Case Closed (1988) TV Movie

Dismissed as "annoyingly awful" by the critic at TV Guide, Case Closed has its moments of value now and again. Co-writer and co-producer Byron Allen stars as a hip black cop, assigned to solve a puzzling series of murders. Straight-laced white cop Charles Durning is dragged out of retirement to lend Allen a hand. The mismatched pair doesn't get along at first, but we'll bet the ranch that they're palsy-walsy before fade-out time. Filmed on location in Atlanta, this spotty "action comedy" was first telecast on April 19, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Case Closed (1988) TV Movie
Cast: Marc Alaimo, Byron Allen, Donna Biscoe, Jimmy Briscoe, Saundra Dunson-Franks, Charles Durning, Ric Reitz

Kids Like These (1987) TV Movie

"Kids Like These" was cowritten by Emily Perl Kingsley, the mother of a Down's Syndrome child. Basing the script for this TV movie on her own experiences, Ms. Kingsley relates the story of Tyne Daly and Richard Crenna, the parents of a Down's baby. Refusing to accept the doctor's grim prognosis and suggestion that the child be institutionalized, Daly devotes herself to training her baby to surmount his handicaps. By the time the boy enters school, he is functioning at a higher level than anticipated, inspiring Daly to begin working with other parents of handicapped children. But her tireless activities on behalf of strangers takes a toll on her own family--and also blinds her to the still-existing limitations facing her son. Directed by Tyne Daly's then-husband Georg Stanford Brown, "Kids Like These" utilizes five Down's children to portray the son at various ages; the cast also includes real-life therapist Dr. Margaret Gianini. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Kids Like These (1987) TV Movie

Cast: Donna Biscoe, Martin Balsam, Richard Crenna, Tyne Daly