Will: G. Gordon Liddy
Encyclopedia
The American
made for television movie Will: G. Gordon Liddy first aired on NBC
in January 1982. The film depicts the rise and fall of Watergate
co-conspirator G. Gordon Liddy
. Liddy was portrayed by two different actors: American actor Robert Conrad played Liddy as an adult and child-actor Danny Lloyd portrayed him in his youth. Other figures associated with the Watergate scandal and portrayed in this film included Jeb Magruder and John Dean. The movie was directed by Robert Lieberman
and was based on Liddy's 1980 autobiography.
. Robert Conrad
is cast as Liddy, who is sentenced to 20 years in prison. The film follows the hero through the four and half years he spent behind bars. While in prison, the film portrays Liddy as capable and able to match up to any man in the prison. The film includes several famous details from Liddy's 1980 autobiography including, the "legendary hand held over the burning flame," and Liddy's oath, "I will kill for you, Mr. President."
, Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy and directed by Robert Lieberman. Courtroom scenes for the movie were shot in Illinois
, at the 1905 DeKalb County Courthouse
. The film was a personal project of lead actor Robert Conrad; his daughter was billed as executive producer.
on NBC on January 10, 1982. Copies of the film are held in the Nixon Presidential Materials collection of the U.S. National Archives.
of The New York Times
. While O'Connor praised Lieberman, screenwriter Frank Abatemarco and Conrad, he questioned the overall purpose of the film. He rebuked Liddy, stating, "What purpose is ultimately served? The basic criterion seems to be that it sells, enabling various companies and individuals, including Mr. Liddy, to make some money" and comparing it with a CBS
television movie about Charles Manson
and the Manson Family murders. Noting that the source for the film was an autobiography, he went on to pan the producers as "ambivalent" toward the film's subject. O'Connor concluded his review by noting the film's attempt to gloss over the darker parts of Liddy's history: "After a while, it gets increasingly difficult to remember that this law-and-order fanatic is not beyond putting himself above the law, that he seems to exist in a world of absurd macho
fantasy (his book refers to 'my best Effrem Zimbalist Jr. (sic) manner' or 'I gave him Broderick Crawford
in Highway Patrol' ), and that his basic social and political instincts are fascistic
."
In the September/October 2004 issue of Washington Free Press Dr. John Ruhland included the film on a list of "Rad Videos" summarized as "Dirty Politics in the United States." He called the film a "campy and terribly acted account of the Watergate break-in." He noted the film's value as a tool for giving a view into the workings of the United States government.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
made for television movie Will: G. Gordon Liddy first aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in January 1982. The film depicts the rise and fall of Watergate
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
co-conspirator G. Gordon Liddy
G. Gordon Liddy
George Gordon Liddy was the chief operative for the White House Plumbers unit that existed from July–September 1971, during Richard Nixon's presidency. Separately, along with E. Howard Hunt, Liddy organized and directed the Watergate burglaries of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in...
. Liddy was portrayed by two different actors: American actor Robert Conrad played Liddy as an adult and child-actor Danny Lloyd portrayed him in his youth. Other figures associated with the Watergate scandal and portrayed in this film included Jeb Magruder and John Dean. The movie was directed by Robert Lieberman
Robert Lieberman
Robert Lieberman is a Canadian director of movies and television series.-Biography:Lieberman was the founder of the legendary west coast commercial production company Harmony Pictures and has directed close to two thousand commercials, many of them winning awards. He has received countless Clio...
and was based on Liddy's 1980 autobiography.
Plot
The film follows the rise and fall of convicted Watergate co-conspirator G. Gordon LiddyG. Gordon Liddy
George Gordon Liddy was the chief operative for the White House Plumbers unit that existed from July–September 1971, during Richard Nixon's presidency. Separately, along with E. Howard Hunt, Liddy organized and directed the Watergate burglaries of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in...
. Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the 1965 CBS television series The Wild Wild West, in which he played the sophisticated Secret Service agent James T. West, and his portrayal of World War II ace Pappy Boyington in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep...
is cast as Liddy, who is sentenced to 20 years in prison. The film follows the hero through the four and half years he spent behind bars. While in prison, the film portrays Liddy as capable and able to match up to any man in the prison. The film includes several famous details from Liddy's 1980 autobiography including, the "legendary hand held over the burning flame," and Liddy's oath, "I will kill for you, Mr. President."
