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Television

April Smith has worked as a professional in the television business as a writer and producer on numerous episodic series, miniseries and movies of the week.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK SUMMARIES 

BLACK AND BLUE 
CBS, November 17, 1999
Based on the novel by Anna Quindlen

Written by April Smith
Cast: Mary Stuart Masterson, Anthony LaPaglia, Will Rotthaar, Sam Robards, Beau Starr, Sabrina Grdevich, Elizabeth Brown, Allegra Fulton, Victoria Snow
Directed by Paul Shapiro
Executive Producers Gerald W. Abrams, Jennifer Alward
Co-executive producer, Anna Quindlen
Filmed by Evolve Entertainment

     Anna Quindlen's best-selling novel (an Oprah Book Club selection) tells the story of Frannie Benedetto, a nurse (Mary Stuart Masterson), who is married to Bobby Benedetto, a New York City detective (Anthony La Paglia). For most of their twenty-year relationship Bobby has been physically abusing Frannie, but finally, for the sake of her son, Robert (Will Rothhaar), she plans an escape. The only way is to "go underground," completely change her identity, and kidnap her boy to Florida. For a while Frannie and Bobby play a tense game of cat and mouse, but ultimately, using the resources of the New York City police department, Bobby tracks her down, leading to an inevitable climax.
     Executive Producer Gerald W. Abrams was determined to bring Anna Quindlen's vision to the screen and had the strong support of CBS senior vice-president of movies and miniseries, Sunta Izzicupo. The challenge for April in writing the screen adaptation was to dramatize Bobby's pursuit, since the novel was told entirely from Frannie's point of view. April drew on her experience writing police drama, as well as personal sources within NYPD, to give reality to the methods a detective would have used to find someone who had completely disappeared. 
     The movie was shot in Toronto, but looks incredibly like downtown New York and seedy central Florida, thanks to the cinematography of Alar Kivilo.
     The Hollywood Reporter called this production, "Mesmerizing, first rate . . . " and acknowledged, "Razor-sharp dialogue by April Smith." 
VIEW NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE ARTICLES ON "BLACK AND BLUE" BY CLICKING HERE.

THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE 
ABC, February 1, 1998
Based on the novel by John Godey

Written by April Smith
Directed by Felix Enriquez Alcala
Executive Producers John Watson, Richard Barton Lewis, Pen Densham
Cast: James Olmos, Lorraine Bracco, Vincent D'Onofrio, Donnie Wahlberg, Richard Schiff.
Filmed by Trilogy Entertainment Television 

     The difficulty in doing a remake of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, in which a gang of terrorists hijacks a New York City subway car, was that the 1974 original was so darn good. The novel was a best-seller, and everyone remembers the feature movie with Walter Matthau as the wry Transit Authority detective. 
     At the beginning some executives were nervous about trying to meet the standards of a classic. For example, the suggestion was made to change the location of the story to San Francisco, where a bomb would have been placed on a BART subway train stopped underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Often it is left to the writer to defend (or even remember) the original intention of the piece. In this case April was able to argue successfully against the bomb-under-the-Golden-Gate-Bridge idea. 
    Ultimately it was agreed to send April to New York to research current subway technology since so much of the story depended on the bad guys' precision plan for uncoupling the trains. It turns out nothing has changed in the New York City subways (although a major renovation is on the way) except that today the Walter Matthau character (played by James Olmos) would not be working for the Transit Authority, but would be a specially trained NYPD hostage negotiator, a change which April incorporated into the teleplay. The film was shot in Toronto. 
     Entertainment Weekly called it, "One of the most remarkable network-TV movies in recent memory. A."
VIEW NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE ARTICLES ON "THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE" BY CLICKING HERE.

