Bill (1981 film)

Bill is a 1981 American made-for-television biographical drama film starring Mickey Rooney and Dennis Quaid based on the life of Bill Sackter.^[1][2] The film was broadcast on CBS on December 22, 1981.^[3] A sequel, Bill: On His Own, was released in 1983.^[4] Writer/filmmaker Barry Morrow, portrayed in the film by Dennis Quaid, based the story on his life experiences with Sackter, and later became his legal guardian. Sackter, who did not have autism, would also serve as a partial inspiration for the character of Raymond Babbitt in Morrow's early draft screenplay for the 1988 film Rain Man.

Bill
Genre	Biography Drama
Written by	Corey Blechman
Story by	Barry Morrow
Directed by	Anthony Page
Starring	Mickey Rooney Dennis Quaid Largo Woodruff Anna Maria Horsford Harry Goz
Theme music composer	William Kraft
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Alan Landsburg Bernard Sofronski
Producer	Mel Stuart
Production locations	New York City Yonkers, New York College of Mount Saint Vincent
Cinematography	Mike Fash
Editor	George Hively
Running time	100 minutes
Production company	Alan Landsburg Productions
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	December 22, 1981 (1981-12-22)

Awards

Mickey Rooney won an Emmy Award and Golden Globe for his performance, and the film also received a Golden Globe for Best TV Film.^[5][6]

Premise

Bill is a man with an intellectual disability in his 60s. He ventures out into the world for the first time after spending most of his life at Grandville, a dreary inner city institution in Minneapolis, Minnesota, since age seven (when his mother sent him there). Bill is taken in by a kind family and learns what it means to love for the first time in his life.

Cast

• Mickey Rooney - Bill Sackter
• Dennis Quaid - Barry Morrow
• Largo Woodruff - Beverly Morrow
• Anna Maria Horsford - Marge Keating
• Harry Goz - Dr. Tom Walz
• Kathleen Maguire - Florence Archer

See also

• Film within a film
• Rain Man