Bad Ronald
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| Bad Ronald | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Buzz Kulik |
| Produced by | Philip Capice |
| Written by | John Holbrook Vance (novel) Andrew Peter Marin (teleplay) |
| Starring | Scott Jacoby Pippa Scott Dabney Coleman Kim Hunter John Fiedler Lisa Eilbacher |
| Music by | Fred Karlin |
| Cinematography | Charles F. Wheeler |
| Editing by | Samuel E. Beetley |
| Distributed by | American Broadcasting Company (ABC) |
| Release date(s) | October 23, 1974 (USA) (TV) |
| Running time | 74 min |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
For the band, see Bad Ronald (band).
Bad Ronald is a television movie that aired in 1974 starring Scott Jacoby, Dabney Coleman and sisters Lisa and Cindy Eilbacher. It is based on the book of the same title by Jack Vance.
[edit] Plot description
Ronald Wilby (Scott Jacoby) is a nerdy high school youth with budding artistic talent and a predilection for fantasy. His mother (Kim Hunter of Planet of the Apes fame) is an over-bearing motherly type, in need of surgery, of a similar stripe to those featured in Carrie and the creation of Norman Bates. He is often shamed and mocked for his behavior and mannerisms. His mother's plans are for him to become a doctor and cure her illness.
One afternoon while asking Leanne Matthews out he is ridiculed by her friends. As he runs home he knocks over her younger sister Carole. Carole taunts Ronald, at which point he pushes her over, inadvertently killing her. He hides the body and confesses to his mother. Fearing the police will not believe that it was accidental, Ronald and his mother fill in the door frame to the downstairs bathroom and convert the closed off space to a living quarters for Ronald. The plan is for him to hide in the room until the incident blows over. He was only to come out when his mother said it was safe. Mrs Wilby told the police that Ronald ran away.
Ronald's mother keeps paying attention to what the neighbors and others are saying about the young girl's disappearance and tells Ronald that when it's safe, he can return to a normal life. One afternoon she is taken into a hospital for surgery, from which she dies. In the meantime, Ronald has created a fantasy world in his own head consisting of a prince and a princess that live happily until a devil appears and a struggle begins.
Shortly after her death, the house is sold to a new family. After they move in, the second act of the movie begins.
As Ronald needs food to eat, and begins to crave human interaction, mysterious disappearances of food and odd noises are experienced by the new family. The youngest daughter of the family becomes identified with Ronald's princess and he identifies himself as the prince. Darren Matthews, the boyfriend of the oldest daughter (who was well liked by the family), and brother of the previously mentioned Matthews girls becomes identified with the monster that threatens their happiness. Ronald's goal is to "regain" his princess and remove anything, including the members of her family, that stops that dream from becoming reality.
[edit] References
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