Adam (1983 film)

Adam is a 1983 American made-for-television film starring Daniel J. Travanti and JoBeth Williams. It aired on October 10, 1983, on NBC. On its original air date, it was seen by an audience of 38 million people. It was rebroadcast on April 30, 1984, and rebroadcast again on April 29, 1985. At the end of each broadcast, a series of missing children's photographs and descriptions were displayed on the screen for viewers, and a telephone number was also given for viewers to call if they had any information about them. The 1985 photograph series was introduced by President Ronald Reagan in a pre-recorded message, "...maybe your eyes can help bring them home." A sequel, Adam: His Song Continues followed on September 29, 1986, also starring Travanti and Williams.

The first part of the film portrays the story of the kidnapping and murder of Adam Walsh on July 27, 1981, along with its effects on the marriage of John and Revé Walsh. The second part focuses on the Walshes' attempts to pass national child protection laws in the wake of Adam's murder, and the formation of awareness groups surrounding child disappearances. The film was written by Allan Leicht and directed by Michael Tuchner.

Production
Filming was conducted both in and around Houston, Texas. The scenes portrayed at the Hollywood Mall in Hollywood, Florida, were filmed at the now defunct Westwood Mall in Houston, at the Sears which was one of its former anchor stores. The mall closed in 1998 and was converted into offices. The Sears where some scenes were filmed closed in 2017 and was converted to an automobile dealership service center.

The Lamaze scene where Revé went into premature labor was filmed at the Woman's Hospital of Texas.

The three broadcasts of the film were followed by pictures and descriptions of missing children as of each of the respective broadcasts. A hotline was also active, to take calls regarding the children. This was ultimately credited with finding 13 of 55 children from the 1983 broadcast, including future rapper Bizzy Bone, and 19 of 51 children shown in the 1984 broadcast. As of two days after the 1985 showing, 3,522 calls had been made to the hotline, and 5 of 54 featured missing children had already been found.

Cast

 * Daniel J. Travanti as John Walsh
 * JoBeth Williams as Revé Walsh
 * Martha Scott as Gram Jean Walsh
 * Richard Masur as Jay Howell
 * Paul Regina as Joe Walsh
 * Mason Adams as Ray Mellette
 * Tony Frank as Lt. Richard Hynds
 * John M. Jackson as Det. Jim Gibbons
 * Alex Harvey as Det. Jack Hoffman
 * Jim O'Donnell as himself
 * Elaine O'Donnell as herself

Awards
1984 Primetime Emmy Award nominations:
 * Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special (Alan Landsburg, Joan Barnett, executive producers; Linda Otto, producer)
 * Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special (Daniel J. Travanti)
 * Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special (JoBeth Williams)
 * Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special (Allan Leicht)