Survival of Dana
Survival of Dana is a 1979 CBS made-for-TV film starring Melissa Sue Anderson, Robert Carradine, Talia Balsam (Martin Balsam's only child), Marion Ross and Judge Reinhold in his first film and Anderson in her first non-Mary Ingalls role as a modern-day "bad" girl while on hiatus from Little House on the Prairie and one of Ross' other TV roles during Happy Days' primetime run. It was directed by Jack Starrett, whose only child, Jennifer, plays one of the antisocial clique's members ("Lynn") and is a teenage drama about conflicting adolescent values in affluent societies, as the titular youth (Anderson) is transferred from Fargo, North Dakota to Los Angeles' suburban San Fernando Valley after her parents' divorce.
| Survival of Dana | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime Drama |
| Written by | Frank Norwood (teleplay) Tom Lazarus (story) Frank Norwood (story) |
| Directed by | Jack Starrett |
| Starring | Melissa Sue Anderson Robert Carradine Marion Ross |
| Music by | Craig Safan |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Tony Converse Roger Gimbel |
| Producer(s) | Marc Trabulus |
| Production location(s) | Los Angeles |
| Cinematography | Bruce Logan |
| Editor(s) | Joy Wilson |
| Running time | 96 min. |
| Production company(s) | EMI Television |
| Distributor | CBS |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | May 29, 1979 |
Plot
Dana Lee Gilbert (Anderson) is a newcomer to the Valley's Tremont High School, which was vandalized by a suburban car clique of its students led by Carradine called "The Roadrunners" the night before her arrival. After her first day at Tremont, she watches the school's ice skating team practice and wants to try out for it. She waits for her custodial grandmother at a shopping mall to buy some new clothes, but Rona's (Balsam) shoplifting causes them both to be arrested. Dana's life then goes downhill in a hurry and only a deadly tragedy among her new gangbanger friends gets her back on the right track.
Cast
- Melissa Sue Anderson as Dana Lee
- Robert Carradine as Donny Davis
- Marion Ross as Madeline
- Talia Balsam as Rona Simms
- Michael Pataki as Arnold
- Kevin Breslin as Skates
- Judge Reinhold as Bear
- Dan Spector as Anthony
- Barbara Babcock as Lorna Sims
- Shelby Leverington as Mrs. Blake
- Dawn Jeffory as Joanie
- Trent Dolan as Coach Tanner
- Scott McGinnis as Paul