A man who has been confined from early childhood to a dubiously run home for the mentally challenged is transferred to a state mental hospital when the home is shut down. Staff discover that, despite outward appearances, the man was wrongly confined and is of average intelligence.
Acting
Forrest's physicality — childlike mannerisms masking sharp intelligence.
Direction
Graham's clinical restraint lets horror breathe in empty hallways.
Writing
Dialogue that exposes how institutions protect themselves over patients.
Director
William A. Graham
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made for TV in 1974, it preceded the deinstitutionalization movement — airing while thousands remained wrongly confined.
Tyne Daly's performance caught attention; this TV role predated her Cagney & Lacey stardom by nearly a decade.
US
