Baxter!

Baxter! is a 1973 British-American drama film directed by Lionel Jeffries and starring Patricia Neal, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Britt Ekland. The film follows a young boy called Roger Baxter who struggles to overcome his speech problem (rhotacism) and his strained relationship with his parents. The screenplay was by Reginald Rose, based on the 1968 book by Kin Platt, The Boy Who Could Make Himself Disappear.

The film was made before Jeffries' third film as director, The Amazing Mr Blunden (1972), but released afterwards.

Plot
Roger Baxter, a young American boy with a speech impediment, goes to live in London with his mother after his parents' divorce. He struggles to pronounce the letter R, and at school he becomes close to his speech therapist. He makes friends with his upstairs neighbour Chris Bentley whom he meets in the lift, and her French husband, Roger Tunnell. He also meets Nemo, a girl who lives across the street from his flat. His parents are extremely self-centred and neglectful, and he feels isolated in a strange city. He eventually slides into an emotional breakdown.

Cast

 * Scott Jacoby as Roger Baxter
 * Patricia Neal as Doctor Roberta Clemm
 * Jean-Pierre Cassel as Roger Tunnell
 * Britt Ekland as Chris Bentley
 * Lynn Carlin as Mrs. Baxter
 * Sally Thomsett as Nora "Nemo" Newman
 * Paul Eddington as Mr. Rawling
 * Paul Maxwell as Mr. Baxter
 * Ian Thompson as Dr. Walsh
 * Ronald Leigh-Hunt as Mr. Fishie
 * Frances Bennett as Mrs. Newman
 * Dorothy Alison as Nurse Kennedy
 * George Tovey as George
 * Marianne Stone as woman

Production
The Boy Who Could Make Himself Disappear was published in 1968. One critic called it "unforgettable".

In November 1971, it was announced the film would be called The Boy and it would be a co production between Anglo-EMI Films and Group W Films. Hanna-Barbera also produced the film; it is one of the studio's live-action efforts, despite being primarily known as an animation studio.

The film starred Scott Jacoby, who had just played the lead in a TV movie, That Certain Summer. It was a rare English-language film for Jean-Pierre Cassel.