James Garner: One Special Night (1999)

 

I recently reviewed actor James Garner's book The Garner Files: A Memoir written with Jon Winokur.  Click here to see that review again.  Garner repeatedly refers to his friendship with actress Julie Andrews, having worked with her in three different movies.  She also wrote the Introduction to his book The Garner Files.  The third film on which they worked together is the 1999 TV Christmas movie One Special Night.  This story takes its inspiration from the stage play A Winter Visitor, written by Jan Hartman.

James Garner as Robert, Julie Andrews as Catherine.

The story begins at Thanksgiving when a blizzard prompts Catherine to offer a stranger named Robert a ride home from the nursing facility.  Catherine has been there visiting the room where her now deceased husband had spent his final months.  Robert is in the hospice keeping company with his wife who is tragically suffering from Alzheimers disease.

A blizzard forces the strangers into one car to share a dangerous ride home.

The journey home in the storm is treacherous and their car slides off the road.  Eventually they are forced to abandon the car and seek shelter in an empty cabin in the woods.  Though they don’t get along at first, James and Catherine come to share one special night in that cabin, safe and warm by the fire place.

The emergency situation brings the strangers emotionally closer together.

Catherine and Robert find they share many things in common after all.

After the storm passes and they find transportation back to the city, the couple promises to meet again the following week at a local diner.

Catherine waits at the diner at the appointed time but Robert never arrives.

But at the appointed hour, circumstances interfere and the couple do not reunite as planned.  That is, until Christmas Eve when Catherine is called in to the hospital where she works as a pediatric cardiologist, asked to help deliver a premature baby, the birth of Robert’s grandchild.

Catherine pretends her feelings aren't hurt that Robert stood her up.

When Catherine and Robert see each other on Christmas Eve, the hurt feelings over the missed breakfast date are explained and the couple have one more chance to come together.  The romance here is in the details but I don't want to give too much away and spoil it.  It's a classic romance story with a stellar cast that makes it extra special.  Like some of the best TV movies, it's a small story with great nuanced performances.

Christmas TV movie fans will appreciate this love story.  Its touching romance reminds me of several other classic Christmas TV movie romances including 1969's Silent Night, Lonely Night with Lloyd Bridges and Shirley Jones, and 1988's The Christmas Wife with Jason Robards and Julie Harris.

Will their future hold more than ONE special night?

However, One Special Night has a special place in my heart after reading in Garner's memoirs that it is one of his favorites as well.  What's your favorite Christmas TV movie romance?

This TV movie is available for viewing on DVD--I easily found it at my local library.  Watch the trailer here.   The full movie is worth seeking out.

James Garner: The Garner Files book review

One of the things that I do each Spring (the Christmas off-season) is catch up on a long list of pop culture non-fiction books.  At the top of this list is last year's biography of actor James Garner.

The Garner Files: A Memoir by James Garner and Jon Winokur reflects back on the leading man's personal life and career.  You'll read about Garner's scrappy upbringing in Norman, Oklahoma and his unintentional start in show business.  There are details of his time spent playing the gambler Brett Maverick on the hit TV western Maverick and his iconic private detective Jim Rockford on The Rockford Files--the two TV roles he's most closely associated with.  For more dedicated fans of TV history, you'll love to read Garner's take on the lawsuit he took up against Warner Brothers after Maverick and the one against the network after The Rockford Files. 

James Garner's first major TV role: the slick fast-talking, gambler Brett Maverick

If you're a fan of Garner like I am, you'll be interested to know that this memoir seems to capture the actor's own voice.  You'll believe him when he discusses his chronic life-long knee problems, his passion for race car driving and golf, and the tenderness of his words when he discusses working with co-star Julie Andrews.

Movie poster for 1964's movie co-starring Garner and Andrews

The affection seems to go both ways as Julie Andrews pens a touching introduction to his book.  You may remember that Garner and Andrews shared the screen in the movies The Americanization of Emily in 1964, Victor Victoria in 1982 and again in the TV movie One Special Night in 1999.

