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Movie Description:
The 1973 movie Sunshine is the powerful story is about a courageous young woman (Kate, played by Cristina Raines) with terminal cancer that leaves a tape-recorded diary for her young daughter Jill. Kate hopes that hearing her mother's thoughts and voice will help to guide Jill on her way while growing up and have a feeling of knowing her mom on some level. Knowing and remembering in some way that she had a mother that loved her very much. Kate knows that she can trust Sam (played by Cliff DeYoung) to care for, love and raise Jill as if she is his own ... because now he is in every way that matters, and in truth always has been.
The author Norma Klein wrote the book based on this true story of the life and struggles of Jacquelyn Helton, the book was titled called "Sunshine". The movie Sunshine is based on that true story, screenplay written by American screenwriter Carol Sobieski and inspired from the journals of Jacquelyn Marie Helton. The names have been changed for the film, the character of Jacquelyn Marie is Kate (Cristina Rains), her daughter is Jill (Sidney Greenbush), and her husband is Sam (Cliff DeYoung.
Kate is a woman that is young, strong but naïve and so full of life and love. She loves the outdoors, the mountains and doing things her own way. Now she is trying to fill her life and all those around her with sunshine, for as long as she can.
It would be easy to dismiss it as another of the dying girlfriend/wife movies that tried to jump on the Love Story bandwagon in the early-mid 70s but you'd be wrong to do that. This movie in many ways is an anti-Love Story, avoiding the sugar coating and gloss (no beautiful deathbed scene here) for something altogether messier and more down to Earth. Its characters don't behave the way you expect them to today, often making stupid or selfish decisions, running away figuratively and literally and constantly arguing In other words, behaving like regular human beings rather than idealized romantic movie stock characters. It gives the film a sense of honesty and integrity that rises above the stereotypical weepy. If all that sounds off-putting, it's the honesty with which the film deals with their very human fallibilities and troubled relationship that actually makes the film work so well. As infuriating as their responses can sometimes be, it's because neither knows how to deal with the enormity of the situation. Ultimately, the one true anchor she finds is dictating a book about her life and thoughts into a borrowed tape recorder so that her infant daughter will at least know who she was when she's old enough to start asking questions. While the tapes give her a sense of purpose, the real life events the film was inspired by mean that even that doesn't work out the way you expect. Indeed, little in the film works out the way you expect, because it's about the way that lives that were already messy can be derailed even further by disease until you have to make the most of the increasingly few calms between storms. Raines' character is constantly trying to grasp at what's still beautiful in her life, but the film never gives into mawkish sentiment in the face of reality, which makes it more emotionally relatable rather than less. When released, and for years to follow, 1973's Sunshine pulled in the highest ratings ever for a TV movie in the USA and also had very high ratings abroad.
The movie is filled with the beautiful songs of John Denver, hence the name "Sunshine" from the song 'Sunshine On My Shoulders'. This movie aired in 1973, it has romance, tears, humor and is a movie that will touch your heart again or perhaps for the first time. An extremely popular TV Movie that has won the hearts of so many around the world. Other John Denver songs include, 'My Sweet Lady', 'Goodbye Again', 'Poems, Prayers and Promises', 'Take Me Home (Country Roads)', 'Day Dreams' and more...
A sample of John Denver music from the Movie Soundtrack
Played and sung by Cliff DeYoung, Bill Mumy and Corey Fischer
(Sam and the band sing to Kate)
Starring:
Cristina Raines ... Kate Hayden Cliff DeYoung ... Sam Hayden Meg Foster ... Nora Brenda Vaccaro ... Dr. Carol Gillman Bill Mumy ... Weaver Alan Fudge ... David Lindsay Greenbush ... Jill Hayden |
Sidney Greenbush ... Jill Hayden at 2 1/2 Yrs Sarah Valentini ... Jill at 6 months Corey Fischer ... Cory Givitz Adrian Ricard ... Nurse James Hong ... Dr. Wilde Noble Willingham ... Bartender Bill Stout ... Interviewer |
Author of the Book "Sunshine" ... Norma Klein Screenplay by Carol Sobieski From the Journals of Jacquelyn Marie "Lyn" Boyle Helton (1951-1971) |
Year Released: 1973 - Running Time: 124 min - Language: English
Genre: Biography | Romance | Drama | Humor
Video & Audio: 8-9 out of 10
***These are actual photo's of Jacquelyn Helton & Jaquelyn with child.
Click here to see details about The Sequel, '1977 Sunshine Christmas'
The 1973 movie Sunshine is only $9.99 on DVD
The 1973 Sunshine & 1977 Sunshine Christmas 2 DVD Set is just $14.99!