Dinky Hocker
Encyclopedia
Dinky Hocker is a American television teen comedy/drama that aired as a ABC Afterschool Special
on December 12, 1979. It was based on the 1972 novel Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack by M.E. Kerr.
teen who turns to food as her source of comfort because of the neglect she gets from all circles, which includes her upper-middle class mother, who is more focused with her charity work at a drug rehabilitation center than paying attention to her daughter (she believes the only to make her feel better is by feeding her more food), thus making Dinky feeling neglected.
Dinky's desperation and attention to be noticed would receive a surprise boost from another overweight teen named Perry John "P. John" Knight, who help her realize that she needs to be herself as she makes a radical makeover in her life. But when her family fails to notice that she wants to change, Dinky takes matters into her own hands, which ultimately proved effective at a charity event that her mother is involved in. The message gets across her family and they finally see the light that Dinky wants to be accepted as the one thing they failed to notice... a daughter who wants to be loved and not fed with food.
ABC Afterschool Special
The ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were...
on December 12, 1979. It was based on the 1972 novel Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack by M.E. Kerr.
Premise
The story revolves around its main protagonist, a overweight 16-year-old Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
teen who turns to food as her source of comfort because of the neglect she gets from all circles, which includes her upper-middle class mother, who is more focused with her charity work at a drug rehabilitation center than paying attention to her daughter (she believes the only to make her feel better is by feeding her more food), thus making Dinky feeling neglected.
Dinky's desperation and attention to be noticed would receive a surprise boost from another overweight teen named Perry John "P. John" Knight, who help her realize that she needs to be herself as she makes a radical makeover in her life. But when her family fails to notice that she wants to change, Dinky takes matters into her own hands, which ultimately proved effective at a charity event that her mother is involved in. The message gets across her family and they finally see the light that Dinky wants to be accepted as the one thing they failed to notice... a daughter who wants to be loved and not fed with food.
Comparisons to the novel
There were radical changes made to the adaptation of the story. The novel focused more on the observations from a male character, Tucker Wolfe, a bookworm who befriends and details the going-ons of the title character and helps her self-esteem while dealing with his own family problems. The character, along with his family (his father and journalist mother and a uncle who had a drinking problem), Dinky's cousin, and Marcus, who was a recovered drug addict (and the only drug-addict related character mentioned in the novel) were notably absent from the program. Also the novel was more comedic and hinted some political views whereas the TV adaptation toned down some of the elements to make it a little more serious, along with the location setting from Brooklyn, New York to Los Angeles.Cast
- Wendie Jo SperberWendie Jo SperberWendie Jo Sperber was an American actress, best known for her performances in the films I Wanna Hold Your Hand , Bachelor Party and Back to the Future as well as the television sitcom Bosom Buddies .-Life:Sperber was born in Hollywood and aimed for a performing-arts career from high school onward...
as Susan "Dinky" Hocker - June LockhartJune LockhartJune Lockhart is an American actress, primarily in 1950s and 1960s television, but with memorable performances on stage and in film too. She is remembered as the mother in two TV series, Lassie and Lost in Space. She also portrayed Dr...
as Helen Hocker - Alan OppenheimerAlan OppenheimerAlan Oppenheimer is an American character actor and voice actor. He has performed numerous roles on live-action television since the 1960s, and has had an active career doing voice work in cartoons since the 1970s.-Early life:...
as John Hocker - Jon WalmsleyJon WalmsleyJon Walmsley in Blackburn, Lancashire, England) is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, actor and producer.Walmsley is a veteran of the stage and studio, having worked with many notable artists including Richard Marx, Brian Setzer, David Pack, David Koz, The Doobie Brothers, Michael McDonald,...
as P. John