The Family Holvak

Two-time Oscar nominated actor Glenn Ford starred in two different television series that were four years apart during the 1970's. First he starred as a Midwest sheriff in the crime drama/detective series "Cade's County" that lasted two seasons. On November 4, 1974, NBC aired the made for television movie titled "The Greatest Gift" that was based on the 1953 novel "Ramey" by Jack Farris and was based in the depression era 1930's of the Deep South about humble preacher(Glenn Ford)along with his wife(Julie Harris)and son(Lance Kerwin)facing the injustices and conflicts while keeping the simple family values. The NBC Movie Special was an immediate hit bringing Emmy nominations for both Glenn Ford and Julie Harris. It was so successful that the network gave the green light for a weekly series titled "The Family Holvak" which was the network's answer to CBS' "The Waltons" and at the time the producers attempt to cash in on a slew of wholesome family dramas that were all over the place during the mid-1970's.

"The Family Holvak" was produced by the team of Richard Collins, Roland Kibbee and Dean Hargrove(most basically responsible for their work on the Universal produced television shows including "Ironside", "The Name of the Game", "Columbo", "It Takes A Thief","McHale's Navy" and "The Six Million Dollar Man" just to name a few). "The Family Holvak" was NBC's attempt to cash in quick on another family drama after the astounding success of "Little House on the Prairie" which premiered in 1974, a year before this show aired. Interesting point here. The short-lived "The Family Holvak" was placed on NBC's Sunday night slot in prime time where it was sandwiched between "The Wonderful World of Disney",and "The NBC Mystery Movies" thinking that it would be a success. The series premiered on September 7, 1975 and lasted only four months on the air producing 10 episodes until December 28,1975. The reason why it didn't last very long? And why did NBC move this drama into a different time slot? First off, NBC put this wholesome family drama opposite on Sunday nights "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour", and "The Six Million Dollar Man" which clobbered it in the ratings.

As a series it had great potential bringing on board big time directors ranging from Alf Kjellin, John Newland, Ralph Senensky, George Sherman, Corey Allen, Vincent Sherman, and Christian Nyby. Great writers ranging from Richard Fielder, to Stanley Roberts and Jerry DeBono contribute to some of the episodes. Only actors Glenn Ford, Julie Harris, Lance Kerwin and Elizabeth Cheshire stayed on throughout the series entire short- lived run. The guest star roster included David Carradine, Michael Conrad, Mary Alice, John Anderson, Dirk Blocker, Julie Sommars, Fran Ryan, Kenneth Tobey, Arlene Golonka, Denver Pyle, Cliff Potts, Charles Lane, and Clint Ritchie just to name a few. Several episodes from this series do stand out even though it was short-lived. "The Long Way Home" was a two-part episode that was basically the pilot from the made from TV-Movie "The Greatest Gift". Other episodes include another two-part episode "First Love",along with "Remembrance of a Guest", the emotional heart-tuggler episode "The Tribute", "The Willing Heart",and the final episode of the series "The Wedding". When "The Family Holvak" television series was canceled on December 28, 1975, the powers that be decided at NBC to replaced the series with the expansion of "The NBC Mystery Movies" that went from two to three hours on that Sunday night time slot. This was a grand series but if Universal can put out the entire five seasons of "The Six Million Dollar Man",and the entire eight seasons of "Columbo" than "The Family Holvak" deserves that status on DVD as well. For die-hard fans of Glenn Ford it should be a tribute.

I saw most of this series on the Belgian public TV, (received by cable in the Netherlands) some (long) time ago, i liked it then, a bit idealistic, yes, but it's a nice change, if you don't like the type of TV series, where they constantly shout, or have canned giggles, or laughing, the series is mostly "spun" around the two boys, black and white,(Lance Kerwin) (with Glenn Ford as father of the white boy) who are good friends, no matter the situation, okay, the storyline is sometimes a bit "preachy" but it's very positive done, but that's why you should like it, in contrast to other series, where a lot of anger is displayed. I discovered that the series is not yet on DVD, the series doesn't have that much episodes, so i guess when it does come out on DVD, i will buy it, if it where only for the sake of sentiment, and it would be aFordable too i Guess.

Some of the previous reviews, were not accurate.

Glenn Ford was not a boring actor. The Famiy Holvak did not focus on the mother and daughter. I don't remember a white family/black family interaction (whoever wrote that was thinking of a show starring a young Michael J. Fox, produced in the early 80s.) I think most of the reviewers have this show mixed up with others from the 70s. As for a limitation of choices (re: no cable). I believe the limitation actually affected the quality of programming. Yes, back then the independent channels only showed films from the 30s and 40s. You know what, that stuff in my opinion was a lot better than the garbage around today. Most of the shows back then were much better than what the viewers must watch today. I was a t.v. junkie back then. With the exception of public television, I rarely watch the "idiot box"...There is absolutely nothing worthwhile.

I know I digress, but I was just very surprised by the mixed up reviews for this television show.

I thought the quality was good, the acting fine (Julie Harris is a great stage actress. I guess most people on IMDb don't know who she is.)and story lines similar to the time the show was set. I was disappointed when it was suddenly canceled after such a short run. I believe it was really never given a chance.

Oh well...

Even though we had to bring Glenn Ford back from the dead because he was killed in the original made for TV film that inspired this series, The Greatest Gift got suxh good public and critical notices that a series was certainly in the offing.

In the movie Glenn Ford, Julie Harris and their kids lived on the town largesse in the parsonage of the church. In the series Ford and Harris have a farm so they do have their own means of support. Another change from the film.

The two episodes I saw did not match the quality of the original film. So I guess it was foreordained that the series would not last. 10 episodes were all that were done.

It was a nice show. Too bad it wasn't the equal of the film that inspired it.

I saw three episodes of 'The Family Holvak' in 1976, at an industry screening in London, when a Yank television producer was trying to sell the U.K. syndication rights to this series. I disliked it even before I saw it, because I was put off by that pretentious inversion in the title. Why do these characters have to be 'the family Holvak'? Why can't they be 'the Holvak family'? Maybe someone thought it sounded too much like the Addams family.

The usually reliable Glenn Ford plays Tom Holvak, a jackleg preacher in Depression-era Tennessee. He's trying to make a go of it as a farmer and as a man of the cloth, abetted by his wife and two children. We get the usual sub-'Waltons' bathos about earnest down-home country folk.

I well and truly dislike TV programmes in which the recurring cast members have the same forenames as the actors who play them, as this is usually a warning that the series is going to cater for the actor's self-indulgence at the expense of quality. In 'The Family Holvak', the main character has a wife and daughter named Julie and Elizabeth, played by actresses named Julie and Elizabeth. The catch is that the character named Elizabeth is played by the actress cried Julie, and vice versa. Elizabeth Cheshire, the child actress who plays Holvak's young daughter, was quite good in the three episodes I saw, and I regret that she never had a better acting career. As for Lance Kerwin's performance as Holvak's son ... the less said, the better.

I didn't save the press kit that I received at this screening, but I recall some of the material in it. There was a quote from Glenn Ford, apparently genuine, in which he stated that he refused to speak any piece of dialogue that ran more than four lines on the page. In standard television script format, four lines would be about 20 words of dialogue. I did notice that Ford's character in this series -- and elsewhere -- is indeed taciturn and laconic, but he never quite brings it to Gary Cooper proportions ... and indeed, in his film career, Ford never achieved the iconic level of Cooper or Gable or Bogart. There's one great movie actor named Ford, but his forename is Harrison. 'The Family Holvak' didn't much impress me.