Before Streaming, These Women Ruled Prime Time
Long before streaming made thousands of movies available on demand, television networks regularly turned prime-time evenings into movie events. Made-for-TV films attracted major stars and gave actresses opportunities to tackle dramatic roles that could be very different from their weekly series or theatrical work. Throughout the 1970s, a remarkable group of women became especially familiar faces in these productions, sometimes seeming to turn up whenever viewers switched channels.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Elizabeth Montgomery Became Much More Than Samantha
Elizabeth Montgomery entered the 1970s still famous as Samantha Stephens on Bewitched, but she soon established a striking second act as a dramatic television actress. After Bewitched ended in 1972, she took on considerably more serious material, including a challenging 1974 NBC drama about a woman navigating a traumatic experience and the legal system. The performance earned Montgomery an Emmy nomination and helped audiences see her far differently from the cheerful witch who had made her famous.
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Montgomery Became The Infamous Lizzie Borden
Montgomery transformed herself again for ABC's 1975 movie The Legend of Lizzie Borden. She portrayed the Massachusetts woman at the center of one of America's most famous 19th-century court cases. Montgomery's performance brought her another Emmy nomination, reinforcing her reputation as one of television's most dependable dramatic leads.
Paramount Television, Wikimedia Commons
Patty Duke Was Made For Television Drama
Patty Duke had already conquered Broadway, movies, and sitcom television by the time TV movies became an important part of her career. She starred opposite Al Freeman Jr. in the 1970 television drama My Sweet Charlie, playing a young runaway who forms an unlikely friendship with a lawyer facing serious difficulties of his own. Duke's performance earned her the first Emmy Award of her career.
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Duke Returned To The Story That Made Her Famous
One of Duke's most interesting television roles arrived at the end of the decade with 1979's The Miracle Worker. As a child, Duke had famously portrayed Helen Keller on stage and in the 1962 film adaptation. This time she switched roles and played teacher Anne Sullivan opposite Melissa Gilbert's Helen Keller, earning another Emmy nomination in the process.
Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
Cicely Tyson Made Miss Jane Pittman Unforgettable
Cicely Tyson delivered one of the decade's landmark television performances in CBS's 1974 production The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Tyson portrayed the fictional Jane across an extraordinary span of her life, allowing the story to explore generations of American history and enormous social change. Tyson's performance earned her two Primetime Emmys that year.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
Tyson Became A Prestige Television Essential
Miss Jane Pittman was hardly Tyson's only important television work of the era. She appeared in the enormously successful 1977 miniseries Roots as Binta, the mother of Kunta Kinte, and later portrayed Coretta Scott King in the 1978 miniseries King. Tyson's television roles repeatedly placed her at the center of ambitious productions dealing with important chapters of American history.
Sally Field Shattered Her Sitcom Image
Sally Field had a particularly difficult television image to escape because viewers knew her from lighthearted shows such as Gidget and The Flying Nun. NBC's 1976 production Sybil gave her the dramatic showcase she had been seeking. Playing a deeply troubled young woman completely altered perceptions of what Field could do as an actress.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Sybil Helped Turn Field Into A Movie Star
Field's performance in Sybil earned her the 1977 Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a limited series. The production received six Emmy nominations and won four awards overall. Field's career soon accelerated on the big screen, culminating in her Academy Award-winning performance in 1979's Norma Rae.
Lorimar Productions/NBC, Wikimedia Commons
Susan Clark Became Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Susan Clark took on one of America's most remarkable athletes in the 1975 television movie Babe. She portrayed Babe Didrikson Zaharias, who achieved extraordinary success in track and field before becoming one of women's golf's greatest players. Clark's performance earned her the 1976 Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a limited series.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
Then Clark Became Amelia Earhart
Clark quickly followed one famous historical woman with another. In NBC's 1976 television movie Amelia Earhart, she played the pioneering aviator opposite John Forsythe as publisher George P. Putnam. The performance brought Clark another Emmy nomination, giving her consecutive years of major recognition for portraying real-life trailblazers.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Jane Alexander Became Eleanor Roosevelt
Jane Alexander brought her formidable stage and film credentials to television when she portrayed Eleanor Roosevelt in ABC's Eleanor and Franklin. The ambitious 1976 production dramatized the lives and relationship of Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt before his presidency. Alexander's performance earned her an Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actress in a limited series.
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Alexander Returned To The White House
The Roosevelt story continued with 1977's Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years. Alexander returned as Eleanor, while Edward Herrmann again played Franklin D. Roosevelt. Alexander received another Emmy nomination, while the production shared the outstanding special or drama prize with Sybil.
Diane Rooney at https://www.flickr.com/photos/dianesf/, Wikimedia Commons
Joanne Woodward Brought Hollywood Prestige Home
Academy Award winner Joanne Woodward was exactly the kind of established film actress who gave television productions instant credibility. She played psychiatrist Cornelia Wilbur opposite Sally Field in Sybil, earning an Emmy nomination for the performance. Woodward then won the 1978 lead actress Emmy for the CBS television movie See How She Runs.