Though Garner doesn't reflect in depth on every movie and TV series in his very long career, he does include comments on the projects he himself liked and felt were important to his career and personal life.  If you're like me, you'll hang on his every word as you read about his time spent in the company of Hollywood royalty such as Marlon Brando (with whom he co-starred in the 1957 film Sayonara), Steve McQueen (with whom he worked in 1963's The Great Escape--they were also next door neighbors in Los Angeles), Lauren Bacall (he brought her in on the sixth season of The Rockford Files), and of course, Julie Andrews.

He spelled my name wrong but I love it anyway!

If you've been in my home, you've likely seen my framed autographed photos of James Garner hanging on the wall.  I joined the Official James Garner Fan Club in 1980 when I was still in elementary school.  I've had those photos of my favorite star hanging up since I received them in the mail--in my childhood bedroom, my college dorm rooms and since.  The corners are torn and the photos are losing their tones from sun exposure but I enjoy having them out and seeing them.  They remind me of my favorite TV shows, The Rockford Files and Maverick, and the young girl with a passion for TV and its stars.  Garner's memoir is a must read for all classic TV and film fans.

My fan club membership card.  The embossed lettering has mostly worn off because I carried it in my wallet for years.

Do you remember reading my book reviews from last year?  Click the link to check them out again.   Alison Arngrim's Confessions of a Prairie Bitch and Melissa Gilbert's Prairie Tale.  You may remember that both of these biographies were written by actresses from the 1970s TV series Little House on the Prairie.

James Garner

Happy Birthday James Garner. I've been the hugest fan of this actor my whole life. If you've read this blog before, you'll probably already know this about me. I love, love, love The Rockford Files and Maverick. This is one of the several autographed pics I have of him from when I belonged to the James Garner Fan Club. Yes, the inscription reads 'To Joanne Happy 1980!' I never cared that he got my name wrong. Close enough. The tape and holes in the corners of this pic come from the years I had it hanging on my walls--in college dorm rooms and the many apartments I've had across the country. Enough about me.

Sadly, I know of no Christmas-themed Rockford Files or Maverick episodes. However, Garner is in the 1999 holiday movie, One Special Night. The story begins at Thanksgiving when Catherine (Julie Andrews) offers Robert (Garner) a ride home in the blizzard from a nursing home. Catherine had been there visiting the room where her now deceased husband had spent his final months and Robert was in the facility keeping company with his wife who is suffering from Alzheimers. Their journey home in the storm is treacherous and their car slides off the road, forcing them to seek shelter in an abandoned cabin in the woods. Though they don’t get along at first, they come to share one special night in that cabin, safe and warm by the fire. They promise to meet again but circumstances interfere. That is, until Christmas Eve when Catherine is called in to the hospital where she works to help deliver a premature baby--Robert’s grandchild.
Fans of the 1964 movie The Americanization of Emily will appreciate the romantic reunion of Garner and Andrews in this film.

Garner also appears in the 2006 film based on a best-selling book, The Ultimate Gift which also stars the amazing cast: Abigail Breslin, Drew Fuller, Lee Meriwether and Bill Cobbs. Here, Garner plays a billionaire that dies and leaves a special request for an estranged grandson in his estate. The request offers the self-centered party boy, Jason (Fuller) a chance to face a string of challenges to earn an undisclosed ‘ultimate gift.’ Jason soon learns that these challenges are more character building exercises than financial gains but he transforms himself to rise to each challenge in a way that would impress his deceased grandfather. Along the way, Jason befriends a death-obsessed little girl, Emily (Breslin) and her mother who see him for the person that he is and not the former spoiled, rich boy. Jason’s character building exercises from his deceased grandfather are further enhanced when he learns that little Emily is death-obsessed because she’s dying from leukemia. There’s a wonderful Christmas scene where Jason insists on making Emily’s perfect day wish come true by providing a day of horseback riding with her mother. Watching his best friend struggle with a terminal illness leaves Jason with a new perspective on the value of money and what to do with his grandfather’s estate. Meriwether and Cobbs appear as two lawyers representing the billionaire's estate. This film incorporates a significant Christmas scene and the theme of second chances, a very powerful and common Christmas theme in movies.

On TV, Garner also appears in the Christmas episode of the final season of 8 Simple Rules... as the grandfather character. Don't miss Garner donning a Santa suit just to please C.J., played by David Spade. This episode is entitled 'A Very C.J. Christmas.'