Background/Production
The movie was based on Liddy's 1980 best selling autobiographyAutobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy and directed by Robert Lieberman. Courtroom scenes for the movie were shot in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, at the 1905 DeKalb County Courthouse
DeKalb County Courthouse (Illinois)
The DeKalb County Courthouse is located in the county seat of DeKalb County, Illinois, U.S.A., the city of Sycamore. The Classical Revival structure sits on a square facing Illinois Route 64 as it passes through the city. The current courthouse was constructed in 1905 amid controversy over where...
. The film was a personal project of lead actor Robert Conrad; his daughter was billed as executive producer.
Cast
- John BynerJohn BynerJohn Byner is an American actor, comedian, and impressionist who has had a lengthy television and movie career. His voice work includes the cartoon series The Ant and the Aardvark, in which the title characters are voiced by Byner's impressions of Dean Martin and Jackie Mason,...
as voice of Richard NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
. - Robert ConradRobert ConradRobert Conrad is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the 1965 CBS television series The Wild Wild West, in which he played the sophisticated Secret Service agent James T. West, and his portrayal of World War II ace Pappy Boyington in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep...
as G. Gordon Liddy. - Katherine CannonKatherine CannonKatherine Cannon is an American actress.She is best known for playing Donna Martin's stuck-up, racist, and cheating mother, Felice Martin, on the long-running teen series, Beverly Hills, 90210....
as Fran Liddy. - Gary Bayer as Jeb Magruder.
- Danny LloydDanny LloydDanny Lloyd is an American former child actor.Lloyd's first and best-known role is that of Danny Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall....
as young G. Gordon Liddy. Lloyd's first and only other role was in Stanley KubrickStanley KubrickStanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's The ShiningThe Shining (film)The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
as Danny Torrance. His role as the young G. Gordon Liddy would be his last role. - John MahoneyJohn MahoneyJohn Mahoney is a British born American actor, known for playing Martin "Marty" Crane, the retired police officer, father of Kelsey Grammer's Dr...
- Peter Ratray as John DeanJohn DeanJohn Wesley Dean III is an American lawyer who served as White House Counsel to United States President Richard Nixon from July 1970 until April 1973. In this position, he became deeply involved in events leading up to the Watergate burglaries and the subsequent Watergate scandal cover-up...
. - James RebhornJames RebhornJames Robert Rebhorn is an American character actor who has appeared in over 100 television shows, feature films and plays.-Personal life:...
as Peter Maroulis. - Red WestRed WestRed West is an American actor, film stuntman and songwriter.West was born Robert Gene West in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Lois and Newton Thomas West. He was a close high school friend of rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. An excellent athlete and former U.S...
as Kaworski. West was a frequent actor in Conrad's films, in Will he played a tough prison guard. - Maurice Woods as Copperhead.
Distribution
The made-for-television film debuted in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on NBC on January 10, 1982. Copies of the film are held in the Nixon Presidential Materials collection of the U.S. National Archives.
Reception
Will was the subject of a review by John O'ConnorJohn J. O'Connor (journalist)
John J. O'Connor was an American journalist and critic.One of four sons born to Irish immigrant parents, he earned his bachelor's degree from City College of New York and his master's degree from Yale University....
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. While O'Connor praised Lieberman, screenwriter Frank Abatemarco and Conrad, he questioned the overall purpose of the film. He rebuked Liddy, stating, "What purpose is ultimately served? The basic criterion seems to be that it sells, enabling various companies and individuals, including Mr. Liddy, to make some money" and comparing it with a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television movie about Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
and the Manson Family murders. Noting that the source for the film was an autobiography, he went on to pan the producers as "ambivalent" toward the film's subject. O'Connor concluded his review by noting the film's attempt to gloss over the darker parts of Liddy's history: "After a while, it gets increasingly difficult to remember that this law-and-order fanatic is not beyond putting himself above the law, that he seems to exist in a world of absurd macho
Machismo
Machismo, or machoism, is a word of Spanish and Portuguese origin that describes prominently exhibited or excessive masculinity. As an attitude, machismo ranges from a personal sense of virility to a more extreme male chauvinism...
fantasy (his book refers to 'my best Effrem Zimbalist Jr. (sic) manner' or 'I gave him Broderick Crawford
Broderick Crawford
Broderick Crawford was an Academy Award-winning American stage, film, radio and TV actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his starring role in the television series "Highway Patrol."-Early life:...
in Highway Patrol
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
."
In the September/October 2004 issue of Washington Free Press Dr. John Ruhland included the film on a list of "Rad Videos" summarized as "Dirty Politics in the United States." He called the film a "campy and terribly acted account of the Watergate break-in." He noted the film's value as a tool for giving a view into the workings of the United States government.