TAKING BACK MY LIFE: THE NANCY ZIEGENMEYER STORY
CBS, March 15, 1992

Written by April Smith
Directed by Harry Winer
Executive Producers Harry Winer, Lawrence A. Lyttle
Cast: Patricia Wettig, Stephen Lang, Shelley Hack, Joanna Cassidy, Gina Hecht, Eileen Brennan, Ellen Burstyn
Filmed by An Elliot Friedgen and Co. Inc, Production and a Lyttle/Heshty Production in association with Warner Bros. Television

     When executive producers Harry Winer and Larry Lyttle asked April to write an original TV movie based on the true story of a rape victim who goes public, she was intrigued. Long a supporter of The Rape Treatment Center at Santa Monica Hospital, April had witnessed the moving testimony of rape survivors fighting to regain their wholeness, and felt this would be an opportunity to dramatize the deep psychological impact of this crime. 
     The story took place in the small town of Grinnell, Iowa. Nancy Ziegenmeyer (Patricia Wettig), a mother of three, was married to Steven Ziegenmeyer (Stephen Lang), a car mechanic. Their marriage was on the rocks due to Nancy fooling around with other men and the jealous interfering of Stephen's half-crazy mother, Wilma (Ellen Burstyn). At one point Nancy left her family and ran away with a drifter, but came back, remorseful, willing to work on her marriage. She quit bartending and went to school to become a real estate agent. She was sitting in her car in a parking lot at seven AM, studying for her licensing exam, when a man pulled the door open, threw her coat over her head, and raped her several times. He took her wallet, threatening that if she told anyone he would kill her children. 
      The family lived in terror while the police searched for the suspect. Nancy suffered flashbacks from the trauma as well as stinging gossip from town locals. She became increasingly frustrated with the legal system in which she was just another victim without a name. After reading an article in the Des Moines Register written by editor Geneva Overholser (Joanna Cassidy) encouraging rape victims to come forward, Steven convinced Nancy to go the newspaper, which began her journey out of secrecy and shame.
     April and Harry Winer spent several days in Grinnell and Des Moines interviewing everyone involved, although the film was ultimately shot in Memphis. Harry Winer's commitment to depicting the attack unflinchingly led the Los Angeles Times to call the movie, "The boldest expression of rape that has ever aired on prime-time network television." The Hollywood Reporter termed it, "A hard-hitting, deeply emotional and brilliantly made piece of television . . . with fine acting throughout," citing, "Exquisite and insightful direction by Harry Winer" and, "A crisp, thoughtful and biting script by April Smith."
VIEW NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE ARTICLES ON "TAKING BACK MY LIFE" BY CLICKING HERE.
To visit the Victims of Rape and Violence Website, click here.

QUEENIE
ABC, May 10, 1987
A two-part miniseries
Based on the novel by Michael Korda

Written By Winston Beard and April Smith 
Directed by Larry Peerce
Executive Producer Frank Von Zerneck
Producer John Cutts
Cast: Joss Ackland, Martin Balsam, Claire Bloom, Gary Cady, Kirk Douglas, Joel Grey, Leigh Lawson, Sarah Miles, Geoffrey Rose, Mia Sara, Topol
Filmed by Von Zerneck /Sertner Films in Association with New World Television

     April did a last-minute rewrite on the miniseries based on Michael Korda's best-seller about a mixed-race girl from Calcutta who rises to Hollywood fame. (The character of Queenie was inspired by actress Meryl Oberon.) It was a lush and beautiful production shot in London and India under the tasteful eye of Frank Von Zerneck, and April had to fax pages to the set while scenes were being shot. Although it was a high-pressure job, there were rewarding moments. After a long working session refining the character to be played by Kirk Douglas, the great star told April: "If I were in a knife fight in an alley, I'd want you on my side."
VIEW NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE ARTICLES ON "QUEENIE" BY CLICKING HERE.

