Honors, Awards and Praise for Challenging Topics
The Hallmark Hall of Fame has been honored with countless awards, including a record 78 Emmys and dozens of Golden Globe, Peabody and Christopher Awards, as well as Humanitas Prizes. In 1961, Hallmark Cards received the first Emmy ever presented to a sponsor; in 1982, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presented its prestigious Governors' Award to Hallmark for the series' unparalleled contribution to the television medium. The Hallmark Hall of Fame has often tackled tough subjects, and those presentations have been widely honored. Teacher, Teacher (1969) told of a mentally challenged boy who emerged from his isolation thanks to encouragement from his teacher. Both Teacher, Teacher and its sequel, Emily, Emily (1977), received Awards of Merit from the President's Committee on Mental Retardation. Love Is Never Silent (1985) featured deaf actors and explored issues of particular relevance to the deaf community; Miss Rose White (1992) examined assimilation of ethnic and religious minorities in American society; Ellen Foster (1997) was a hard-hitting portrait of an essentially parent-less girl coping with a harrowing childhood; My Name Is Bill W. (1989) dramatized the genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous; Grace & Glorie (1998) was a touching portrait of an elderly woman dealing with both isolation and illness. Promise (1986), starring James Woods and James Garner, was a remarkable exploration of schizophrenia. As John J. O'Connor noted in his New York Times review, "A television movie has finally done it -- tackled a disease for which there is no cure, no comforting bromides, and therefore, no opportunity for easy uplift." Promise is the most honored single program in the history of television. It received five Emmy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor (James Woods), two Golden Globes, a Christopher Award and Humanitas Prize. The production is still widely used as a teaching tool in medical schools throughout the country. Since Promise, many Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations have achieved both strong critical notices and high ratings. They include Pack of Lies (1987), Foxfire (1987), Caroline? (1990), Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991), O Pioneers! (1992), To Dance with the White Dog (1993), Breathing Lessons (1994), William Faulkner's Old Man (1997), What the Deaf Man Heard (1997), A Painted House (2003) and The Magic of Ordinary Days (2005).
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