Two Mothers for Zachary
Encyclopedia
Two Mothers for Zachary is a 1996 ABC
television film. It was directed by Peter Werner
and stars Valerie Bertinelli
and Vanessa Redgrave
. It is a true story adaptation of the Bottoms v. Bottoms
family custody battle brought by a mother who disapproves of her daughter's lesbianism and the impact on her grandchild. It premiered on 22 September 1996. It was awarded a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Made for TV Movie.
court grants custody of the boy to Jody Ann and now she is desperate to keep hold of her son.
Bertinelli had previously learnt of the Bottoms case years earlier when she appeared on the same edition of Larry King Live
with Sharon Bottoms. Bottoms was appearing with her lawyer and argued her case against a Christian
leader. Instead of concentrating on what she was intenting to promote, Bertinelli became engaged in the previous debate and criticized the views of the religious representative.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television film. It was directed by Peter Werner
Peter Werner
Peter Werner is an American television and film director.In 1977, Werner won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for directing the short film In the Region of Ice.Since then he worked on primarily directing television amassing a number of television film credits namely Mama Flora's...
and stars Valerie Bertinelli
Valerie Bertinelli
Valerie Anne Bertinelli is an American actress, best known for her roles as Barbara Cooper Royer on the television series One Day at a Time , Gloria on the television series Touched by an Angel and Melanie Moretti on the sitcom Hot in Cleveland .- Early years :Bertinelli was born in Wilmington,...
and Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
. It is a true story adaptation of the Bottoms v. Bottoms
Bottoms v. Bottoms
Bottoms v. Bottoms was a landmark child custody case in Virginia that awarded custody of the child to the grandmother instead of the mother, primarily because the mother was a lesbian. In April 1993, Kay Bottoms sued her daughter, Sharon Bottoms, for custody of Sharon Bottoms' son, Tyler Doustou...
family custody battle brought by a mother who disapproves of her daughter's lesbianism and the impact on her grandchild. It premiered on 22 September 1996. It was awarded a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Made for TV Movie.
Plot
Nancy (Redgrave) disapproves of her daughter, Jody Ann's (Bertinelli) lesbianism and resolves to seek custody of her grandson, Zachary. However, A VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
court grants custody of the boy to Jody Ann and now she is desperate to keep hold of her son.
Production
Although the film is based on Sharon Bottoms' real-life custody battle, characters were renamed for the adaptation. Bertinelli explained, "I'm so much older than Sharon Bottoms is. But once we changed her name to Jody Ann Shaffell, it became much easier to see myself playing this role. I didn't have to play Sharon Bottoms but my interpretation of what would happen to a woman in that situation.Bertinelli had previously learnt of the Bottoms case years earlier when she appeared on the same edition of Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
with Sharon Bottoms. Bottoms was appearing with her lawyer and argued her case against a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
leader. Instead of concentrating on what she was intenting to promote, Bertinelli became engaged in the previous debate and criticized the views of the religious representative.
Cast
- Valerie BertinelliValerie BertinelliValerie Anne Bertinelli is an American actress, best known for her roles as Barbara Cooper Royer on the television series One Day at a Time , Gloria on the television series Touched by an Angel and Melanie Moretti on the sitcom Hot in Cleveland .- Early years :Bertinelli was born in Wilmington,...
as Jody Ann Shaffell - Vanessa RedgraveVanessa RedgraveVanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
as Nancy Shaffell - Colleen Flynn as Maggie Fergus
- Brian McGuireBrian McGuire (actor)Brian McGuire is an American actor/writer/musician/DJ/producer, most notable for the indie comedy/romance directed by Alex Holdridge, In Search of a Midnight Kiss, a black-and-white movie that mixes the sensibilities of films like Clerks, Swingers, and Before Sunset. McGuire worked as a painter and...
as Dwayne - Kim DickensKim DickensKimberly Jan "Kim" Dickens is an American actress and model.-Early life:Dickens was born in Huntsville, Alabama, graduated from that city's Lee High School, and attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she majored in communication...
as Nancy - Marco PerellaMarco PerellaMarco Perella is a Texan character actor and author, who has played a variety of bit part characters in films shot in Texas over the last twenty years, as well as a recurring role in Walker, Texas Ranger, playing Cobalt.-Career:...
as Reporter 2 - James GammonJames GammonJames Richard Gammon was an American actor, known for playing grizzled "good ol' boy" types in numerous films and television series.-Early life:...
as Chalmer - Adam Rehmann as Zachary