When filming a scene in which Brian (Sean Astin) is being abused by his mother (Patty Duke), Astin found it very hard to cry, instead he would laugh hysterically as it reminded him of situations their family had been in. This was until his mother (Patty Duke is Sean's mother) took him aside and told him, "Look, I took a chance on you. What do you think you're doing? This is my career, this is my life... These people are counting on me. They're counting on you." Astin promptly burst into tears and Duke signaled for the cameras to keep rolling so that they could complete the scene.
Sean Astin's first movie.
Originally produced as an After School Special, ABC chose to instead debut this film in prime time as part of its 'ABC Theater for Young Americans' special.