Cloris Leachman Could Play Almost Anyone
Cloris Leachman seemed equally comfortable in outrageous comedy and serious drama, which made television movies an ideal showcase for her range. She starred in the 1973 ABC television movie A Brand New Life, about a middle-aged couple unexpectedly learning that their family was about to grow again. Leachman's performance won the Emmy for outstanding single performance by an actress in a leading role.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
Leachman Kept The Dramatic Roles Coming
Leachman followed that victory with another notable television performance in The Migrants. The 1974 CBS drama, adapted from a Tennessee Williams story, focused on a struggling farming family facing difficult circumstances. Leachman's performance earned another Emmy nomination, adding serious television drama to an already remarkably varied decade for her.
Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
Susan Blakely Became A Miniseries Sensation
Susan Blakely became one of the breakout faces of the miniseries boom through ABC's Rich Man, Poor Man. The sprawling 1976 adaptation of Irwin Shaw's novel followed the dramatically different lives of the Jordache brothers, with Blakely playing Julie Prescott. Her work brought her an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe victory.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Lee Remick Found Rich Roles On Television
Lee Remick already had an acclaimed film career when television began providing another source of substantial dramatic roles. She portrayed Jennie Jerome Churchill, Winston Churchill's American-born mother, in the 1974 British television series Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill, which later aired in the United States. Her performance brought her a Primetime Emmy nomination in 1976.
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Hope Lange Became Part Of A Groundbreaking Drama
Hope Lange appeared in one of the era's most notable television movies, ABC's 1972 drama That Certain Summer. Lange played the former wife of a divorced father portrayed by Hal Holbrook, with the story exploring complicated family relationships and changing social attitudes. Lange's performance earned an Emmy nomination the following year.
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Diana Hyland Made Her Supporting Role Count
Diana Hyland appeared opposite John Travolta in ABC's 1976 television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. Travolta played a young man whose health condition requires him to live in a carefully protected environment, while Hyland portrayed his mother. Hyland's performance earned the 1977 Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy or drama special.
Screenshot from The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, ABC (1976)
Katharine Hepburn Came To Prime Time
Even one of Hollywood's most celebrated actresses could be found starring in a major television production during the decade. Katharine Hepburn played Amanda Wingfield in a 1973 adaptation of Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie. Her performance earned an Emmy nomination, demonstrating just how prestigious television specials had become.
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Carol Burnett Proved She Was More Than Comedy
Carol Burnett was one of television's biggest comedy stars, but TV movies allowed viewers to see another side of her. She starred with Alan Alda in the 1974 television adaptation of 6 Rms Riv Vu, a comedy about two married strangers who find themselves unexpectedly spending time together in an empty Manhattan apartment. Burnett's performance earned an Emmy nomination, putting her in competition with actresses including Elizabeth Montgomery and Katharine Hepburn.
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Eva Marie Saint Became A Familiar Prestige Player
Oscar winner Eva Marie Saint also found substantial work in television movies and miniseries. She received a 1977 Emmy nomination for her performance in How the West Was Won, competing in an exceptionally crowded lead actress field. Her move between movies and television reflected how prestigious small-screen productions had become.
MGM Television, Wikimedia Commons
Jane Seymour Broke Through On American Television
Before becoming a major American television star in the following decades, Jane Seymour was already attracting attention in 1970s event programming. She portrayed Marjorie Chisholm in the sprawling 1976 miniseries Captains and the Kings. The performance brought Seymour a 1977 Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actress in a limited series.
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Rosemary Harris Brought Stage Royalty To Television
Rosemary Harris had long been acclaimed for her stage work when she took the title role in Notorious Woman. The 1974 BBC miniseries dramatized the life of French writer George Sand and later reached American audiences through PBS. Harris received a 1976 Primetime Emmy nomination for her performance.
Press photo, Wikimedia Commons
Sada Thompson Was Another Awards Favorite
Sada Thompson became best known later in the decade as the mother on Family, but her dramatic television work extended well beyond a weekly series. She received a 1976 Emmy nomination for The Entertainer, appearing in the same lead-actress field as Susan Clark, Jane Alexander, Susan Blakely, Lee Remick, Rosemary Harris, and Colleen Dewhurst. The lineup illustrates the extraordinary depth of female acting talent moving through television productions at the time.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Colleen Dewhurst Thrived In Serious Television Drama
Colleen Dewhurst brought her formidable theatrical reputation to television throughout her career. Her work in the 1975 production The Queen of the Stardust Ballroom earned her an Emmy nomination the following year. The film paired her with Charles Durning in a bittersweet story about a lonely widow who finds companionship through ballroom dancing.
These Queens Made Television Movies Matter
What stands out today is not simply how many television movies these actresses made, but how seriously the best projects were treated. Cicely Tyson, Elizabeth Montgomery, Patty Duke, Sally Field, Susan Clark, Jane Alexander, Joanne Woodward, and their contemporaries used the format for some of the most demanding performances of their careers. Before streaming gave viewers unlimited choices, seeing one of these familiar stars at the top of a network movie could be reason enough to stay home and watch.
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