LOVE LIVES ON
ABC, 1985

Written by April Smith
Directed by Larry Peerce
Producer April Smith
Co-Producers Rod Paul, Bob Thompson
Cast: Christine Lahti, Sam Waterston, Mary Stuart Masterson, Ricky Paull, Bill Calvert, John Wesley, Keri Houlihan, Jack Thibeau, Kevin Scannell, John Doolittle, Margaret Blye, Brent Hinkley, Charles Sweigart, Eugene Williams, Carrie Hamilton, Billy Kane, Louise Latham, Holly Lauren
Filmed by ABC Circle Films

     This is the true story of Susan Wallace (Mary Stuart Masterson, in her TV-movie debut), a teenage drug-abuser who lived in the working-class town of Bingham, Massachusetts. She spent nine months in a rehab house getting off drugs only to discover she had cancer. Her chances for survival were placed at twenty-five percent. 
     Although she underwent chemotherapy and lost her hair, Susan met Brian (Ricky Paull) and they fell in love. Shortly thereafter, Susan became pregnant. When it was explained the chemotherapy would harm the fetus, Susan was forced to choose between her own survival and the life of her child. She chose to forgo treatment. Her parents were movingly portrayed by Christine Lahti and Sam Waterston.
     It was an honor to work with director Larry Peerce, whose extensive feature credits include two of April's' all-time favorites, A Separate Peace and Goodbye Columbus. Larry Peerce and April traveled to Bingham to meet Susan's real parents, who were raising the baby, Brian, Jr.. Susan's poetry was used in the script. The film was shot in Los Angeles. 

ERNIE KOVACS: BETWEEN THE LAUGHTER
ABC, May 14, 1984

Written by April Smith ** EMMY NOMINATION, WGA NOMINATION
Directed by Lamont Johnson
Produced by David Levinson
Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Melody Anderson, Madolyn Smith, John Glover, Cloris Leachman, Joseph Mascolo
Filmed by ABC Circle Films 

     Ernie Kovacs (Jeff Goldblum), was a comic genius whose wacky TV shows in the late fifties were the first to use video technology to create absurd effects. He was divorced from his first wife, Dorothy (Madolyn Smith), and had custody of their two daughters, when he married the gorgeous singer, Edie Adams (Melody Anderson). In a bold move for 1952, Dorothy stole the children and disappeared. Ernie spent two years being funny for the camera while desperately searching for his girls.
     One of the most touching aspects of writing the script was working with Edie Adams (she has a cameo in the film), whose love for Ernie was still fresh and real. Edie shared his personal papers, books, and comic gimmicks, which April and Lamont Johnson had the privilege of discovering while going through dusty boxes in storage. All of Ernie's routines were carefully and accurately reproduced in the movie, which was shot in Los Angeles and New York.
     Variety described April's teleplay as, "Composed of a succession of well-written scenes," noted Lamont Johnson's "superb direction" and said the film, "Reveals how much the human spirit can endure if it's strong enough." 
VIEW NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE ARTICLES ON "ERNIE KOVACS: BETWEEN THE LAUGHTER" BY CLICKING HERE.

BEST KEPT SECRETS
ABC, March 26, 1984

Writer and Co-Producer April Smith
Directed by Jerrold Freedman
Producer David Manson
Cast: Patty Duke Astin, Frederic Forrest, Peter Coyote, Meg Foster, Albert Salmi, Miriam Colon, David Clennon, Pepe Serna, Richard Bradford, Carmen Argenziano, Pat Petersen, Amanda Peterson, Karmin Murcelo, Howard Hesseman, Beau Billingslea, Sid Conrad, Reid Cruickshanks, Deborah Dalton, Joshua Grenrock, Mollie Jackson, Ken Lerner, Kerry Sherman, Marie Denn, Petty Feury, Rose Portillo
Filmed by ABC Circle Films

     Patty Duke Astin plays the fictional Laura Dietz, the loyal wife of Arizona police officer Blaise (Frederic Forrest). Although Laura is innocently involved with a church group sheltering political refugees, she discovers she is being spied upon by her own police department. When she goes public with her tale of police corruption and invasion of privacy, it disrupts the close-knit circle of cop's wives and creates an explosive situation in her marriage. 
     April got to know many wives of police officers during research for this project, and was pleased to be able to portray some of their untold stories on the screen. 
     The movie was filmed in Barstow and Los Angeles.
     USA Today called it, "Brilliantly rendered," with "Special kudos to writer April Smith, who made a good-for-you-to-see movie wonderfully engaging to watch as well." 
VIEW NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE ARTICLES ON "BEST KEPT SECRETS" BY CLICKING HERE.

