Room Upstairs
| The Room Upstairs | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Based on | The Room Upstairs by Norma Levinson |
| Written by | Steve Lawson |
| Directed by | Stuart Margolin |
| Starring |
Sam Waterston Linda Hunt Joan Allen Clancy Brown Sarah Jessica Parker James Handy Jerry O'Connell De'voreaux White |
| Theme music composer | Robert Folk |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Marian Rees |
| Producer(s) |
Robert Huddleston Anne Hopkins (associate producer) Stefanie Masters (associate producer) |
| Cinematography | Ron Hagen |
| Editor(s) | Kurt Bullinger |
| Running time | 98 min |
| Production company(s) |
Marian Rees Associates Hallmark Hall of Fame The Alexander Group Productions |
| Distributor | CBS |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | January 31, 1987 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Promise (film) |
| Followed by | TBA |
The Room Upstairs is a 1987 Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie based on the novel The Room Upstairs by Norma Levinson, starring , Sam Waterston, Joan Allen and Linda Hunt. The young Jerry O'Connell, Devoreaux White and Sarah Jessica Parker all have small supporting roles. The film aired on CBS on January 31, 1987 and was later distributed on DVD.
Leah Lazenby (Stockard Channing) is a single woman who lives in a house she recently inherited from her parents. In order to save money, maintaining her inheritance, she lets rooms to a variety of tenants while she sleeps in her parents' parlour. Leah works in a school for children who are characterized by a learning disability or even antisocial personality disorder.
A cellist named Travis Coles (Sam Waterston) visits to inquire about the upstairs room to let. He can easily pay in advance and is immediately accepted.
Travis fits in very well. He flatters Leah when she's plumbing, helps the other tenants, takes photographs of Leah and her pupils, drives her around in his car, and guards her when she is assaulted by her tenant Kevin (Clancy Brown). Consequently, Leah turns to Travis when she needs to bring Kevin's wife Ellie (Joan Allen) to a hospital. Ellie had just tried to commit suicide because the Kevin had betrayed and eventually left her.
Leah's head teacher (Linda Hunt) assigns her to look after an unruly illiterate teenage girl named Susan (Renée Estevez), who refuses to attend school. Susan lives with her boyfriend. Leah visits her regularly and tries to teach her to read by using fashion magazines. She even includes Susan's boyfriend, but when she thinks Susan opens up to her, the girl plays a cruel trick on Leah, causing Leah to lose her patience and start a physical fight with Susan in public. As the police arrive, Susan falsely accuses her of having assaulted her with a broken bottle and Leah leaves.
Returning home Leah sees Travis repairing the sink and tells him off. Travis answers back by explaining to her she mustn't believe she was the only person who is hurt and she should be more interested in Ellie's problems. Leah then talks to Ellie and they become friends.
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