A Place to Be Loved

A Place to Be Loved
UK DVD cover with alternative title
Genre	Biography Drama Family
Written by	Blair Ferguson
Directed by	Sandy Smolan
Starring	Richard Crenna Rhea Perlman Linda Kelsey Cotter Smith Joycelyn O'Brien Tom Guiry
Music by	W. G. Snuffy Walden
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	Beth Polson
Producer	Randy T. Siegel
Cinematography	Neil Roach
Editor	Jim Oliver
Running time	95 minutes
Production companies	Corapeake Productions Procter & Gamble Productions The Polson Company World International Network
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	April 4, 1993 (1993-04-04)

A Place to Be Loved is a 1993 American biographical drama television film directed by Sandy Smolan, written by Blair Ferguson, and starring Richard Crenna and Rhea Perlman. It was released in the United Kingdom under the title Shattered Family. The film is based on the story of Gregory Kingsley, who was the first American child to legally sever ties with a parent at the age of twelve. It was broadcast on CBS on April 4, 1993.

Plot summary

Gregory Kingsley is a boy who is abused by his father and placed with social services by his mother. The foster family he is put into proves to be the type of nurturing environment he needs. He ends up taking his mother to court to have her parental rights revoked, in the hopes of being adopted by his foster family.

Cast

• Richard Crenna as George Russ
• Rhea Perlman as Jerri Blair
• Linda Kelsey as Liz Russ
• Cotter Smith as Mike Caldwell
• Cyril O'Reilly as Ralph Kingsley
• Jocelyn O'Brien as Rachel Kingsley
• Sam Anderson as Judge Thomas S. Kirk
• Amy Aquino as Debby Hunter
• Tom Guiry as Gregory Kingsley
• David Lipper as Robert Russ
• Michelle Collins as Julie

Critical reception

Todd Everett of Variety praised the performances of Crenna, Perlman, Kelsey, and Guiry. He said the "strongest feature of Blair Ferguson's script may be its clarification of complicated and precedent-setting legal issue", while its "weakest point is its black-and-white contrast of the Kingsley and Russ parents; we can almost see halos above the heads of George and Liz (Kelsey), as Ralph and (especially) Rachel Kingsley twirl their mustache".

External links

• A Place to Be Loved at IMDb