 TELEVISION SERIES 

CHICAGO HOPE
CBS, 2000

Executive Producers Henry Bromell, Michael Pressman
Executive Consultant David E. Kelley, John Tinker, Bill D'Elia
Co-Executive Producer Gardener Stern
Consulting Producer Marjorie David
Supervising Producer John Health
Producers Rob Corn, April Smith, Randy Anderson 
Co-Producer Dean White
Cast: Adam Arkin, Hector Elizondo, Mark Harmon, Rocky Carroll, James Garner, Carla Gugino, Lauren Holly, Barbara Hershey, Mandy Patinkin 
Filmed by Twentieth Century Fox Television in Association with David E. Kelley Productions

     April has just finished a stint as a producer on the long-running hospital series, Chicago Hope. She wrote two episodes that aired this year: "Upstairs, Downstairs," based on a true story about a woman trying to become pregnant with sperm harvested from her dead husband, and "Letting Go," in which Dr. Keith Wilkes's formidable Aunt Odelia (Fran Bennet), a thoracic surgeon, consults at the hospital during an outbreak of tuberculosis, stirring up family secrets and lies.
To visit the official CHICAGO HOPE Web site, click here.

CAGNEY AND LACEY
CBS, 1982
** EMMY NOMINATION

Executive Producer Barney Rosenzweig
Producer April Smith
Executive Story Consultants Robert Crais and Frank Abatemarco
Story Editor Jeffrey Lane
Cast: Tyne Daly, Sharon Gless, Meg Foster, Al Waxman, Martin Kove, Carl Lumbly, Sidney Clute, John Karlen, Harvey Atkin
Filmed by Orion Television

     When April was hired to produce the show, it was in complete disarray. There were no sets, scripts, computers or writers, and nobody had any idea what to do with the ground-breaking concept of "two women cops." (It was the first TV series starring two females.) One of the lead actresses, Meg Foster, had just been unfairly fired by the network and a very nervous Sharon Gless hired to play the role of Detective Christine Cagney. April re-tooled the series into a hard-hitting reality-based drama. She hired talented writers -- Frank Abatemarco, Jeffrey Lane and Robert Crais (who went on to write the national best-selling Elvis Cole detective novels.) - and did background research with police officers in New York. The series ran for six years. 
     After she had established the show, April left to write and produce long-form television and to raise a family. Many other producers followed in her footsteps on Cagney and Lacey, but she was the first.
To visit a CAGNEY AND LACEY Web site, click here.

LOU GRANT
CBS, 1979-1982
** WGA NOMINATION

Executive Producer Gene Reynolds
Executive Consultant Allan Burns
Producer Seth Freeman
Executive Story Editor April Smith
Story Editors Michelle Gallery, Steve Kline
Cast: Edward Asner, Mason Adams, Robert Walden, Linda Kelsey, Nancy Marchand, Jack Bannon, Daryl Anderson, Sidney Clute, Emilio Delgado, Laurence Haddon, Gary Pagett, Allen Williams, Billy Beck, Rebecca Balding, Cliff Potts, Barbara Jane Edelman, Lance Guest, Richard B. Schull

     April was extremely fortunate to land her first television staff job on Lou Grant, a drama about a daily newspaper, the most respected series of its time. She learned how to break stories, do research and write dramatic dialogue from the best in the business: Gene Reynolds, Allan Burns and Seth Freeman, generous teachers to whom she owes enormous gratitude. The show had an integrity yet to be duplicated, and dominated the all the major awards. 
To visit a LOU GRANT Web site, click here.