| Genre: | Drama |
| Director: | Randal Kleiser |
| Starring: | Edward Asner Maureen Stapleton Rebecca Balding Sarah Cunningham Bruce Davison Veronica Hamel Gregory Harrison James Karen Lawrence Pressman John Randolph Gail Strickland Edward Winter Stephanie Zimbalist |
| Composer: | John Barry |
| Executive Producer: | Joseph Barbera |
| Cinematography: | Dennis Dalzell |
| Editor: | Allan Jacobs |
| Producer: | Harry R. Sherman |
| Location: | Chagrin Falls, Ohio Hudson, Ohio |
| Company: | Hanna-Barbera Productions |
| Country: | United States |
| Network: | ABC |
| Runtime: | 94 minutes |
| Language: | English |
The Gathering is a 1977 American made-for-television drama film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for ABC. It is about a dying executive who arranges a final Christmas reunion with his estranged wife and adult children. It was directed by Randal Kleiser and stars Edward Asner and Maureen Stapleton.[1]
Adam Thornton (Edward Asner), an ill-tempered executive who walked out on his family, learns that he only has a little time left to live. He decides that he wants to make peace with them and have one last reunion. He confides this information to his estranged wife, Kate (Maureen Stapleton). But when his doctor says that it won't be good for him to travel, she suggests that he should call his four adult children and invite them all for Christmas.
He agrees only with the provision that they not be told of his illness and imminent death. The only problem is that most of them are not exactly fond of him because he walked out on Kate and has a stubborn nature. Of them, he is most nervous about seeing Bud (Gregory Harrison), whom he hasn't spoken to since having an argument with him regarding the Vietnam War and his move to Canada several years before.
The film was followed by the 1979 sequel The Gathering, Part II, which picked up two years after Adam's death (Asner did not appear in it), and largely concerned Kate's relationship with a new man (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.). It was also produced by Hanna-Barbera.[2]
The film was released on DVD on Christmas 2009 by Warner Home Video through its Warner Archive label. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com. This release includes The Gathering - Part II as a bonus.