Promises in the Dark

Promises in the Dark (1979)

A remarkable film about the most disturbing subject of all.

A young doctor, Alexandra Kendall, seeking change while recovering from a recent heartbreak, moves from Chicago, Illinois to Hartford, Connecticut. She joins the West Hartford medical practice of Dr. Walter McInterny, a doctor approaching retirement age. 17-year-old Elizabeth "Buffy" Koenig is a precocious student at West Hartford's William Hall High School. Her boyfriend Gerry is a football player at Hall High. While Dr. McInterny is away on vacation, longtime patient Buffy hurts her leg while harmlessly kicking a soccer ball during Gerry's nearby football practice. At the hospital, Dr. Kendall finds that not only is the leg broken, but the bone was also weakened by cancer. Dr. Kendall treats Buffy and the two develop a bond that extends beyond the doctor-patient relationship; Dr. Kendall is drawn to Buffy's humor and raw honesty.

Date of release
1979-11-02
TMDB
5.9 / 10 (11)
Runtime
1h 58m
Genres
Drama
Director
Jerome Hellman

Casting

Interesting facts

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.

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.

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

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