Decoration Day is a 1990 film based on a novel by John William Corrington

John William Corrington

John William Corrington was an American movie and television writer, novelist, poet and lawyer. He received a B.A. degree from Centenary College, in 1956 and his M.A. from Rice University in 1960, the year he took on his first teaching position in the English Department at Louisiana State University...

 of the same title. The award-winning made-for-TV movie was directed by Robert Markowitz and filmed on location in Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

.

Plot

James Garner

James Garner

James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...

 plays a retired judge and recluse who comes out of "hiding" to investigate when his childhood friend (Bill Cobbs

Bill Cobbs

Wilbert "Bill" Cobbs is an American film and television actor. He has starred in over 120 television programs and movies.-Life and career:...

) refuses to accept a Congressional Medal of Honor awarded decades ago in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. His reason is kept in confidence and Garner's character files a motion to deny the ceremony. Meanwhile, the personal lives of the other characters have issues of their own to work out. In the end of things Cobbs' character is told of something he didn't know about and the two romantic side stories resolve in a positive fashion.

Cast

• James Garner
  James Garner
  James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
  
  ...Albert Sidney Finch
• Judith Ivey
  Judith Ivey
  Judith Lee Ivey is an American actress and director.-Personal life:Ivey was born in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of Dorothy Lee , a teacher, and Nathan Aldean Ivey, a college instructor and dean. She spent 1965-1968 in Dowagiac, Michigan, where she attended Union High School through tenth grade...
  
  ...Terry Novis
• Ruby Dee
  Ruby Dee
  Ruby Dee is an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist, perhaps best known for co-starring in the film A Raisin in the Sun and the film American Gangster for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.-Early years:Dee was born Ruby...
  
  ...Rowena, Finch's Housekeeper
• Bill Cobbs
  Bill Cobbs
  Wilbert "Bill" Cobbs is an American film and television actor. He has starred in over 120 television programs and movies.-Life and career:...
  
  ...Gee Pennywell
• Laurence Fishburne
  Laurence Fishburne
  Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
  
  ...Michael Waring, DOD Man
• Jo Anderson
  Jo Anderson
  Jo Anderson is an American actress.-Life and career:Anderson has had guest-starring appearances in many television shows, has appeared in a few movies, as well as many TV-movies. She has also starred in some television series. Recently she has guest-starred in some TV series including ER, C.S.I...
  
  ...Loreen Wendell
• Norm Skaggs...Billy Wendell

Critical reception

Entertainment Weekly movie reviewer Ken Tucker, gave the film an A-. In his review, he says the movie "starts out like the [...] a video greeting card designed to warm your heart. But very quickly it becomes something better than that." He goes on to say "To be sure, there's a lot that's sentimental about this story," and calls the film "entertaining."

The DVD Verdict website also praised the film, saying "Decoration Day offers a solid evening of family entertainment, handling serious subject matter with care and presenting a wonderful cast we'd like to wrap in a great big group hug by the end of the film's 99 minutes." They also declared "...if you haven't brushed aside a tear or three by the closing credits, you probably can't see your reflection in a mirror, either." They summed up, "Gather the relations, grab a box of Kleenex, and enjoy."

Awards

Awards

• 1991 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series or Special – Ruby Dee
• 1991 Golden Globe Award for Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV
• 1991 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV – James Garner

Nominations

• 1991 Emmy Award for Directing in a Miniseries or a Special – Robert Markowitz
• 1991 Emmy Award for Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special – James Garner
• 1991 Emmy Award for Writing in a Miniseries or a Special – Robert W. Lenski

External links