill both of her parents, but is so traumatized by the event that she can't remember anything, and Sturgis wants the doctor to help: Alex agrees, and the two go on the trail of the real perpetrators.

Cast

• Ted Danson as Alex Delaware
• Richard Masur as Milo
• Rachel Ticotin as Raquel Santos
• James Noble as Dr. Warren Towle
• Kim Miyori as Kim Hickle
• Merritt Butrick as Tim Kruger
• David Huddleston as Vicar McCaffey
• Charles Lane as Van der Graaf
• Scott Paulin as Rick
• Deborah Harmon as Lisa

Reception

A 1986 New York Times review said that, after a "properly taut start", "the solution to the mystery becomes apparent early on and that leaves the movie...tumbling rapidly into ever more unbelievable situations".[1] Jeff Jarvis of People magazine called When the Bough Breaks "a nice, tight, tense little murder mystery" with "some neatly shocking scenes".[2]

References

1. O'Connor, John J. (October 10, 1986). "TV Weekend; 2 Films, 'Bough Breaks' and 'Circle of Violence'". The New York Times. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
2. Jarvis, Jeff (October 13, 1986). "Picks and Pans Review: When the Bough Breaks". People. Retrieved April 9, 2012.

External links

• When the Bough Breaks on IMDb